Of course Motlanthe deserves his fat pension

In a democracy, today’s leadership is tomorrow’s electorate; power is never predestined and children are not heirs (except of course to hot off-the-cuff black economic empowerment deals). Today, our kings and queens are presidents and prime ministers voted in, not born or ordained by God. They are practical assimilations of royalty without the creed or caste and without the obligatory majesty of protocol that would’ve cost you your life if not adhered to some centuries back (and of course in current Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and rural KwaZulu-Natal).

But democracy didn’t really end monarchies. It just sought to prevent fascism, ban incestuous dynasties and rid the world of Russians. Have any doubts? Yesterday’s bullish chariots are today’s blue-light SUVs; parlement is today’s parliament and watching a gladiator in some ancient sport could easily be the same as visiting Loftus Versveld.

Indeed some things just won’t change.

Just like the times of King Arthur, Akbar and Erryl Flynn, ordinary citizens’ taxes still feed, clothe and transport our first citizen. So today our democratic right to vote actually allows us the privilege to choose whose lifestyle we’re going to fund: true power to the people. Of course our vote matters. So if a president is replaced and/or chooses to retire and sail the French Riviera, is it our responsibility to pump a proportion of our earnings to continue funding the now disposed of or retired president’s once royal-like lifestyle of seven-course breakfasts, lunches, suppers, candle-lit harems filled with dancing girls and 10-ream toilet paper?

Of course it is. It is called pension. And even the president is entitled to one. All South African presidents, it was revealed last week, will receive their final salary earned as their monthly pension amount in retirement. This means that if President Kgalema Motlanthe retires, he will earn R2.1 million a month for the rest of his life, on top of a set of other perks for taking the time off to be president of the republic. Ordinary South Africans, known for opening their wallets, hearts and sjamboks for strangers, animals and illegal immigrants, were expected to signal their pleasure in this announcement as a sign of appreciation for Motlanthe’s sacrifices in these long eight months in the presidency. It was expected that South Africans would happily allow him unadulterated access to the humble pie due to him, should he choose to retire from politics. But they are surprisingly outraged. Some have even expressed shock at the announcement. Don’t they realise that Motlanthe earns only 45 times more than a petrol attendant and if he wanted real money he’d dress like a drag queen, play hopscotch and drink Martinis with hot rod Tokyo Sexwale in the private sector?

But no, he chose to truly serve the people.

And for 8 months he had to deal with 50 million citizens looking at his goatee, random panties being flung at him every time he stepped out his car and drinking excessively every time Julius Malema opened his mouth.

Add these activities to his prolonged bum-warming-seat gesture to Jacob Zuma; the emphatic expression and earth-shattering insight offered in his one and only address to the nation and most importantly, his mature decision to delay working on the crisis in Zimbabwe to focus instead on an impending al-Qaeda attack on Hillbrow, and suddenly, the South African public’s response to this pension news becomes even more bizarre.

But perhaps they’re finding it difficult to stomach this huge pension announcement knowing that their own pension probably won’t even buy them the bread, milk and cigarettes needed in old age solitude. Or maybe they’re biting their lips with anger amid being retrenched or at the inability of their children to find work in these insecure times.

But do they really expect the president to refuse the elaborate pension and request a humbler amount on account of the financial crisis?

Do they really expect the government to re-think such policy for perhaps, I don’t know, in solidarity, in recognition of the ongoing financial crash?

Do they really expect Cosatu and the SACP to go on strike, down tools, refuse to off-load ships for such a small matter? No church or dynasty will decide our fate under democracy, but nowhere does it say that this ability to be part of the election process guarantees real, tangible or sustainable equality. Nor does it assure the common man of a better life.

The silly fools; what are they thinking?