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The instability and under-delivery that have characterised the City of Johannesburg over the past five years are not due to the presence of a number of smaller parties on the council.

It is because ANC and DA councillors don’t know how to rise above selfish party interests, put the interests of the people of Johannesburg first, and support the best mayoral candidate from within their ranks.

South Africans’ right to vote for political parties of their choice is enshrined in the Constitution. Section 19 (1) (a) very clearly states. “Every citizen is free to make political choices.”

But voters don’t directly vote for Presidents, Premiers, or Mayors. These executive leaders are elected by MPs, MPLs, and Councillors, who have the right to elect poor leaders.

The proposal being championed by the DA to introduce an electoral threshold to prevent smaller parties from being represented in Councils is an affront to the Constitution.

It would:

•     Infringe on the rights of citizens to establish new political parties

•     Discourage voters from voting for smaller parties

•     Discard significant numbers of votes cast for parties not meeting the threshold

•     Marginalise minority views

•     Dilute proportional representation in a diverse nation

•     Exclude potentially brilliant public representatives.

This is clearly undesirable and will be resisted by the GOOD Party.

The system we presently have is the most democratic expression of our electoral process. It should not be interfered with because some parties do not like the outcome of elections. Or because Johannesburg’s councillors make absurd leadership decisions.  

The fact that the majority of councillors in a council may elect an individual from one of the smallest parties is how our democracy was designed to work. It depends on their good decisions.

In coalition governments, democracy is not undermined by smaller parties but by relationships established for the wrong reasons through nonsensical co-governing arrangements. Forcing parties to publish these agreements would reduce the scope for absurdity and strengthen democracy.

Coalitions work when there is political maturity and trust. Those that are cobbled together purely to access power and tenders don’t succeed regardless of the size of their members.

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General and Unite for Change Leadership Council Member