Ensuring DA power in hands of the few
The review of the Democratic Alliance by Tony Leon, Ryan Coetzee and Michiel Le Roux changed the party as we know it. Some might see it as the liberals defeating the socialists or whites defeating blacks – I don’t. I consider it about money and power, not ideology.
Although Helen Zille is likely the hammer for the organisation’s funders, it could be called her coup d’état. Of course, the attribute for a coup is lack of democracy but I argue that the vote for her was less important than the deviousness before. In the bigger picture, a democracy cares for its citizens whereas the DA only cares for itself. Putting the word “democracy” into a party name is as true as “relief” in “tax relief”.
But I differ to mainstream condemnation of the report. Parts rather than the whole have been picked for the sensationalism of non-thinking racial identity politics. The report recommends increased liberalism and attempt to regain voters it has lost. There’s certainly a question mark over wanting to regain the trust of Afrikaans and white voters when the emphasis isn’t the same on black voters, but wanting to regain an ex-base is understandably practical.
SELLOUTS
I point out that I long ago questioned the DA’s disregard for its base, and its relationship with the EFF. Forming coalitions with those you believe should be in jail only undermines your credibility whilst insisting you should share a cell. It was notable how much easier the DA was on the EFF after the DA gained power in JHB and Tshwane. That was a two-way street for personal convenience. I contacted most parties regards DA corruption which resulted in several meeting me. The EFF promised to assist but hypocritically didn’t after the coalitions formed.
Ideology is extinct except as a marketing tool, and all political party leaders are playing for the same money-hungry team that regularly crushes the Public.
Nevertheless, overall, the report has gained unfair flack because its conclusions are mostly logical. The problem is that the DA doesn’t obey it equally, thus making it a backstabbing weapon to crush Maimane and the Black Caucus (not to be confused with the remaining Uncle Tom Caucus. I label the likes of Bonginkosi Madikizela and Phumzile van Damme as that because they’re servants to the white instigated corruption I’ve reported to them. They’re interested in a salary, not duty.
REVIEWING THE REVIEW
“We also detected a tendency to blame others for the circumstances in which the party finds itself and a consequent tendency therefore to expect others to do the changing… it’s true that the DA has suffered indiscipline and factionalism of late… It is absolutely vital, therefore, that every leader, public representative and staff member is willing to confront the party’s failings and take decisive action to turn its fortunes around. Failure to do so could fatally compromise the party’s future and the future of the country .”[The DA put these words in bold but it would appear that the unsaid exception is the topic of DA corruption]’
The report lists six major reasons for the DA’s decline of which Zille was directly involved in the first three mentioned – her colonialism tweets, Patricia de Lille (Zille brought her into the party), and the Cape Town water crisis (which was during Zille’s reign as Premier of the province). Yet Mmusi Maimane is out and Zille is in.
It goes on to recommend, “That the national management committee be reconstituted to include only the leader, chairperson of the federal council, chief whip and chief executive, with select others joining for discussions relevant to their responsibilities.”
That makes sense on the surface but practically means that power in the party will officially be consolidated into the hands of a few, especially Zille and her cronies.
FAIRNESS?
Under the header ‘Philosophy’: “We start from the premise that the DA’s purpose is to promote substantive freedom by ensuring every person has the right, space and wherewithal to live a life they value. This is a statement of purpose that simultaneously privileges the individual as the touchstone of value and recognizes that individuals require more than constitutionally enshrined rights in order to be free.”
Although its subtly aimed at race, why doesn’t the same logic apply to me whose being destroyed by the DA for whistleblowing their crimes?
FEAR
DA staff and politicians are afraid of those who control the party. It’s obey or be punished. the Federal Legal Commission became a tool for the corrupt DA Federal Executive and the faction that supports them. It explains how the criminal, ex-Knysna Mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies, got promoted to the National Assembly, whereas her successor, Mark Willemse, is constantly kicked by his own party. It substantiates the Cape Times who wouldn’t report directly on the evidence I gave them for fear of the DA suing them (which I was told wouldn’t be a matter of right or wrong, just a consequence of reporting). Without check and balance, the DA compounded its mistakes; encouraging intimidation and corruption.
The following quotes speak for themselves.
