DA Youth courts controversy with new poster

Published Mar 26, 2012

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A new Democratic Alliance Youth poster showing the SA Constitution being burnt was revealed on Monday.

The unveiling of the new poster, in the DA Youth's “In our future” campaign series, coincided with a sit-in by the party at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon.

The poster features an image of the Constitution burning, with the caption: “In our future the Constitution will reign supreme”.

DA Youth leader Makashule Gana said the sit-in and the poster highlighted “current threats” posed to the Constitution.

“This poster makes two points. The first is that there is a clear and pressing threat posed to numerous elements of the Constitution,” Gana said in a statement.

“The second is that, in the DA's future, the Constitution will reign supreme as the ultimate law in South Africa. There will be no person or body above that law, and it will be fiercely protected.”

He said the threats to the Constitution were “starkly illustrated” by a recent African National Congress policy document.

“This document, which proposes a number of constitutional amendments, represents the largest assault on the Constitution witnessed in our country to date, and is a complete derogation of the principles of constitutional democracy,” he said.

“Another much discussed proposal linked to this document is the ominous decision by the ANC to review the Constitutional Court's decisions.”

He said the ANC-led government had failed, and the DA Youth would not allow them to blame the Constitution for its shortcomings.

“The ANC asserts that the Constitution has proven inadequate for social and economic transformation. This is simply a front to hide the fact that the real obstacle to enabling redress in South Africa is not the Constitution, but the ANC itself.”

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said the ruling party respected the Constitution.

“This is a Constitution that came with the ANC. We are not saying any willy-nilly person with a hangover can change it. All constitutions have amendments, and it all comes through a majority,” he said.

“The Constitution is an enabling document, and if we all agree to change one, two and three to effect transformation and help people, why is that a problem?

“Every time the ANC even mentions the Constitution it is a problem. It is not the DA Youth who brought this Constitution, they can go jump in the nearest lake.”

A previous DA Youth poster caused an uproar on several social media sites earlier this year. It showed a young mixed race couple in a passionate clinch with a caption reading: “In our future you wouldn't look twice”. - Sapa

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