This excellent blog struck a chord with me and set me into serious thinking. Yes, why are so many people still voting for the ANC although it requires no rocket science degree to see that they are stealing the carpet from under our feet.
One cannot escape the fact that Apartheid left scars, real scars with many victims. Just to say, lets kiss and make-up is not answer. The world does not work that way. The problem however, is that victimhood is a looser position, comparable to being caught under a big glass cheese bell. Things change, live moves on, but one cannot move out of the victimhood bell, because "the world owes me....." Again, the world moves on a and the victim stays behind, overlooking possible chances for a better life.
The Apartheid government cheated many people of a decent life. Now comes the ANC government, the reverse of Apartheid, but not much better, but they vote for the ANC although all the evidence is there, that they are being cheated of a decent education, decent hospitalization etc, cutting off their noses to spite "white faces".As I said, victimization is a looser's game.
A big problem in this country is "Tribal Thinking". With this term I do not imply that this is a "Black Man's Problem" There are many whites who think tribally, as shown by the Afrikaner Nationalist Movement. If we want to move on, we have to move onto "Non-personal" government, where we judge the politician by their brains, integrity,experience and what they deliver the country as a whole. For example, if I were American, I would have voted for Obama four years ago, because he symbolized healthy change. This year, 4 years down the line, I would probably have voted for Romney, because America has a debt of 70 billon dollars (mostly to the Chinese) and I think Romney is the better man to fix it.
Then we come to the "Rule of Law". As defined by Francis Fukuyma in his book "The Origins of Political Order",this is a set of basic laws or notions, which a nation agrees upon, as the foundation of their legal system. Of course, with time other laws are piled onto this "foundation." I asked myself, what components " my rule of law" would have and came up with the following, non-racism, no corruption, top priority for education and health, a transparent legal system, open opportunity, cleanliness. South Africa is young country, many S.Africans have never given "The Rule of Law" a serious thought. For anybody new to this concept, think about it.
I cannot close this blog without coming back to education. Under the ANC education has plunged and corruption has rocketed. One cannot disguise these facts. Education is power, knowledge is power and power means FREEDOM. An educated mind is an enquiring mind, a seeking mind which starts with LITERACY.
Little things say so much. I went to the bank yesterday. Knowing that there are often long queues I took a newspaper and a light book to read. I was one of eleven people waiting, some white, mostly black. Although we had to wait at least 35 minutes, I was the only person with reading matter. What a lost opportunity to make the day more interesting, to learn something, to become empowered!
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