O-zuma-ndias? I don't think so

by Suntosh Pillay

Half-sunk, shattered and forgotten, but the inscription remained, mortal words of an evaporated legacy: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” This, said a traveller from an antique land, was once a vast statue of a mighty ruler.

Ozymandias, the sonnet by Percy Shelley, which was published in 1818, tells the tale of a ruler who wished his legacy would remain forever and tried to immortalise himself in a statue that was vast and towering, with an inscribed plaque no less narcissistic.

Now it’s just stone, abandoned in the desert, and with a broken face lying in the sand.

Our inevitable earthly decline is resisted with force by men in power. Power hungry presidents with megalomaniac personalities have for decades clung onto their rule with political superglue. Will Jacob Zuma be different?

After all, Zuma did say that “my party will remain in power forever and it will not subscribe to the will of mortal men because it rules by divine right and, therefore, until the end of time and at God’s grace”.

Despite this inflated party-ego, The Sunday Times and other media reported that Zuma said he will not run for a second term as president.

This is a miraculous statement coming from a newly elected president in Africa. If he is sincere, he has set the bar very high for himself and his cabinet. They have five years to prove themselves, and that’s it. Our new president in 2014 should follow suit and set herself or himself the one-term deadline too. This can strengthen democracy in at least three ways.

Firstly, it curbs even a well-meaning, level-headed statesman of becoming seduced by his presidential power. Take Mugabe. After 29 years, his inability to put Zimbabweans’ interests ahead of his own ego has raped the country of its dignity. Like other African dictators, he will be remembered not as a statesman who ushered in hope, but as a stubborn, resource-sucking failure that nobody could get rid of. Zuma can be different. And he must, because if the heirs to the ANC throne in years to come happen to be (heaven forbid!) the Malemas and Mbalulas of the organisation, his example must set a precedent. The Ozymandias-like rhetoric of little Julius must be kept in check.

Secondly, it invites an engaged, active public sphere. After all, 1.5 million people cast their ballots for the first time, and they will surely follow their virgin votes with interest, wondering if they made the right choice. Together with 27% of all voters being under 30, young people are a strong political force. The rise of techno-savvy online chatter strengthens the virtual public sphere, an increasing site of political debate. Blind party loyalty in this age group is unlikely, as they remind each other (on Facebook, online forums and their blogs) of the merits and mess-ups of our politicians. Five years is a short political space, and all voters, young and old, will be able to track the performance of their chosen leaders with greater ease because the deadline for delivery is shorter. The process of deciding who to vote for in 2014 begins the day parliament convenes with Zuma as president. The public and media must be a fair watchdog, speaking up if promises are broken, and noticing which ones have been met.

Thirdly, service delivery should increase. After all, Zuma, like any other president who follows him, will be judged largely on service delivery. Will there be less starving children; less illiterate adults; a smaller digital divide; more ARV rollouts; no more beggars on street corners and better motivated health workers, teachers and police force? If Zuma has given himself five years, he must make strides in each of these areas, among countless others, to be remembered as the president who made a difference. Or, he must choose his main battles carefully and, if nothing else, be remembered for progress in those key priority areas.

If Mandela was the father of reconciliation, Mbeki the economic stabiliser, then Zuma must be — has to be — the man who delivered.

Whatever our beliefs about Zuma’s appropriateness to be president, a free and fair election has afforded him the opportunity to take South Africa forward. In doing so, he will leave behind a personal legacy as president. One hopes that Zuma heeds the metaphor of Ozymandias and remembers the transient nature both of political power and the individual glory that accompanies it.

Pillay is an intern clinical psychologist at the Midlands Hospital Complex in Pietermaritzburg and a columnist for The Witness