IT is time the African National Congress provided South Africa with a fresh dose of democracy. It is time to elect a president.
Despite the country’s impressive start in the democratic tradition, the ideal has been flagging recently.
The abrupt expulsion of Bantu Holomisa from Parliament has underscored the weakness of the party list as opposed to the constituency system. MPs are more representatives of the party than of the people. It has contributed to the perception that in South Africa the exercise of democracy is limited to national elections. With one party as dominant as the ANC, we are open to the charge that ours is a one-party democracy in which national leadership is in the gift of an individual, or small elite.
The culmination of the US presidential elections and the process – in many ways admirable – by which the most powerful nation on earth chooses its leader offers a lead.
In little more than a year’s time the ANC will be holding its equivalent to an American convention at which a successor to Mandela as party leader will be chosen. In effect he, or she will be their presidential candidate, virtually guaranteed the position as head of state.
The identity of the ANC nominee for the presidency is a foregone conclusion, in the person of Thabo Mbeki. But the process by which he will have gained the nomination is fuzzy. He will no doubt be confirmed on a vote of delegates at next December’s party conference. But will that vote be an expression of the will of the present incumbent? Will it be directed by decisions taken at closed meetings of the national executive? What will be the input of grass- roots membership?
Is it not time the ANC gave South Africa another dose of democracy by following the US example and holding the equivalent of primary elections? Such an approach may make little difference to the final outcome: Mbeki would remain the front-runner. But it would mean that he demonstrates his popular and party support, giving him much greater legitimacy.
If Mandela alone chooses his successor, and Mbeki does likewise when he chooses a deputy, it will leave the distinct impression that the way to the top is not to be popular, or able, but to curry favour with the party hierarchy.
Primary elections would be a powerful antidote to such perceptions. They would force candidates to declare their intentions and spell out their priorities to the public. It would create a public debate.
And primaries could also introduce a new range of candidates.
Women, in particular, should put themselves forward; it is a sad thing that, when the presidential succession is discussed, female candidates are never mentioned. They may not have a hope of winning this time around. But if the likes of Nkosazana Zuma, Frene Ginwala, Cheryl Carolus and Gill Marcus would give it a try, it would provide valuable experience as well as setting an important precedent for the future.
And there are other such sections of our society who could follow suit. The churches, for example, have played an important role in the politics of South Africa: perhaps the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu could be persuaded to give the religious community a claim on national leadership.
To encourage the sense of local empowerment the primaries should be organised at the provincial level. The provinces could even run their elections by different rules – as in the US where some states allow all residents to vote, while others limit the franchise to party members in good standing. Candidates should go on the election trail, touring the provinces to explain their interpretations of party policies and to articulate their visions for the future.
Conservatives within the ANC may argue that it is a formula for division within the party, but we would suggest the contrary: it would be a significant contribution to both party and national unity.