By Cometh Dube-Makholwa
The 2024 national elections are only nine months away with all political parties focused on finding ways to convince voters to vote for their party.
This is arguably the most important election as we hope to change from an ANC government that has not lived up to expectations after it gained the mandate to govern this country since 1994.
No one expected any perfection from it during the early years of its governance. We all presumed that given time, its government would mature and give us the results we all hoped for; instead, it ruined everything that was good for the country, as it stumbled from one major crisis to another.
As we prepare ourselves, we are aware that there is too much at stake this time around, with a possibility that grounds for vote-rigging in the upcoming elections cannot be dismissed as some will go to any lengths to seize power.
The IEC had better develop a strategy to detect and come up with a strategy to deal with such dishonesty.
No one can predict the outcome of the upcoming elections, while political parties are preparing themselves for coalition partners, it is possible that by some unexpected twist of fate the ANC might still have the majority votes. I think it would be wise for political parties not to be caught napping if such an unlikely outcome occurred.
The world-acclaimed Constitution which has proved to be the root of all evil that this country has suffered, starting with its electoral system that gives unlimited power to the appointment of the president only to branches of the ANC, is so flawed that the ANC itself has discovered, to its shock, that it has found itself with undesirable presidential candidates who inspire no confidence, but have no choice but to go along with the decision of the ANC branches. That must change.
All the destructive changes to the education and health systems must be thoroughly examined and changed. Open border control system must change. Cadre deployment which has destroyed all state-owned enterprises must change, as it is solely responsible for the downward spiral of everything that was good in the country.
All these changes will also help to enforce co-operation and harmony in a coalition government, should there be no outright winner in the elections.
May the best political party win to restore stability in the country.
Cape Times
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