There is much preoccupation with and focus on coalitions as ‘the future’ of South African politics, aimed at making coalitions work, including setting a threshold before a party can be represented. This may well strengthen coalitions involving the big ...
He concedes that there is a problem at a democratic level, in that , the votes of those who vote for parties that do not win a seat are completely wasted.More than that, it may well exclude organisations that are important for the development of our democracy. The PAC has historically had a lot of support among sections of the population, but it has never translated into electoral numbers.
It has also influenced a lot of organisations like the ANC and in society at large, with virtual banishment of the words “non-white” and the use of the word black to connote Africans, coloureds and Indians . Would we want to exclude a party that was formed to advance the Black Consciousness movement on the basis of a technical threshold? Would it be right democratically to erect such a barrier?
It is also important to remember that some parties that started with below 2% of the vote sometimes grew into formidable forces – all over the world. It is a static view to treat their electoral performance at one moment as comprising what they may become in the long term, given that this may also be affected by changes that may happen in the broader conditions of our society. Being in Parliament gives exposure and can facilitate growth .
At what expense will this stability be achieved? Government stability now will be stability of two or three parties that are not committed to the well-being of the majority of South Africans. I accept the legitimacy of the Constitution but have serious reservations over the legitimacy of the ANC as ruling party and many other parties in Parliament.
It may be that many see this as “the only show in town”. If that is so and it is inadequate, we need to bend our efforts towards building an alternative. But there needs to be a vehicle for advancing these, beyond the forces that have come together in generally commendable efforts like #DefendOurDemocracy.
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