I’m no fool (although some may argue that point). I know that it’s not ideal what we are going through politically in SA right now. When I heard that Trevor Manual had resigned I was in a foul mood and reacted badly to it. But then he amended his resignation stating that if asked, he would willingly work under the new president of the country. That’s better.
But there is a flip side to the negative political wave sweeping the country. It’s not positive, it’s just a different way to look at things.
I regard myself as quite the political conspiracy theorist. I love them and thrive on them and believe that what we see through the eyes of the media is one hundredth of the real truth and real happenings in politics. There is more to this than meets they eye.
Mbeki’s resignation was relatively necessary
What if Zuma was right? What if Mbeki had been gunning for him with a conspiratorial fervor never before seen in SA? If that is the case and the ruling that Zuma could not be prosecuted is accurate (which we should assume to be so) then why would we want Mbeki the conspirator as our president? Surely his resignation is proof that our democracy is in working order. That when a constitutional judge makes a decision it is the word according to our democracy and the decision is then carried forward throughout the system. It’s working, believe it or not, our democracy is working.
The 14 resignations
No it isn’t ideal that 11 Cabinet Ministers and 3 Deputies have resigned but let’s look at it from a different perspective.
If a company is going bankrupt and they hire a new CEO to pull it out of the muck, would it not make sense for some of the staff to leave with their allegedly conspiratorial and failing boss who sunk the company in to financial disaster? I think it makes sense to an extent. In the same way, if a president is seen to be doing wrong then surely by association the people that he hand-picked to be in government with him are involved in the political mess that is abound? One man cannot act alone in politics, if he is implicated then so too is his staff and be inference their staff and so and so on. So with that said, why would we want these ministers in power if there is a chance of them being fraudulent, conspiratorial, questionable or criminal? We all quickly forgot the lovely health minister and Mbeki’s relentless defence of her in the recent past.
Furthermore, many of the ministers have stated that if the new president would like them to continue in their positions they will stay. Fair I think. Then if in fact, the ruling party takes it upon themselves to request the service of the current ministers it is their choice and their doing, the doings of the ousted previous president.
The Cabinet
Then on to the workings of our cabinet. Let us not assume for a second that the figureheads of the cabinet are the ones keeping this ship afloat. Below the ministers and their deputies there are Director Generals who are hard at work every day keeping the cogs moving and the wheels turning. They need their salaries and they need their jobs. They know the policies and the workings of their respective departments. Whether their boss leaves or not will more than likely not infringe on the workings of the country. Yes some policies might change but that is to be expected with a change of leadership to varying extents. At the end of the day it is the people on the ground who are working for the country, the big earners and big spenders who are being fired, resigning and departing.
Policy is in the eye of the beholder
Who says that they way that Trevor Manual has been doing managing South Africa’s finances is the only way that it can be done? Mbeki focused on international relations and the way that SA is perceived by the world. However what of crime, poverty, job creation and HIV/Aids as priorities? Maybe with a change in leadership we will find a shift towards the prioritisation of areas previous neglected by the government? This is not to say that the Mbeki regime did badly but no government can ever be brilliant at every aspect of their country. Some governments prioritise health and education while others will prioritise taxes and crime, this is just the nature of the beast.
It is possibly time for our government to shift towards things that have been neglected in the past such as crime. Who are we to decide what should be done and what shouldn’t without actually experiencing something else. All we know in terms of policy, government and leadership since the iconic regime of Mandela is Mbeki, his ministers and his policies. Maybe a change will do us good?
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