Zukile Majova speaks to UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, who is campaigning for the scrapping of floor-crossing legislation
Why is the United Democratic movement opposed to floor crossing and what informs this position?
From the outset the UDM opposed the concept in a proportional representation electoral system because there are no wards that public representatives could return to and face by-elections to consult the voters about their proposed defection.
To the UDM it has always been a question of the voters’ express choice — as shown at the ballot box — being undermined.
However, it looks like sanity might prevail, given the noises that emanated from some of the presidential hopefuls who have expressed opposition to the concept.
Floor crossing irks some people in the ANC who think floor crossers are rewarded ahead of party faithfuls. What realistic options are there for the ruling party in deciding the future of floor crossing?
The only realistic and responsible option is to scrap the concept entirely and revisit it once proper electoral reform is undertaken.
The ostensible reason for the introduction of floor crossing was to assist the DA/NNP divorce and certainly that has been achieved.
In the past your party introduced a fine for those wanting to cross the floor, but that did not stop people from doing so. What is your approach this time around?
The fine is a disincentive, nothing more. Obviously people have hoped that we would not enforce the fine or believed that they would be able to contest its application in court.
The fine is in the first place about compensating the party for the expense of getting a public representative elected, not about preventing floor crossing.
Part of the legacy of floor crossing is the proliferation of minuscule parties in Parliament. What is their role in our democracy and who exactly are they representing?
They have no role and they represent nobody until they have contested an election.
Only one of those parties thus far has survived an election and it remains to be seen whether it will survive another.
To what extent are floor crossers motivated by political survival and money?
Unfortunately, floor crossing is perfectly designed to encourage its exploitation for the purposes of extending or advancing personal political careers at the expense of the political party as a whole.
And, unfortunately, the system everywhere in the world has been tainted by money/resources/power/opportunity because the ruling party is always in a position to offer access to these enticements to prospective floor crossers.