wiseMusings

If I were to try my hand at the political space once again, I don’t know which political party would be my home.

I previously pledged allegiance to the Democratic Alliance (DA). However, their inability to take seriously the critiques of liberalism in the African context – namely, that “liberty for all individuals” cannot be seen through a one-dimensional, tit-for-tat lens in the face of rampant inequality – really make me cautious to return back to that particular fold. From personal experience, I know that I’m far from being the first person from within the party to question the DA in this way. Chalking that critique up as simply “race-baiting” is incredibly reductionist, and that line of thinking completely overshadows any good that might come from a DA as an actual alternative governing party. And that is without me even getting into the inconsistencies I see regarding the interim leader, John Steenhuisen.

Weird as it may seem, I thought of perhaps joining the African National Congress (ANC). But the organisation seems to me like a liberation party which has not quite figured out how to adapt to the responsibilities of being the governing party, despite having a quarter of a century to do so. This is exemplified by freedom fighter after freedom fighter assuming control of the ANC. The so-called “generational mix” seems like a total fiction to me. If the ANC indeed had a generational mix that was meaningful in both its letter and its spirit, they would have at least three candidates currently under the age of, say, 50 with a realistic chance of being ANC president within the upcoming decade. But they’ve undercut so many of their young politicians that I don’t see that happening. The ANC will continue to carry the mandate of “those who liberated us”, rather than transforming its structures to give young people a meaningful seat at the table. And that is without me even getting into their failures as the ruling party.

To be honest, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) did not even register on my radar. This is because of their anti-intellectual stance on any deep, thoughtful criticism of their politics and the character of their top politicians. They fall back on tired, lazy tropes which they know will garner a reaction among their fervent followers instead of taking the conversation forward in any meaningful way. This would mean that I’d have to be a yes-man, and a puppet regurgitating talking points, instead of actually contributing to the growth of the party in any meaningful way. I’d be excommunicated faster than you could say “Stratcom”. And that is without me even getting into the ideological disagreements I have with the party itself, which would make me a terrible fit.

Those are the only parties I could conceivably see myself in (at least for the time-being), and they’re all deeply flawed.

I’m open to being convinced otherwise, though.