Folly of chipping away at the pillars of our democracy

The call to his fellow ANC members and the public by Trevor Manuel, the former minister in The Presidency, to back off and stop throwing stones at our democratic institutions should be lauded.

Manuel told the Sunday Times during his last week in parliament that we don't have to like the individuals holding an office - but we must respect that office.

Lately it has become fashionable to insult and in other ways attack democratic institutions to score cheap political points.

If we label our courts "counter-revolutionary" we erode their standing and weaken their ability to contribute to our democracy. People hurl such opprobrium without thinking of the future when we will need these institutions.

The ANC Youth League and some other political groupings like to proclaim their relevance by taking pot-shots at, especially, the courts and the public protector.

This week we are likely to hear them attacking the public protector when she releases the keenly awaited Nkandla report. We will be told that the protector wants to embarrass the president. But we must not forget that the president was silent when the upgrading was taking place at his home, silent when the notorious swimming pool was being built.

The accusing finger should be pointed at those who acted for the president in trying to save him from the repercussions of the Nkandla scandal.

It is important that we safeguard our democratic institutions for the sake of a better tomorrow, and we hope that Manuel and those who believe in the future of this country will continue to speak out in defence of those institutions, and of all of us.

As we say goodbye to Manuel - one of the few with the courage to disagree with his party comrades and stand on principle to protect our democracy - and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, both of whom are retiring from active politics, we should be mindful of the greater good and the part we should all be playing in building a country based on a solid foundation of democracy and the rule of law.