Share

Iswamo Kapalu: Herds of State – party before country. Time for electoral reform.

If it isn’t broken then why fix it? And sitting in the ANC section of parliament, there’s no need to question the electoral system at the moment. There’s a majority in the house, and while the ruling party holds onto that, it’s impossible to change the current course, as was seen with President Jacob Zuma’s impeachment vote.

Below Iswamo Kapalu, a member of the Jesuit Institute, joins the debate, calling for an electoral reform. It currently operates like on a herd mentality, as voting is aligned with party interests rather than those of the nation. And in this case, one could argue, it could be like sheep to the slaughter. – Stuart Lowman

By Iswamo Kapalu*

On Tuesday last week, the National Assembly debated and voted on a resolution to remove the President. The resolution needed a super-majority of two-thirds of the Assembly to be of the view that the president had acted in serious breach of the Constitution and had to be removed accordingly.

Since, in a full 400 member house, the opposition needed an additional 117 votes from the ANC benches to pass the resolution, there was no real doubt which way the vote was going to go. And this is the issue.

My problem does not lie in the fact that the ANC did not view the President’s actions as a serious breach of the Constitution, (because “serious” is a qualification that allows a great deal of discretion on the part of the Assembly,) but in the fact that the ANC decided.

It was not the duly elected members of the National Assembly that voted in line with their consciences, senses of duty to constitutional values, or the interests of the nation, but the party machinery of the ANC.

This fact would have remained problematic irrespective of whether the ANC voted unanimously to remove the President because it would still have been the ANC and not the members of the National Assembly voting for the removal. This is because we have an electoral system where the members of the Assembly are beholden to party machinery and not the electorate.

Because of this we have a party-line that is toed closely, irrespective of the feelings of the individual member. So when it’s time to hold a President accountable, it is not the oath sworn to uphold the Constitution that speaks but the fact that you will be redeployed to the position of “Ambassador to Azerbaijan” as soon as you vote outside the party line.

Read also: Graham Sell: Dishonourably Honourable – Politician self interests hurt SA

This turns parliamentary “debate” into lip service to the contestation of ideas. All “debates” become meaningless because the idea that will win is decided by shadowy party structures even when that idea is shown to be inferior in reason, correctness or constitutionality. This problem is structural and only structural reform to our electoral process can fix it.

That much was noted by leader of the UDM Bantu Holomisa in Tuesday’s debate. He proposed, among, other things:

• The reform of the Electoral Act;

• A fair and transparent party funding legislation;

Consultation with the citizens must produce an electoral system that creates:

• A balance between the constituency and proportional elected representation systems;

• A direct election of the State President by the electorate;

• A vetting of candidates for cabinet positions;

• An appointment of an independent Speaker of Parliament from outside of party politics.”

In those proposals is the realisation that some power needs to be taken away from parties and given back to the people. This should be done or history will repeat itself over and over again, no matter who is President or who has the majority in the legislature. The right reform also has the potential to give meaning back to the now ceremonial parliamentary debate.

Giving the control of representatives back to the represented may well give them the incentive to rebel against party lines that are wrong in law or offend their consciences, transforming them from “voting cattle” into thinking, accountable and responsive leaders.

Iswamo Kapalu is a young South African. He holds an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand and currently works as a researcher, writer and social justice advocate at the Jesuit Institute.

* For more in-depth business news, visit biznews.com or simply sign up for the daily newsletter.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders