The 2009 elections may not be free and fair

South Africa, since the birth of democracy, has enjoyed an uninterrupted record of “free and fair” elections. In all three instances in 1994, 1999 and 2004, there has never been a challenge of the election results. In these elections the ANC was assured of victory and never had a formidable challenge. The 2009 elections may just be different. The ANC has awakened to the sobering realisation that its dominance and continued governance is under serious threat.

The president of the ANC, who, on one hand preaches political tolerance, on the other incites members against the new political formation by using inflammatory language. Political leaders are duty bound to ensure that their followers respect the democratic rights of others and not encroach on their constitutional rights.

The Rwandan genocide was as a result of leaders failing to bridge the political divide between warring factions — in that instance ethnic factionalism between the Hutus and the Tutsis.

Jacob Zuma, while he cares to tell us that he would reign in Malema’s idiotic utterances, needs to begin with his own moronic references to others as dead and poisonous snakes because they chose to exercise their democratic right to establish a new political formation. This new party threatens his ascendancy to the highest office in the land.

We all understand that the ANC is terrified of the prospect of losing power to the Congress of the People (Cope), but its fear should not be translated into intolerance and the intimidation of others.

The ANC should be channeling its energy towards winning the hearts and minds of the electorate and allowing other political parties equal space to do the same. We would like to believe that the ANC is confident in its electioneering message, and should not be so visibly threatened by the Cope that it resorts to sabotaging all attempts of this movement to hold its olitical gatherings. Cope was to launch a branch in Thokoza but the venue was not made available at the 11th hour due to fears of ANC members coming to disrupt the gathering.

Mosioua Lekota also had to abandon addressing a meeting at Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal as ANC members had converged at the venue. The ANC secretary general in KZN, a certain Senzo Mchunu, has declared the province a no-go area for Cope. He has also insulted members of the Cope by accusing them of “urinating on the ANC” — an accusation that is deliberately intended to incite members of the ANC to “defend” their party from “poisonous snakes”. The ANC leadership has taken no steps to discipline these members and this is an attestation of the fact that they condone such behaviour.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has also been conspicuously silent on these matters. It may prove a difficult task in the run-up to the elections for the IEC to demonstrate their independence.

The behaviour and conduct of leaders of the ANC and its members are establishing a political environment that is not conducive to free and fair elections. Political intolerance and intimidation cannot be allowed to continue unabated if there is commitment to ensuring that all political parties campaign and canvass for votes without fear. If this situation continues into the elections, it would be laughable if the IEC declares the general elections to have been free and fair when there has been blatant restrictions of freedom of expression by the ruling party. It’s pathetic that the ANC would want to cling on to power by hook or crook. The trappings of power appear increasingly hard to relinquish and history can attest to such universal truth.

The abhorrent behaviour of the ANC raises questions whether they posses a mature disposition to accept defeat if such eventuality materialises. The immaturity of the ANC leadership, and their inflammatory language, calls into question the prospect of willful surrender to the victors. To embrace sacred principles of democracy is to embrace them in word and deed. Thus far, the post-Polokwane ANC leadership has failed this test dismally. The repression of political freedom should be condemned by the IEC and action be taken against the ANC. I wonder how the ANC would react if the DA was to declare the Western Cape a no-go area for the ANC.