Political Musical Chairs is an admission of lacking political principles
Are EFF and MK policies so similar that lateral moves between them are so seemingly seamless?
Former Economic Freedom Fighters deputy president Floyd Shivambu has joined the MK party. Picture: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
While we’re talking about nuclear waste and what to do with it, our parties are having a tough time thinking about how to deal with political waste.
The DA found Harvard and it turns out that the ANC and EFF found MK.
If we’re honest, Floyd was being wasted at EFF living under Juju’s shadow but it’s still funny to see him jump ship.
It’s obviously not as hilarious as the obnoxious statement by Carl Niehaus about it not being the way for fellow mover Mzwanele Manyi to say thank you.
ALSO READ: Shivambu and Manyi’s MK shift aims to challenge Ramaphosa – experts
But that does make one wonder; why would a person the political realm prioritize saying thank you? If we followed Carl logic, Carl would still be saying many thank yous.
‘Real Madrid of SA politics’
I used to think that the MK party was the Real Madrid of South African politics, where senior politicians go to live out the sunset of their careers and make some extra cash off of a loyalist public, but this attraction of the youth is outstanding.
Are EFF and MK policies so similar that lateral moves between them are so seemingly seamless? Or is it that politicians moving between them care more about professional progression than political ideals?
ALSO READ: Deputy in the GNU and lack of trust: Inside Malema and Shivambu’s ‘fallout’?
One of those must be true and either way, it screams a vivid lack of ideological understanding on the part of the party participants.
If shifting between parties is so easy that it’s just a matter of a presser and signing a membership form, do we really need as many parties as we have?
It’s not a surprise that we love personality politics in South Africa and perhaps that’s why we have so many parties with reconcilable ideologies.
Living under Zuma’s shadow?
It’s just that, with that being the case, does Floyd want to leave Malema’s shadow just to hide in the shade of Zuma’s?
I know it’s natural to expect JZ to expire sooner so that could be the game he’s playing but after Zuma’s medical parole, it feels like he’s immortal.
It sucks to think we’re being taken for idiots when we are forced to digest the narrative that we’re cared about when it comes to the campaign season but 3 months after the election, we’re dealing with internal power plays in company time; time that could be used for policy building and bettering the country for the rest of us.
Instead, it’s time used to progress the political aspirations of a couple of dudes.
ALSO READ: Shivambu EFF exit ‘not in best interests of people’ − analyst
Maybe it could be argued that these moves allow politicians to do better or more work so on balance, it’s a net gain for society. But seriously? Does anybody believe that Floyd will do better or more work in MK?
Gayton has done more external work for the nation than MK as a collective since the election.
Is Floyd what they need to stop their rotation of MPs and actually get things done? Unlikely.
But it’s this vying for power with little intention to do much with it that focusing our energies on that that causes us to get nowhere.
More political parties to be upset with
Since we stopped playing with Eskom’s leadership and the various relevant ministers, hey look at that, we have electricity. We’ve spent 4 years dealing with the PRASA CEO so there’s no surprise that the only thing they can boast of is a regular trip to Musina.
So it’s hardly convincing, all this jumping ship nonsense.
At least with Real Madrid, we get to watch some exciting games and good football. But with the political musical chairs we have this side, bleh.
It’s neither exciting nor progressive for the nation. At the very best, it just gives us a broader array of organisations to be upset with but it’s all the same dudes.
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