Eusebius on TimesLIVE
PODCAST | Adam Habib: Stop the gangster state by choosing new political players
Image: Alon Skuy
Political analyst Adam Habib joins Eusebius McKaiser on his TimesLIVE podcast to elaborate on a series of explosive tweets he recently published. Habib argues that the ANC Youth League, Cosatu and the SACP do not have the moral authority to criticise the state for rolling blackouts.
Listen to the discussion:
Rather, argues Habib, they should take responsibility for being a major part of the genesis of the problem. Some of them are responsible for aspects of the crisis, or, in some cases, helped bring to power the likes of former president Jacob Zuma, which led to state capture, including massive corruption at Eskom.
Habib and McKaiser discuss whether the distinction between party and state can, legitimately, be invoked by the governing party. Habib argues they do so opportunistically and disingenuously, if one takes into account the dominance of the party in the country's political system.
In the rest of the podcast, Habib explores India, Brazil and the US as case studies to argue that increased anger among South Africans could lead to the emergence of more dangerous, populist and even authoritarian leadership and politics. He opines it is important for the country’s fledgling democratic culture that any democratic backsliding, and any signs of a gangster state (such as organised criminal networks), be resisted.
Such resistance, concludes Habib, requires a new kind of political leader that is not tainted by the current politics. The conversation ends with questions from a sceptical McKaiser about the likelihood of well-meaning, values-driven and technically highly skilled South Africans being able to make a difference without formally engaging within the political arena, a challenge to which Habib responds with several thoughts.
Listen to the audio in full and decide, as always, where your own views lie after hearing an expert view.
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