Recently, I decided that I wanted to hold a conference to define a new vision for South Africa. The premise being that the old vision for South Africa, which was defined between 1987 and 1996, has in fact failed. I intended to invite every political party registered with the Independent Electoral Commission (and you can access that list here) to attend and participate with only one condition. That condition being that the political party would have to make a public declaration of its subscription to Liberalism, as at a time prior to attending and participating in the conference. Literally I wanted to have a camera and a background set up outside the doors to the conference hall, where the leaders of the political parties could declare, “We the duly elected representatives of (Name of political party) do hereby declare that (Name of political party) subscribes to and believes in Liberalism.” before being admitted to the conference hall.

The point of this conference would have been to define a new vision for South Africa, one that was predicated upon Individuality and Individualism. That is why I stipulated to the declaration of Liberalism. However that was not all. I intended further to invite every attending and participating political party to join the Democratic Alliance and to deregister themselves from the Independent Electoral Commission’s register of political parties. That is, I intended to invited every attending and participating political party to join the Democratic Alliance and to give up their own existence. To merge themselves into the Democratic Alliance, such that their members would have become members of the Democratic Alliance. I intended to do this so as to establish a position for the Democratic Alliance that would see the Democratic Alliance become the only Liberal political party.

That being said, this weekend, using my radio telemetry systems, and my telematics systems; I fervently disagreed with the notion of a Democratic Alliance Policy Conference, while fervently agreeing with the notion of an early Democratic Alliance Federal Congress. After all the Democratic Alliance Federal Congress is the competent organ of the Democratic Alliance to hear, consider and adopt policy. Further to which I floated my idea of a conference of Liberal political parties to define a new vision for South Africa. I also punted my bold suggestion of a solution to the Liberal-Conservative dynamic of the Democratic Alliance, being that the Democratic Alliance would establish a working relationship with the Freedom Front Plus, and would assist the Freedom Front Plus to attract support and members, whilst also establishing the Christian Social Union of South Africa (with the assistance of the Hanns Seidel Stiftung), thereafter establishing a working relationship with the Christian Social Union of South Africa – helping the Christian Social Union of South Africa to attract support and members. This being the precursor to the Democratic Alliance directing its own Afrikaans conservative supporters and members to support and join the Freedom Front Plus, while also directing its own Christian conservative supporters and members to support and join the Christian Social Union of South Africa.

With this being done, I suggested that the Democratic Alliance would enter into a coalition with the Freedom Front Plus and the Christian Social Union of South Africa. My calculations are that this would close the mainstream conservative space completely, leaving the Democratic Alliance (and its coalition partners) facing off against the African National Congress and the Economic Freedom Fighters, with only the fringe radical (socialist, nationalist, conservative, communist, workerist and theologicist) political parties yapping in the distance. The African National Congress is on its way out of power, the disgraceful way, while the Economic Freedom Fighters will soon implode from a heavy bout of hypocrisy. Therefore it must be that the path to power for the Democratic Alliance (and its coalition partners) would be open and smooth. None of the fringe radical political parties have enough gumption to put up a serious threat, and to be honest, most of them would swear that they’re Liberal when faced with the offer-of-support-and-of-resources I intended to make to every political party attending and participating in my conference to define a new vision for South Africa.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that the Freedom Front Plus is not Liberal – it doesn’t claim to be – and I know that the Christian Social Union of South Africa could never be Liberal – it’s not meant to be – I am simply trying to extend an olive branch to the conservatives of the Democratic Alliance, some of whom are Afrikaans, saying try the Freedom Front Plus, it may be a political home for you, while at the same time I am carefully extending another olive branch to the conservatives of the Democratic Alliance, some of whom are Christian, saying try the Christian Social Union of South Africa, it may be a political home for you. I’m not saying that the only way for the Democratic Alliance to win the elections is by leveraging conservatism-in-coalition, but I am saying that these conservatives, however misguided their fears and insecurities may be, are still Democratic Alliance people, and deserve to be protected by, represented by and carried along with the Democratic Alliance.

