With no doubt South Africa is entering an arena where the issue of governance is very questionable among South Africans. Politics is and will always be an issue where personal differences will clash. People say that if you are a political leader you need to behave in a certain manner in society. Since human beings are naturally competitive, how does one set up rules on how politicians need to act? If men in the state of nature cannot trust one another then how can they trust one another when they promise to obey the government they have established? Men keep their promises only when there is a government to enforce them. Obviously politicians need to be unselfish when it comes to political issues and the people which they are serving. They need to be in a positions where they have to give up their needs and wants for the people. Politicians need to behave in a manner where young people can identify them as leaders and role models, and they have to be respectful and carrying themselves with dignity. With all that being said, how do we make sure that they actually do act and behave in this certain way? The answer is it starts with us, the people of this country. It was once said by Mahatma Gandhi “be the change you want to see in the world”. Why should our political leaders take us seriously if we expect them to be in a certain way but we, ourselves can’t be what we want them to be? If we want our political leaders to respect and care for us, we must, the people be able to first respect and care for ourselves and others whom are around us. Once we as the people of the Republic of South Africa achieve that, we will be able to challenge politicians on their behaviour because it will be something that we live by in our everyday lives. The South Africa constitutions states, “legislators and political leaders and all levels of government are held continually accountable to the people in respect of wisdom and consistency of their policy and integrity, diligence and with skill which they execute their public responsibilities”.
Ok I know is sounds like a fairy-tale for some of you and understandable so. In today’s government, people in government think somehow that they are in those positions because they put themselves there. They do not understand that they are in those positions because people whom vote placed them there not themselves. South Africa has a problem where too many politicians have the idea that they cannot be removed in their positions because they are the “government”. James Madism said” knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and people who mean to be their won Governors, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but Prologue to a force or tragedy or perhaps both” our politicians have not understood the word GOVERNMENT yet. The government is and will always be the people. They need to listen to us because we have put our faith and trust that they will represent and serve us up to their best ability. In our constitution it clearly states” all power shall vest in the people of the Republic, who shall exercise their sovereignty through the democratic instruments of State, created and identified in this Constitution.
If our constitution says that, why isn’t right to challenge the State when it comes to issues of power, social and serves delivery? History may be old but can be and always be relevant in the present and future. Our problems in the past are not the same but maybe the solutions of the past may still be a solution for the present and future. We have a harsh history that no one wishes to go back to (I hope).
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