Mbeki's refusal to accept his defeat has cost SA
KARIMA BROWN?Johannesburg
HAD Thabo Mbeki stepped down from his position as the country's first citizen following his defeat at the hands of Jacob Zuma in December last year, he could have saved himself humiliation, spared his party the arduous task of stripping him of his power and spared the country the attendant uncertainty and instability.
Moreover, he could have salvaged what little remained of his political legacy.
But because of his hubris and denialism - defining characteristics of his time as president of the African National Congress (ANC) and the country - history will now only remember Mbeki as the man who lost to Zuma.If Mbeki had stepped down from office, it would have allowed for a swift and smoother transition between his leadership and that of the new crowd under Zuma. It would also have allowed the ANC the option of calling for a snap election or appointing a caretaker until the next one; a move that could have put the ANC's support for Zuma as its presidential candidate to the test, especially since Zuma still has several legal hurdles to overcome in his quest for the presidency of the country. But it was not to be.
Following the weekend's turn of events, Mbeki and his advisers are no doubt regretting their plan to frustrate Zuma and his acolytes in such a crude and obvious manner in the immediate aftermath of the sea change in the ANC last year. In truth the political landscape has changed so dramatically since Polokwane that Zuma's ascendancy to power in the Union Buildings no longer appears to be dependent on the outcome of his legal woes.However, had Mbeki called the ANC's bluff and stepped down the party would have had a real dilemma. First, it would have had to seriously consider a snap election, which would have been a chance for the electorate to decide whether it endorsed the mood and decision of the ANC delegates at Polokwane and whether it wanted the ANC under Zuma to rule the country.
Such a move would have placed the decision making in the hands of the electorate and not just powerful factions in the ANC, a scenario that would no doubt be uncomfortable for Mbeki and his ilk, whose mantra is best captured by the phrase ''better fewer, but better''.One has only to look at Mbeki's own behaviour in the government, the ANC and even during the Zimbabwe elections to see his disdain of politics that has anything to do with the popular will of people.
A snap election would also have held possibilities for SA's lacklustre opposition. Opposition parties make much of the ANC's diminished standing with voters, but have yet to capitalize on the weakness of the ruling party at the polls. A snap election would have given voters the opportunity to make their own choices and to show whether the posturing of the opposition was mere bluster or an indication that they can win over votes.
A snap election, whatever the outcome, would certainly have restored stability and continuity at a political and economic level for the country in general.For the ruling party it held out the promise of continuity in the party and state, bringing with it stability for the ANC to make good on its promise of a better life for all. For the opposition it held the possibility of making inroads into the political behemoth that is the ANC and a chance to realign in such a way as to make inroads into the ANC's support base.But instead of doing so, Mbeki chose to go into a long sulk and allowed his supporters to engineer a series of so-called 'fight back' efforts in the provinces that plunged the ANC into near chaos, the consequences of which the national executive committee tried to deal with at the weekend.
Mbeki's refusal to accept his loss of control in the ANC has been an expensive exercise for the ruling party and the country.
It remains to be seen if Kgalema Motlanthe's appointment to cabinet, six months after the ANC had first asked Mbeki to include him in the executive, will help or frustrate the transition from Mbeki to Zuma.
The writer is political editor of South Africa's Business Day
Source: ThisDay
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