I am certain that it is possible to break nationalism’s support for the African National Congress and further to which I am certain that the Economic Freedom Fighters will unravel in due course. But this leaves South Africa vulnerable to going backwards into a state of conservative insecurity. Therefore it is most logical to control the conservatives by flooding the representation of the mainstream conservative space, being the Afrikaans community and the Christian community, with Democratic Alliance conservatives. Research and polling will tell us where which of the Democratic Alliance-Freedom Front Plus-Christian Social Union of South Africa coalition should contest, and as a bonus there won’t be this Liberal-Conservative contention for ideological space within the Democratic Alliance. No more nonsense of shouting “Amandla Awethu” at Democratic Alliance events. No more hypocrisy of praising the “Socialist Nelson Mandela” at Democratic Alliance events. No more punting of “Racialised Logic” at Democratic Alliance events. No more whinging about “Social-Liberalism” (which doesn’t exist, just by the way) at Democratic Alliance events. But most of all no more “Behaving Like The ANC” at Democratic Alliance events.

To return to my earlier course of discussion, of my naïve plan to host a conference of Liberal political parties to define a new vision for South Africa, I must concede that perhaps I was wrong in saying, “No” to the Democratic Alliance Policy Conference. Perhaps this Democratic Alliance Policy Conference can define a new vision for South Africa that is not in any way derived from the 1987 – 1996 vision for South Africa. After all the African National Congress has not added any value to South Africa since 1990/1994. It cannot claim any achievement of any sort. The constitution of the Republic of South Africa was created by the Democratic Party (the forerunner to the Democratic Alliance) while the National Party and the African National Congress didn’t get the conservative or socialist constitution that either nationalist wanted. Much is said of the National Party and African National Congress negotiations between 1987 and 1996 – and yet from Dakar in 1987 to the new constitution in 1996 – it was the Liberals represented by the Democratic Party (now Democratic Alliance) making the arguments that won agreement in the concessions between the nationalists in the form of the National Party and the African National Congress. The competitive advantages of South Africa, as touted by the African National Congress, were all in place and existent prior to 1994 and indeed prior to 1990. The African National Congress has literally done nothing since 1990/1994.

And let me be frank in my remembrances of 1992. On the eve of the referendum, the African National Congress, as communicated to me by the Natal Indian Congress, was certain that the referendum would yield a result that said that Apartheid should remain in place. That is that the African National Congress was convinced that the vote would be overwhelmingly, “No”. Who voted, “Yes”, through the persons of the white voters? It wasn’t the white supporters of the African National Congress or its allies, because they did not number as many. It wasn’t the white supporters of the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates or the Homeland Governments, because they did not number as many. It was a small unit of volunteers, influenced by the Democratic Party and its representatives, who made the white voters choose to vote, “Yes”.

But wait, roll the clock forward to the eve of the 1994 election, the African National Congress, again as communicated to me by the Natal Indian Congress, was certain that the election would go overwhelmingly in favour of the National Party and the political parties formed from the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates and the Homeland Governments. Who voted, “ANC”, through the persons of the voters? It wasn’t the black supporters of the African National Congress or its allies, because they were still “imprisoned” as criminals – unable to exert influence in place of the pro-National Party control and the pro-House of Representatives, pro-House of Delegates and pro-Homeland Government direction. The people were not free. This was before “RDP”, before “Development”, before “Empowerment” – certainly this was before the “Culture of Entitlement” that displaced the “Demon of Tribalism” as the major attitude of the people. Again it was a small unit of volunteers, influenced by the Democratic Party and its representatives, who made the black voters choose to vote, “ANC”.

This is the same system that has been delivering ten million votes for the African National Congress in every election since. I call it the “nationalism votes” – because it made the people vote African National Congress, it made the people vote National Party and it made the people vote Inkatha Freedom Party – all of which was leveraged off a nationalism of one sort or the other. Factually the African National Congress has never won an election. This is because the difference between the “nationalism votes” and the total votes for the African National Congress is the product of the same small unit of volunteers, influenced by the Democratic Party and its representatives, who created blocks of votes based on businesses that were “paying for” headline politicians, and made the voters choose to vote, “ANC”. Well, unfortunately for the African National Congress, this small unit of volunteers are now entirely controlled for the sole benefit of the Democratic Alliance.

