Betrayal of Democracy

In his 1991 encyclical Centesimus annus, Pope John Paul II wrote that the Catholic Church values the democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.

John Paul pointed out that for this reason, the Church cannot encourage the formation of narrow ruling groups which usurp the power of the state for individual interests or for ideological ends.

As the late pope wrote these words, South Africa was just emerging from the apartheid era presided over by a government that was elected by and representative of only a small proportion of the countrys people a regime that conformed to the popes notion of narrow ruling groups.

Almost exactly three years after Centesimus annus, a new era of democracy dawned in South Africa.

Our young democracy is underpinned by a strong Constitution and an independent judiciary. As such, we have much reason to trust that this country will yet see many free and fair elections.

However, there are also causes for concern that our democracy may be compromised by political avarice.

Recent developments in Cape Town (though strictly speaking an issue of local interest) should alarm democratic-minded people throughout South Africa.

In brief, the African National Congress Western Cape MEC for local government, Richard Dyantyi, has flighted plans to convert Cape Towns executive mayoral system to a collective mayoral system. The net effect of this, according to Mr Dyantyis calculation, would be a transfer of power from the current Democratic Alliance-led coalition that excludes the ANC, to one led by the ANC.

Ironically, it was the ANC which introduced the executive mayoral system to Cape Town (and throughout South Africa) at a time when it was in power there. What is good for the ANC when it is in charge evidently is not good when it isnt.

Mr Dyantyi does not admit that his purpose is shaped by political expediency. He suggests that it is necessary to remove the DAs Helen Zille from the mayoral seat because her policies are not conducive to the ANCs idea of transformation and inclusivity.

If the Zille administration has violated legislation, then the ANC has recourse to a functioning legal system. However, if Ms Zilles failures reside only in not reflecting ANC policy, then she may be said to be exercising her valid electoral mandate, slim though her majority is.

Should Ms Zille fail to carry out her mandate satisfactorily, the electorate may hold her accountable at the next poll. It is the prerogative of the voters not that of political parties to remove from power those who fail to serve them.

The ANC does not always seem to comprehend this. Previously, the ANC proclaimed the deplorable floor-crossing legislation in a bid to usurp power which voters had allocated to others.

It is not good democratic practice to subvert the will of the electorate when their choices do not meet with ones approval.

In Centesimus annus, Pope John Paul warned of a crisis within democracies themselves, which seem at times to have lost the ability to make decisions aimed at the common good.

Mr Dyantyis proposed current gambit to distort the verdict of the voters serves only to feed such a crisis.