Will SA cope with the need for ethics?

They delude themselves, those who think morals and ethics are not going to be a major issue in next month’s national and provincial elections. Enlightened South Africans are sick and tired of venal politics and immoral society. This time around they demand more from their would-be leaders.

For a while it seemed as though the Congress of the People (Cope) had heeded the mood of the people by taking seriously the message of better ethics and morals in politics. Which is why I find it almost inconceivable that Cope decided to appoint a man convicted of fraud as its candidate for premier of the Western Cape. Many reasons were given for this move, but the only convincing one to me, as a Christian, is the need not to condemn those who show signs of true repentance after paying their debt to society.

If a revolution is needed in our country now, it is that of public administration and moral regeneration. The fault of the African National Congress (ANC) is more of character than opinion. It does not take a “counter-revolutionary” to realise that the ANC’s actions are not congruent with its philosophy. It preaches about tolerance for different political views while in practice being violently intolerant of those political parties which have a real chance to challenge its hegemony. We could name more examples, the rule and equality before the law, lack of accountability, and so on. In all these the ANC has been found wanting, having exposed heightening corruption within its high ranks.

Any party that needs a real chance will have to show a real will to correct the farrago and spontaneous empty rhetoric of the ANC. It must come with new machinery of progressive thinking and civilising our public sector based on competence. And it must bring fresh determination for the collective renewals of our experimental thought, like merging our cultures towards a universal one that adheres to humanity’s standards of dignity for all. The passion for constitutionalism is no longer enough, there must be a concerted drive for justice and equality; about rescuing our country from the slippery path of greed and crude mannerism of the Malemaesque.

You cannot fault the fresh thinking behind Cope’s allowing an independent panel, led by Professor Barney Pityane, to take over the process of vetting the list of its parliamentary representatives: investing in the intellectual administrators with a civil service mind; merging political and intellectual authority by absorbing academics and qualified personnel into government service for efficiency is a very attractive thing to independent minds. This is the way towards a government that is able to cope (as it were) with greater complexities of urban, industrial and rural development.

Choosing a (Methodist) bishop, Mvume Dandala, as its presidential candidate is another inspired move. Throughout its history of struggle for freedom, South African politics have resorted to electing men of the cloth to align  political aspirations to values of moral imperatives. Men like Langalibalele Dube and Chief Albert Luthuli, reverends in their own right, come to mind.

The concern of those who fear the dangers of associating politics too much with religion is understandable. Cope will have to show the same enthusiasm and respect in guarding the Constitution as they do in criticising the failures of the ANC.

It may need to emphasise also, with words and actions, the fact that Bishop Dandala is not just a moral but a political candidate who has no divine powers to sweep clean the stables of our moral lapses like twelve muscled Hercules.

It’ll be a dangerous illusion if the clement reverend thinks our problems can be solved by converting atheists, agnostics, or non-Christian among us by dolorous blasts of heavenly horns and all. He just needs to demonstrate clear ethical leadership based on universal values of our humanity.

I’m one of those who believe that an intellectually trained leader with attentive ethics, even faith-based, is the example we need to carry us out of our failing collective vision. And jerk us off the path of moral bankruptcy and inundation with leadership that has too much appetite for earthly glory at the expense of everything else.

We’re cloyed with theories of everything except introspection for the failings of our character. Perhaps a cleric will introduce fresh angles to our thinking and realign us back to patterns of true heroism.