Opinion

We have not learnt our lesson in politics - the faith we put in our leaders makes us blind to their faults

17 June 2018 - 00:00 By ranjeni munusamy

South Africans like to believe that our politics are unique. They really aren't. Our liberation struggle and the Mandela phenomenon certainly were exceptional, and it is quite extraordinary that we've had two presidents being recalled from office.
While big personalities like Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma determined a time in history, the course of politics has unfolded in a similar pattern to many post-democracy nations.
The unravelling of the liberation movement and erosion of its values, and corresponding corruption of the political elite, followed a predictable trend.
It is therefore quite surprising how many people have been sucked into a false sense of security in the "New Dawn", believing that the ejection of Zuma as president has resolved our problems and South Africa's prospects would automatically be better.
It is also astounding that after the experience of state capture and the infestation of corruption in all levels of the state across all provinces, people are still unwilling to open their minds to the prospect that political leaders can be corrupt.
The book Russian Roulette, by veteran Washington journalists Michael Isikoff and David Corn, catalogues the collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. It shows the meticulous planning by the Russians over many years to penetrate the American political system and target individuals around Donald Trump.The Russians exploited the greed and stupidity of these people to plot a chain of events that would lead to Trump's election and the disruption of the American establishment - catching the government and security agencies off-guard.
But it was the American voting population that was most susceptible to influence, mainly because they fell for the propaganda that flooded their social media timelines. Now they continue to disbelieve the stream of revelations unearthed through the Mueller investigation into the Russian interference in the elections. They instead "like" messages on Trump's Twitter timeline declaring: "Fake news!" and "No collusion!"
Zuma's continued protestation of innocence is in the same vein.
As with Trump, Zuma offers no explanation for all the incriminating evidence against him, including during his presidency. Instead, he has now taken to questioning the concept of "state capture" and threatens to expose the corruption of his opponents. While there are still people who believe Zuma is an innocent victim being framed by his enemies and removed from the presidency for no reason, there are others who believe that even if he did the things he is accused of, he should be let off the hook.
The latter tendency is increasingly concerning.
There are people in the ANC and government who bear witness to dishonesty, looting and malfeasance but look away because they have accepted that this is the way South Africa functions.
For years, the ANC protected corruption in high office until it was clear that power was shifting away from Zuma. The effect was severe damage to the image and levels of trust in the ANC.
Now there is a quixotic approach to President Cyril Ramaphosa's leadership in many quarters, making people susceptible to be duped again or to look away when things go wrong.It seems other parties have not learnt their lesson from what happened in the ANC.
The inclination to believe whatever their leaders throw at them and excuse their wrongdoing appears to be increasing. It is one thing to be a faithful supporter of a political party, but it is another to surrender all form of discernment in order to demonstrate loyalty and protect the leaders.
As Helen Zille's colonialism views continue to dog the DA, there are people in the party who accept that this is offensive. But they argue that what she is doing is not so bad compared to everything the ANC has done wrong. A more ridiculous conviction would be difficult to find.
The EFF has built a base of diehard supporters who are unyielding in their defence of the party's actions and policies. More than any other organisation, they are also feisty in defence of their leaders. They have not questioned the EFF's leaders on bad decisions, such as their support for Busisiwe Mkhwebane as public protector. They do not ask the EFF leaders if there is any truth that questionable funders, like those in the tobacco underworld, influence the positions they take. The EFF's approach to matters relating to SARS certainly would prompt that question. They did not express outrage when EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu throttled a journalist in the parliamentary precinct; some even tried to find reasons why he might have been justified in doing so.
It is quite concerning that EFF supporters have closed their minds to the prospect that their leaders are capable of wrongdoing. The veneration they have for their leaders makes them susceptible to being hoodwinked even if incriminating evidence were to surface.
But South Africa is not unique. Politicians use their positions and access to resources to amass wealth. When exposed, they declare it fake news and attack the media.
There are far too many undiscerning people around the world who allow themselves to be conned...

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