'I'm voting Cope because...'
by
2008-11-19 08:27
Mphatjie Monareng, News24 User
The launch of the Congress of the People (Cope) on December 16 will reshape the South African political landscape just in time for our country's fourth democratic elections, to be held in April 2009.
The launch of the new party will be followed up by the launch of the youth wing of the Cope. The youth wing will play a major role in mobilising the youth behind Cope's determination to defend South Africa's young democracy.
Before Mosiuoa Lekota announced his intentions to launch the Cope, I was not interested in joining the ANC or any of the opposition parties. I was not prepared to play an active role in politics. But now that Lekota and others are leading the way, I have taken it as my responsibility to join the Cope and help defend South Africa's democracy against threats emanating from the highest authorities within the ANC.
I still haven't attended a single meeting of the Cope, but I have contacted the Cope youth organisers around my area, Pretoria, to find out how I can contribute to defending our democracy, thereby leading South Africa towards peace and prosperity. My eagerness to join Cope, particularly its planned youth wing, is guided by some fundamental principles, which, in summary, include the fact that:
The youth of South Africa need credible and exemplary champions to advocate for their interests, such as fighting unemployment and crime, accessing quality education and preventing and combating diseases.
The current leadership of the ANC Youth League is not representative of the youth of South Africa, most notably in terms of its level of discipline. Julius Malema and his cabal are not exemplary in the manner in which they conduct themselves. They have no respect for elders and they do not seem to believe in earning a living through educational achievement and hard work.
Instead of advancing the interests of the general youth of South Africa, the so-called Progressive Youth Alliance, a youth resemblance to the ANC-led Tripartite Alliance, has only one item on its agenda: Jacob Zuma. They have infiltrated the Umsovombu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission, in the process distracting these important taxpayer-funded institutions from carrying out their youth empowerment mandates.
I will be taking part in the Cope and the launch of its young wing in an effort to ensure that the youth of South Africa have a political home that is based on a number of important values, such as non-racism and non-sexism, openness and transparency, exemplary leadership and prioritisation of the interests of the South African youth.
I will also be taking part in the launch of a Cope youth wing because I want to campaign for academic achievement and career development, responsible growth and respect for the elders as well as patriotism and determination to put the country before the party.
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