Democracy needs to be reinvented

Democracy needs to be reinvented. Let’s be honest, this form of government has failed dismally. Not just here, but worldwide.

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe it is the best form of government yet devised, if applied properly. My problem with democracy, is that we give total power to one political party. That party then selects a leader, who appoints a Cabinet with individuals at the head of each department.

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Boing, goes the gong. That’s no longer democracy. What is called, and perceived, as democracy, results in autocracy. Plato, author of Republic, written around 375BC, suggests that in a democracy, the lower class grows bigger and bigger.

“A visually appealing demagogue is soon lifted up to protect the interests of the lower class, who can exploit them to take power in order to maintain order,” wrote Plato.

Heavy. And he continues: “Democracy then degenerates into tyranny where no one has discipline and society exists in chaos.” Sound familiar?

But democracy, if applied correctly, can be our saving grace, if we are willing to tweak it.

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Consider this: a democracy without political parties. Boing, goes the gong again. Why not? Think about it.

Instead of voting for a potential autocrat, we rewrite our constitution to make every Cabinet minister a contestable position at the ballot.

Sounds absurd, I agree, but so did Plato’s words almost 2 400 years ago. Imagine getting, as an example, 20 ballot papers when we vote. Every ballot will determine the 20 ministers who will be heading up the different departments.

Minister of finance: the candidates are Enoch Godongwana, Johann Rupert, Patrice Motsepe. Minister of arts and culture: vote for Zizi Kodwa, Trevor Noah, or Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout. Crazy, but worth spending a moment contemplating.

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I would much rather see someone like Rupert and Noah in Cabinet than the cousins, aunts, nephews of the Zumas. Boing, goes the gong for the third time.