So to get back to important politics, this Democratic Alliance Policy Conference, which must be open to South Africa at large – such that anyone can submit draft policies to be considered for proposal by the delegates to the Democratic Alliance Policy Conference, if tasked with both defining policy for the Democratic Alliance and with defining a new vision for South Africa, perhaps replete with a new constitution and legislative framework for South Africa – clearly stating which laws would be repealed, which laws would be amended and which laws would be introduced, could achieve the objects of my proposed conference without all the palaver and drama. Further to which, given my bold suggestion of “relocating the conservatives”, the Democratic Alliance Policy Conference could serve as an opportunity for Liberal policy that shapes the future of the Democratic Alliance as a Liberal political party that is firmly focused on the aspirations of individuals. Therefore in support of the Democratic Alliance Policy Conference I proffer the following policy:

Believing that Democratic Alliance is purposefully a Liberal Political Party that represents the aspirations of individuals on an individual and unique basis.

Whilst noting that South Africa can only succeed if Democratic Alliance succeeds.

Democratic Alliance hereby resolves that:

Democratic Alliance is opposed to and disassociates itself from each and every existence and/or manifestation of, and any and all existences and/or manifestations of, irresponsibility, fraud, corruption and/or malfeasance;

In line with this Democratic Alliance further resolves that:

Democratic Alliance rejects each and every form, instance, sort and/or type of, and any and all forms, instances, sorts and/or types of, dishonesty, forgery, personation, personation fraud, impersonation, impersonation fraud, identity theft, identity fraud, delusion, sarcasm, narcissism, larceny, crime, cowardice, treason, inefficiency and/or collusion;

In pursuance of which Democratic Alliance finally resolves that:

Democratic Alliance condemns each and every imposter and any and all imposters.

I am certain that this will separate the Democratic Alliance from political parties that are home to and/or that are operated by criminals. While, in the spirit of defining the policy of the Democratic Alliance as definitely Liberal, I had this to say, after advising her to “Be Magnanimous In Victory”, to the newly elected Democratic Alliance Federal Council Chairperson:

Madame Chair I Must Confess
A Bleating Has Started For Redress
There Are Many A Peoples Waiting
For Opportunity Without The Hating
It Must Now Therefore Become Cause
Such That Livelihood Is Not Of Fraud
The Corruption Must Be Arrested
The Justice System Must Be Tested
There Is Much Proof Of Equality
When One Is Considering Mortality
But This Alone Cannot Be Victory
We Must Strive For EQUAL Opportunity
Democratic Alliance Is Proudly Liberal
And Must Declare Itself Considerable
That Individual Freedoms And Rights
And Individual Responsibilities Might
Be Heard Now Here With Rule Of Law
Alongside Liberal Democracy’s Call
For A Free Market That Delivers
And Integrity That Never Withers!

I must say that 2019 looks set to end on a particularly Liberal note. Not that I would have wanted anything else. I have already authorised twenty (two sets of ten) units, of Avishkar, Avishkar Govender and Avishkar Parmananden Govender, for the Democratic Alliance for the period through the 2021 elections and I have already communicated the telematics for, “No“, in the form:

No;
No;No;No;
No;?[~]?;Idris Seck;
?[Yes]?;?[~]?;?[~]?;

and for, “Yes“, in the form:

Yes;
Yes;Yes;Yes;
Yes;?[~]?;Idris Seck;
?[No]?;?[~]?;?[~]?;

Therefore I’m am quite sure that the Democratic Alliance Policy Conference will be a success and that the Democratic Alliance Federal Congress will be the beginning of the Democratic Alliance’s path to winning the elections in 2021 and 2024. Oh well, I had a pleasing weekend, what about you? If your political party did not entertain you with its drama, perhaps I could invite you to consider the Democratic Alliance – its Liberalism is intriguing!

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Avishkar Govender

Avishkar Govender is the Chief Political Officer of MicroGene.

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