Ours used to be a democratic country

Thanks once again comrades for your informative and shrewd inputs. This intellectual engagement is what I have been craving for.

I’m not far removed from the sentiments echoed by Dr Xolela Mangcu and some of you comrades. His observations and your critical analysis of South African political discourse, rightfully, reflect the current status quo. It does not need one to be a rock scientist or an ardent learner of hermeneutics to see the hogwash that has come to cloth the body polity in our country. Until yesterday, our new democracy was viewed as a beacon of hope for the motherly Africa and her children, but today we are closer to mockery.

Indeed, it is true that the current leadership of our country assiduously fought against the white hegemony, human rights violation, and authoritarian tendency of the Pretoria regime and for democracy. Amongst other things this current leadership fought for was a freedom of expression and collective or majority rule. Above all they fought for a liberal democracy that values the voices from below, a democracy where the rule of law is revered. In this regard, it can be impeccably submitted that the recent incidents in our country disqualify Francis Fukuyama`s thesis (The End of history, 1992) that “liberal democracy was arguably free from such fundamental internal contradictions”. Of late, we have come to witness the contradictions that are present in our liberal democracy, a democracy gained through ‘blood and iron’ (Borrowing Otto von Bismarck’s phraseology).

It has become evident that the leader (ship) that fought for freedom of expression, and respect for the rule of law, is the same leader (ship) that is undermining these democratic ideals. This is evidenced by the imminent arrest of Sunday Times editor and firing of the Director General of NDPP.

Our leaders are exceeding scope of their power and authority, while others have come to be covert advocates of prebendal (patron-client relations) politics and what Blade Nzimande dubbed as ‘palace politics’. Our beloved ANC lead government is steadily turning to be like the fascist regime in Italy under the leadership of Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini. A regime marked by the strict censorship and state propaganda. We have come to sadly witness the political loaded decisions, coming from the above (Union Building), decisions that are disguised as panacea to our ‘institutional ills’. The above imposed decisions only serve one purpose, that of subjugating citizens’ minds. At times protection of ‘national interests’ is thrust as a justification for these above imposed decisions. Our hard working and patriotic public servants (from NDPP and National Intelligence Agency) and some media houses are daily subjected to the panopticon gaze (see Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault and Jeremy Bentham) of the presidency.

Faced with challenges is our democratic government, challenges that are incomprehensible in nature, with others posing themselves as insidious threat to our new liberal democracy. Another time will come no more, so as learned and responsible citizens let us act comrades.In an essay entitled The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual, Cornel West writes of black intellectuals; “The central task of … black intellectuals is to stimulate, hasten, and enable alternative perceptions and practices by dislodging prevailing discourses and powers.” . Let us engage, bring alternatives and reasoning ( as Barney Pityana would argue) to the prevailing discourses in our country, country that used to be democratic.

Thembani Mbadlanyana