Now that the shoes have changed feet, President Jacob Zuma is feeling the heat and he cannot hide his irritation. During the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference at the weekend, he lashed out at former party leaders, accusing them of being "cowards", "irritants" and of being "politically bankrupt".Zuma gave vent to his irritation after former ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe gave a brutal assessment of the ruling party and its alliance partners.Motlanthe, president for eight months, went even further, saying the ANC-led tripartite alliance was "dead".Though the ANC issued a soft statement in response to the criticism , Zuma had a different view. He lambasted his detractors and called on party members to raise their concerns through party structures.Though it is well and good for Zuma and his supporters to call for party discipline, this should not be used to silence critic s.It should be remembered that, when Zuma was out in the cold after being relieved of his duties as deputy president of the country, he used every opportunity to lash out at President Thabo Mbeki, who had fired him .His followers even formed the so-called "Friends of Jacob Zuma" support group. Other platforms sympathetic to his cause emerged and openly revolted against Mbeki.There was nothing wrong in speaking out. In fact, it was encouraged. Now that party members are finding their voices, everyone is reminded of party discipline.Today, those who are raising critical questions about the state of the country are labelled and demonised.If the veterans of the ANC are told to keep quiet, who then should be the voice of reason? Zuma and the ANC cannot expect to be player and referee in a game that has so many interests.A nation that talks about and confronts its challenges stands a better chance of finding solutions to them...