VIDEO: Secret ballot to elect president can be applied to remove Zuma, says Kgalema Motlanthe
ALEXANDRA – Motlanthe expressed concern at the state of the nation he said may be sliding into autocracy.
If state presidents are elected into position through a secret ballot by members of Parliament, they should be removed through similar means.
This was said by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, adding his voice to a growing chorus calling for President Jacob Zuma’s removal from office.
In an exclusive interview with Alex News, Motlanthe expressed concern at the state of the nation he said may be sliding into autocracy and warned, particularly the African National Congress (ANC), to heed the public’s outcry. With the upcoming national general elections in 2019, and with public dissent seemingly gaining momentum, he urged the members of Parliament to understand that they were sworn to an oath of allegiance to the electorate.
“They [members of Parliament] should not act or vote in whatever circumstances with the aim to secure their jobs, as these have a limited time frame while their conscience on public deceit would live with them for the rest of their lives,” Motlanthe stressed.
He said some leaders in both the party and in government positions appeared immune to this warning. “People can see through what’s happening and the flattery about the party’s false sense of safety, sung mostly by praise singers. Their [leaders] conduct reflects self-conceit and complacency which may or will have consequences in 2019.”
Complacency in the ANC, he said, had been building over time and was emboldened by the growing erosion of the rule of law, coupled with corruption. “This lack of law and order impacts on economic development, the national well-being in most spheres and will, with the recent rating downgrade, be felt severely, particularly by the poor who will be impacted the most through curtailed service delivery.”
Motlanthe added that those involved in corruption were also emboldened in their nefarious deeds by delays in the justice process, giving the impression to victims of crime and the country that those in power get away with it. “The delays may turn out to be a form of corruption as in some instances, they are inexplicable.”
He pointed to the failure of implementing some Constitutional Court rulings, the consequences being the encouragement of lawlessness. He urged the courts at all levels to try speed up on adjudications to help redeem the courts’ image, recover the public’s trust, and show that there were accountability and equality before the law.
Motlanthe also criticised those who castigated his reading of Ahmed Kathrada’s letter to Zuma at the late struggle stalwart’s funeral, as disingenuous. “The letter was a public document on Kathrada’s views which were already widely known through public mediums. It was read as a tribute to remember his steadfastness and principles on misgovernance, corruption and other ills unbefitting of the constitution and country from those sworn into leadership, and entrusted with power and protection of the Constitution.”
He said the ANC, like any organisation, had to adapt to changing circumstances to help the party remain a relevant leader of society. “They [ANC] shouldn’t delude [themselves] but surround themselves with people who will add value when they run out of ideas rather than resort to the race card and other negatives. Life is all about adaptation and remaining relevant.”
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