In just under two weeks’ time we will all be asked to make one of the most important decisions of our lives. We will be asked to choose the future of our country at a time when we cannot afford to make any more mistakes.
Given the perilous state of our nation – our stalled economy, our spiralling unemployment, our Eskom risk, our endless and systemic corruption and our runaway crime – it is no exaggeration to say that this election will be the most important since we went to the polls for the first time as a democracy, 25 years ago.
Back then our future as a country also hung in the balance. But there was one major difference: We were largely united in our mission to rebuild our country. And the leader of the party that would go on to win the elections – the man who became our first democratic president – played a big role in fostering this unity and reminding us that our future lay together.
Nelson Mandela knew, better than anyone, the dangers in splintering our society and turning groups of people against each other. He knew that our democratic project depended entirely on forging a new national identity as one unified people. He knew that socially and economically we were doomed if we retreated back into the laagers of racial and cultural identity from which we came.
Our country has a long and terrible history of division. For decades of Apartheid and for centuries of colonial rule this is precisely what allowed people to be oppressed and exploited. By telling people we’re different and that you need to stick with “your own”, the unjust system of Apartheid was perpetuated.
And do you know what? It is not that hard to do so again today. It is not that hard to convince people who are scared or frustrated or angry to retreat back into their little corners and view others as the enemy. It is not that hard to create an “us” and a “them” – to speak of “our people” and “their people”. And it is not that hard to mobilise people on this basis. That’s why so many parties do it.
That’s why some parties mobilise around race. They tell people that there are parties for whites and there are parties for blacks, and that one cannot possibly vote for the other. It’s such a simple message, and it’s a complete lie. But the alternative – to unite people around values and a common purpose – is much harder.
That’s why some parties mobilise around culture. They tell people that only they can speak for people of a particular culture or a particular language, and that these people are better off huddled together, separate from the others. This is also a lie, but the alternative is hard.
That’s why some parties mobilise around religion, telling people that only they can possibly lead those who share their faith. This too is a lie. But the alternative is just too hard.
And so these parties continually try to divide and conquer the electorate. Because their vision for South Africa is not big, and because their mission is not to build a peaceful and prosperous country that works for all its people, they fall back on things like racial nationalism and scapegoating.
If a party’s message is that only a someone who looks like you and talks like you can fight for you, then you are being taken for a ride – whether it’s by a big party or a small party.
Our future, as a nation, has to be together. Our strength lies in our diversity. And our best bet at unseating the corrupt ANC government that has plunged us into this crisis through 25 years of looting and broken promises, is by uniting around a shared vision of what we want for our country.
Going into this 8 May election, we need to rediscover what it was that united us 25 years ago. What convinced us that we could defy our fractured past and build a prosperous and inclusive nation together?
Now, more than ever, we cannot afford to be split into a dozen little fragments.
Now, more than ever, we need to fight for a truly non-racial South Africa that belongs to all of us. And this has to go beyond reconciliation – it has to include meaningful redress. If our aim is to build an inclusive country, then it is crucial that we address past injustices. We all need to work together for all of us.
I know that no single party will satisfy every need you might have. No single party will have a policy offer that matches every requirement of yours. Some might speak to a single issue that is important to you, but nothing else. Others might offer you the world, knowing that they will never have to make good on these wild promises. And others will try to tell you that they have changed their corrupt ways, while all the evidence says otherwise.
But there is only one party with a vision big enough to take our country forward, as well as a plan to make this vision a reality.
The DA’s plan to kick-start our economy and create jobs includes passing the Jobs Act, which will incentivise investors who meet a minimum employment threshold. Our plan will also see land reform accelerated, while protecting the property rights of all. We will reform labour legislation to ensure that unions protect the interests of the workers and not their own elites. We will roll out a year of voluntary national civilian service for young people seeking work experience in certain fields. And we will streamline and reduce the red tape that continues to hold back small and medium enterprises.
There is only one party swimming against the tide of nationalist populism in South Africa, or the continent of Africa for that matter. Some people say: “If you don’t stand for one particular people, then you stand for nothing.” But this is simply not true. The DA stands for the Constitution and the Human Rights enshrined in it. And this means that we stand for everyone in South Africa, and we fight for the rights of all.
There is only one party with a track record in government that can back up its promises. And there is only one party that is still fighting to realise the vision that Mandela once had for our country.
Yes, I know Madiba was an ANC man. But the organisation he headed up no longer exists. The party of Tambo and Sisulu and Mandela changed into something else a long time ago. The one you’ll find on the election ballot next month has turned its back on just about every ideal the great man once stood for.
Freedom. Non-racialism. Dignity. Unity. These are the ideals Madiba cherished and fought for. He also believed in the power of quality education to ensure that all citizens have access to opportunities, so that this access is not determined by the circumstances of your birth.
These are still the ideals upon which we will build a prosperous and fair South Africa. Only, we know now that it won’t come from the ANC or an ANC-led government. It will come from the DA.
On 8 May, let us go out and lay the foundation for this country we want to build. Let us vote DA so that we can get to work building One inclusive South Africa for All.