While others say control is good, but trust is better, some argue that trust is good, but control is better.
Such statements arise in the life of nations when challenges of tragic proportions confront them.
The statement that trust is good, but control is better is attributed to Russia’s Vladimir Lenin.
His refrain in 1920-21 was about the deteriorating status of the Bolsheviks and to this he attributed three chief enemies and these were central to the political education challenge.
These were firstly, Communist Conceit, secondly, illiteracy and, thirdly bribery.
Of relevance in this contribution is the last challenge of bribery to which Lenin said, “If such a thing as bribery is possible; it is no use talking about politics.
“Here we have not even an approach to politics; here it is impossible to pursue politics, because all measures are left hanging in the air and produce absolutely no results.
“A law applied in conditions, which permit widespread bribery can only make things worse. Under such conditions no politics whatsoever can be pursued; the fundamental condition for engaging in politics is lacking.”
In South Africa, the majority party that formed the sixth administration -- and that is readying itself to contest the seventh -- has begun instituting the prospective machinery that will be responsible for the seventh administration should they win the election or for back benchers, should they lose the election.
Legislature list compilation
The crucial cog in this political wheel of fortunes for the nation is the legislature list compilation. This is for both national and provincial governments.
While the list process is usually determined by the elective conference, this time around several political missteps, sins of incumbency and utter ineptitude have, ultimately, taken a toll.
The mirror has been held to the party and what the integrity committee saw was not pleasant.
Omry Makgoale, a military and ideological veteran of the ANC, in his recently published proposal for reforms of internal democracy in the ANC, takes aim at what is in his estimation the crucial cause of what afflicts the ANC.
Makgoale makes this opinion known through a well thought through document, published towards the end of February, titled, “National Reset: A proposal for implementation of a reset of the internal nomination and electoral processes in the provinces to achieve a One-ANC-member-One-Vote system”. (Readers can refer to Newzroom Afrika interviews with Makgoale on this view https://youtu.be/9p0dlkDOhfM)
The report has some heavyweights behind it, namely Makgoale himself and Terry Tselane, the retired guru of SA Elections. This is supported by the MK and advocacy’ strategic dialogues group.
He proposes direct democracy at all levels of the party and this, he argues, will substantively make control better while trust might still be good.
The central thesis of his intervention is to remove any middle man or woman in the election of the people’s representatives and in particular the Top Six/Seven.
The hierarchised form of a few delegates to conference, he argues, creates a perfect storm for the creation of the animal farm style of politics, where those selected to vote as delegates are susceptible to being bought. Seven thousand delegates are easy prey to bags and brown envelopes of money.
Makgoale’s approach will remove any incentive for bribery. Whosoever tries to do so will have to bribe all the 1million voting members of the ANC as all of them will have a direct vote.
The aim of the proposal is stated thus: eliminate gatekeeping; erase vote-rigging; minimise the formation of factions and slates in ANC structures; create greater transparency and accountability; ensure gender parity; and promote and elevate ethical leadership.
Each province will nominate a maximum of ten candidates (five women and five men) for the national executive committee from their provincial membership. There will be a maximum of 90 candidates on the ballot form for the National Executive Committee. The filled-in ballots will be collected by the Institute of Elections.
For the top six each province will nominate four candidates half of whom will be male and the other female.
German theologian Jürgen Moltmann under the title, Control is Good–Trust is Better: Freedom and Security in a “Free World”, asks the question “who controls the controllers?”
Makgoale has an answer for him – it is no longer the 7000 delegates who are susceptible to being bribed. But the full membership becomes those who control the controllers.
Lenin, who passed away roughly 100 years ago has revealed to Makgoale the evil that bribery can do to politics, “if such a thing as bribery is possible it is no use talking about politics.
“Here we have not even an approach to politics; here it is impossible to pursue politics, because all measures are left hanging in the air and produce absolutely no results”.
Trust is good while it lasts, but control is certainly better, and Makgoale got the formula right albeit late for this election, but if adopted it will be available for the next Policy Conference and the ANC will be able to truly cleanse itself.
Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, a board member of Institute for Economic Justice at Wits and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa.
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