“Fear of speaking out. A surprising number of people contacted us for reassurance that submissions would be kept strictly confidential. Far too many people are afraid of expressing their views for fear of some sort of reprisal. This state of affairs is clearly not healthy in a democratic organisation. .. Internal litigiousness. Over the past few years it seems that internal disciplinary processes are increasingly used by aggrieved parties to prosecute disputes and by party authorities to prosecute indiscipline. This is an unhealthy state of affairs that creates both an unpleasant internal environment and embroils the party in drawn out quasi-legal processes that damage its credibility with voters.
Destructive behaviour on social media. Paradoxically, over the past few years there has been a significant increase in public and often very personal contestation and destructive behaviour, most often on social media. While members and public representatives should not be forced to conform to straight-jacketed thinking and public debate of competing ideas is not in and of itself a problem, there is something dysfunctional about willfully and stubbornly engaging in behaviour that damages the party’s prospects.”
The latter is hypocritical, meant to shield the DA rather than protect the Public too. Helen Zille, Alan Winde and others allowed DA members to false tar me as a sociopath and pedophile after I exposed their crime. Offline, Zille threatened me.
Consequently, it’s laughable that the report wants them to “govern in a way that starkly and positively contrasts the DA and the ANC.”
RESTRUCTURING
Under ‘Political Structrures’: “There is no compelling reason to retain the position of federal chairperson and therefore of the deputy federal chairpersons. The position of federal chairperson was originally designed to provide status without responsibility for a senior figure in the newly formed progressive party. That situation pertains to this day, except that three deputy posts have been attached to it. The original reason for the creation of the deputy posts was to create the image of a more diverse leadership, but again, the positions don’t involve any substantive responsibility.”
That “diverse” leadership meant that black people such as Refiloe Nt’sekhe are/were tokens not leaders.
“The job of the federal council chairperson is overly large and complex and cannot be done by one person. Indeed we received from the chairperson of the federal council a 19-point job description, some individual points of which themselves constitute a full time job. Provincial leaders and chairpersons don’t adequately communicate discussions and decisions at federal level, contributing directly to a disconnect between the federal level and other levels of the party.”
Essentially, DA FedEx Chair James Selfe was the main power in the DA for two decades, longer if you include his presence in the reincarnations before it.
“There is a general unhappiness with the federal legal commission which revolves around the idea that it treats people unequally and therefore fails to dispense justice. It is difficult to establish the veracity of these claims but in the end the fact that the commission seems to have lost the confidence of so many in the party is the key finding. It is however important to note that the federal legal commission merely makes recommendations to the federal executive. In the end, it is the federal executive that makes the final decision. It is therefore incumbent on the federal executive to ensure it acts impartially and is seen to do so.”
As already stated, the Federal Legal Commission (and its traitors to the legal professions, Glynis Breytenbach and Nicholas Gotsell), were weapons to be used by the DA FedEx against its internal, non-faction enemies.
“In addition, we propose: That the party strengthen its recently adopted measured to promote mediation rather than litigation as a means to resolve disputes. That the party obtain independent legal advice on how to simplify and improve its existing disciplinary procedures to ensure appropriate and acceptable outcomes from such processes and to ensure, to the extent possible, that restores the confidence of party members in the efficacy and even-handedness of any outcomes from disciplinary processes. In light of the above, we recommend: That the positions of federal chairperson and deputy federal chairperson of the party be abolished.”
Despite stating that the powers of the DA Federal Council Chairperson should be limited, the abolishment of Fed Chairs (different to Council Chair) would currently consolidate Zille’s power.
PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
Under Operations: “The constituency system is designed to give voters the sense that there is a senior DA public representative they can turn to for help and hold accountable more generally.”
This fails to speak about it actually being accountable but acknowledges the hollowness of the post of Constituency representatives who are, in practice, servants to the DA Fedex and not the Public. It’s a position of mistrust that for the town of Knysna, where the DA is most involved in cover-up, included senior figures Alan Winde (now Western Cape premier), Dion George (DA Federal Finance Chair), Jaco Londt (DA East Region Manager) and Helen Zille.
“The feeling in many provinces is that the federal head office fails to listen adequately to provincial and local concerns “
That’s absolutely true, and under Zille likely to remain so. Power is in the hands of the few.