Many Scots felt Westminster was much too far and detached from their problems. Here, Parliament is seen in a similar light, says Mosiuoa Lekota.
Pretoria - The referendum in Scotland might appear at first glance to be an entirely Scottish affair. In fact, it has lessons for all of us.
First, the negative impact of a slowing economy on living standards compels people to seek the right to be directly engaged in decision-making.
Small though the UK is, many Scots felt Westminster was much too far and detached for their problems to receive expeditious attention.
In South Africa, Parliament is seen in a similar light. Discontented citizens have been marching on local government to demand services that lie in the sphere of the provinces and even reserved as a national competence.
In my view, local governments should have an overarching service desk so that requests and grievances are received locally and then directed to the right quarters for attention.
Failure to do so will result in demands for greater autonomy and even separation from the union if the perception takes hold that the government is too negligent and doesn’t care.
All of us in politics and government in particular must see the need for devolution of power as a necessary part of fulfilling the requirement of the Freedom Charter – that the people shall govern. More decision-making for the people is fundamental to the success of our democracy.
Another lesson for us from Scotland is that people showed they possessed a dual identity. Many Scots saw themselves as being Scottish as well as British with equal strength. They wanted to be both and for good reason.
We have yet to develop an equal intensity of our South Africanness, having for so long been made to see ourselves only in terms of our racial identities and regionalism.
The real need to promote an intense South Africanness among us is an imperative of our times.
We dare not neglect this duty as political activists.
In Scotland, as in South Africa, the silent majority is intensely concerned about the future for themselves and their children.
The goings-on in Parliament are a matter of great discomfiture for many citizens.
We need to address tomorrow as much as we give attention to the present.
Let us take all the lessons we need from the referendum held in Scotland to address anxiety, discontent, alienation and the sense of powerlessness among citizens in a proactive and timely manner.
People in our country must engage in politics as strongly as the Scots have done.
* Mosiuoa Lekota is leader of Cope.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Newspapers.
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