The ANC is in danger of voting itself out of power if existing factional differences continue to play out in Parliament‚ President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday.
Zuma said the issues the ANC faced in the national legislature – including its own members of Parliament voting with the opposition – could cripple the party.
He urged the party's national conference to reflect on the kind of parliamentary culture the ANC espoused and establish strategies and tactics “so that we do not have counter-revolutionary elements in Parliament”, he said.
He repeated his sentiments over the role of opposition parties in Parliament‚ saying they sought to discredit the government at all costs.
However‚ he said it was “not clear” how the ANC could reassert its power in Parliament‚ where he faced a revolt earlier this year via a motion of no confidence.
He also lashed out at the media and civil society institutions.
Zuma said journalists were being used by ANC members to pursue personal interests and fight internal party battles‚ while they also had vested interests.
“The media have a vested interest in the ANC‚ rather than being impartial and fair observers of ANC matters‚” he said‚ adding that the mobilisation of the media against the ANC had gained momentum the world over.
Zuma also cast aspersions on civil society organisations in the country‚ saying some were founded to fight the ANC and the government it leads.
“They appear to be well resourced and constantly take government to court‚” he said.
These organisations also existed to protect white privilege and ensure the economic status quo‚ Zuma said.
He berated business for jumping on the bandwagon‚ saying they even took the extraordinary step of giving workers time off to protest against the government‚ while the same workers were subjected to the “no-work‚ no-pay policy” when striking for better wages and working conditions.
-BusinessLIVE
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