Editorial
As Democratic Alliance members converge virtually for the party’s elective congress the dominant slogan will be “real hope, real change. Now!”
That is the theme for the congress starting today in which a new leader will be elected.
While the favourite and interim leader, the more experienced John Steenhuisen, eschewed direct public debates with his younger and more marketable rival, the two contenders did get members and the general public debating as to who should take over the hot seat left vacant by Mmusi Maimane.
The age, gender and ethnic group factors featured strongly in some of the debates in newspapers, on social media, talk radio and so on. But at this crisis juncture for the party and South Africa, what will be key is what the new leader will bring. Will she or he lead the party towards real change? Will she or he help it ditch some of the old and introduce something new?
The congress theme contains some real promise. It must be music to the ears of long-suffering South Africans who have been yearning for real change and real hope for years and want all that now.
But, as we all have seen, the more our country hurtled towards economic and social crises in the recent past the DA seemed to get weaker and more divided. The more the governing ANC descended into paralyzing internal conflict and corruption the more signs of internal conflict and other deleterious phenomena inside the official opposition emerged.
The new DA leader will take over a gigantic baton. Whoever emerges will have to be strong and brave. She or he will have to come with something fresh.
The DA has been facing a dilemma for a while now. How can it rid itself of the “white party” image while retaining its idealogy and traditional constituency?
The DA can either be a minority-interest party that it seems to be currently, or it can ditch the niche approach and start catering for all for real. It cannot do both.
Can the DA really ever provide real hope? Can it one day provide real change in the Union Buildings?
The answers to these questions may start becoming clearer from tomorrow.