READER LETTER | New government must revitalise economy, create jobs

While the ANC has played a pivotal role in liberating our beautiful country, it has also contributed to the degeneration of our economy and moral fibre. The ANC has also made corruption in state offices fashionable and crime on the streets part of our daily lives.

It had to take 30 years for the party to wake up to the reality that power lies in the hands of the voters. Many things have gone wrong during the 30 years the party enjoyed majority rule. It’s better late than never to fix all that’s wrong about our country.

The May 29 general elections have brought a stop to the Big Man politics, where one political party or leader stays in power for a long time. The results of these elections must usher in a new brand of politics, if not a new era of politics. Hopefully, the political language will also change.

Many new political parties have entered the political scene and participated in the elections. Most of their leaders are young and have no baggage. This is what our democracy needs going forward.

When the ANC was warned that the era of coalition governance has arrived, it sprang into denial and insisted another majority rule was attainable.

For the first time since our democracy, the ANC has failed to secure a 50 plus one percentage vote in the elections. Now it will have to share power with other political parties, something it is not used to and never prepared for.

Former liberation movements in Africa dominate politics for 20 years or so. After that, they decline until they lose power. The pertinent question is: Is this the beginning of the end of the ANC, as we know it ? Will it recover and make a comeback? Only time will tell.

The governing party has proposed a government of national unity (GNU) as a form of government. If GNU is accepted (the EFF has rejected it outright), power will be shared among political parties. Small parties may also have a bite at power. I hope this will improve service delivery and lessen the bickering in the National Assembly.

It’s a good thing that the new child on the block, MK Party, has deposed the EFF from the third most powerful political party position. I just don’t like the EFF’s arrogant and abrasive style of politics. We need constructive and engaging politics.

The new government, whether as GNU or coalition, must revitalise the economy and create jobs. Equally important, it must restore public order and work to strengthen the nation’s moral fibre.

Thabile Mange, Kagiso