Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian

ACDP: From a christian point of view

3 min read

The ACDP will tackle five main challenges with a series of actions based on the party’s value system. The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) offers real hope. Our hope lies in God Almighty and in our Christian democratic value system which upholds laws promoting personal morals, the family and neighbourliness. We oppose gambling, pornography, homosexuality, prostitution and abortion.

Crime
The most effective deterrent is when criminals know they will be swiftly apprehended, tried, convicted and sentenced. The ACDP’s policy of restorative justice will address punishment and individual responsibility. Our zero-tolerance strategy includes:

  • Stiffer sentences, minimum sentences for certain crimes and making parole less easy to obtain;

  • Not granting bail under circumstances including murder, rape, armed robbery and car hijackings;

  • Restorative justice with restitution to victims;

  • Reinstatement of capital punishment for extreme cases of murder and rape, particularly of children; and

  • Prisoners bearing the costs of board and lodging through prison labour.

    • Poverty and unemployment
    The ACDP believes that industrial strategy must support small businesses and labour-intensive industries to improve levels of employment. Investment in infrastructure is crucial.

    The ACDP will also:

    • Implement entrepreneurship programmes, education and skills development;

  • Encourage labour-intensive initiatives and support small-business development in rural areas;

  • Invest in infrastructure;

  • Introduce incentives for local investment while ensuring that local manufacturers can compete against heavily subsidised importers;

  • Encourage a culture of savings, investment and hard work and

  • Provide social protection policies.

    • HIV/Aids
    HIV prevalence in South Africa exceeds 15% and up to 500 000 people are infected annually. The ACDP will implement mandatory HIV testing, with counselling, and will attend to community-based solutions in caring for orphans.

    The ACDP will also implement:

    • Factual public-awareness campaigns to de-glamorise Aids and risky lifestyles;

  • Morally based life-skills programmes that promote abstinence and fidelity;

  • Training facilities and recruitment drives to increase the capacity of health workers;

  • Improved home-based care;

  • Integrated nutrition programmes;

  • Expanded antiretroviral treatment programmes, greater access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission and easier access to post-exposure prophylactic treatment for rape survivors and medics; and

  • Investment in scientific research, including natural medicine.

    • Education
    Development of the intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual virtues of our nation is a primary focus. We are committed to providing quality education for all through subsidies, by training and retaining skilled and experienced teachers, re-establishing the central role of parents in education and strengthening school governing bodies.

    The ACDP will also:

    • Encourage the development of skills and knowledge in a value-based environment, with emphasis on maths and science, and prioritise early childhood learning;

  • Protect freedom of religion in schools and place decisions of language and religion on the community;

  • Ensure that student financial aid schemes promote a more vibrant higher education sector;

  • Encourage engineering, environmental and health sciences through subsidies;

  • Develop learning services such as drama, dance, music, sport and languages and expand adult education;

  • Ensure that special education needs are provided for;

  • Empower educators to deal with disruptive children; and

  • Remove gangsterism, weapons, drugs and alcohol from schools

    • .

    Housing
    The ACDP believes in the dignity of persons, affirmed through decent housing and accessible home ownership.

    The ACDP sees a shift in voter attitudes, with people disillusioned with the ruling party and floor-crossing, and hungering for moral and caring governance.

    We are launching a campaign to counter voter apathy.