A Catholic vote for SA

By Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu

Many people have been disillusioned by the political situation in our country. Many are not confident about the current situation. Some prominent people, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have even said that they are not going to vote, and a lot people in this country share this view.

How is it that such a young democracy has stopped giving the desire and longing to exercise the right to vote?  Has our democracy, which many fought so hard for, turned out differently to what we had anticipated? Have South Africans lost hope?

South Africans seem to feel strongly that whether you vote or not, it is not going to make a difference. Many are worried about a serious problem with power and how it is used in the leadership of this country.

In following the American election campaign, it is hard not to notice how “the Catholic Vote” is somehow at the centre of all those who are campaigning for the presidency. How is it that the Church in America has managed to articulate what it looks for in a candidate for their presidency?

The Catholic Church looks deeply into the contents of a campaign and then at the person driving it. For many Catholics, issues of morality and life are at the core. Other Catholics are concerned with issues of social justice and peace.

In South Africa we need a Catholic vote, a Catholic consciousness guiding us in how we vote. We need to clearly articulate what we expect from the party that will lead this country. We need to raise the bar, set the standard high. If a party cannot meet that standard, then they should not receive our vote.

In line with the ANC’s Freedom Charter, “the people shall govern”. We therefore need to take control of this country and not leave it to people who cater only for the minority.   We must choose a president who will see to it that the mandate and standard set by the people are met.

When choosing which party we will support, some of the issues that need to be taken to serious consideration include (and the list is by no means exhaustive):

• The law on the termination of pregnancy needs to be revisited; in fact, it needs a new evaluation.

• Moral formation programmes through media and government structures. Core values are being eroded, and not just among the youth, but among adults too.

• A more vigorous promotion of abstinence from sexual activity as a prevention method for HIV/Aids and as a way of life for young people needs to be adopted, as opposed to the government’s ABC campaign, which has had no success.

• Anti-retroviral treatment needs to reach all people with HIV/Aids.

•  Free and quality education should be at the core of policy, even for tertiary institutions. Many talented young people have matriculated, but can’t afford to proceed to tertiary education.

• A clear policy on how to tackle corruption among politicians, civil servants and all people. There needs to be a standard procedure governing all cases of corruption.

• Working conditions must be be looked into, especially skills development on the job. Skills development and the encouragement of entrepreneurship can also serve as a means of tackling unemployment.

• Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) needs to be eradicated urgently because it does not seem to benefit all our people, but makes those who are rich even richer. The generation that needed empowering has reached its majority; the post-1994 generation is slowly taking centre stage. So BEE has run its course.

• Policies to support non-governmental organisations financially, because these often are doing the government’s work.

• So many people are threatened by crime; the state needs to find other methods that will help our people to feel safe.

• A coherent policy and action on climate change is needed.

Parties that fail to meet these criteria don’t deserve the Catholic vote.

At their last plenary session, the bishops of Southern Africa identified a serious need to focus their attention on the forthcoming elections. The Church can utilise the structures that already exist, such as the South African Council of Priests, sodalities and many similar movements, even our parishes to get a sense of what it is that our people want.

Some people will say that the Church should not be involved in politics; but it is important that “at all times the Church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the time and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (Gaudium et Spes No.4). It is our role to see to it that every law has human dignity at its core. We have a role to spell out what we want and not have to conform to what has been tabled before us.

Just as teenagers reach the stage of troublesome adolescence, so has our democracy. We have no reason to be alarmed, but we have every reason to hold the democratic system accountable.  After all, if a party can recall the president of the country, we too can recall the basic values that govern all living people.

South Africa’s Catholics have to set the bar. The time is ripe!

Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu is a seminarian at St Kizito Seminary, Oakford.