Zuma 'a political polygamist'

2008-03-07 12:57

Cape Town - ANC President Jacob Zuma is a "political polygamist" elected for his lack of leadership, according to Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille.

Writing in her weekly newsletter on the DA website on Friday, she said a good leader led by example, setting the bar himself.

"On this count, Zuma is quite obviously flawed," she said.

A good leader was also not afraid to take unpopular decisions if he believed they were right, because he had a clear vision of how things should be.

"And this is where Jacob Zuma really falls short. He has no vision. In his words he is just 'a loyal ANC cadre' implementing what he claims is 'party policy'.

"This is a leadership cop-out if there ever was one, especially in a party that is still a 'broad church' with widely divergent policy approaches," Zille said.

'Political brides'

In the absence of any clear vision of his own, Zuma was incapable of taking a firm and independent stand on issues, or giving direction to his followers, let alone the country.

"Instead he simply bends in the direction of whoever he is courting at that moment. He is best described as a political polygamist, trying to satisfy many different political brides simultaneously," she said.

The most obvious example was when Zuma, in a recent interview with the Financial Mail, called for greater labour market flexibility on the grounds that tight labour laws were "counting out the poorest of the poor" from the job market.

Business was impressed, and so were those who believed rigid labour legislation stifled investment and job creation.

"But it was short-lived - hell hath no fury like a senior political bride scorned," Zille said.

When confronted by the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), Zuma quickly changed his mind, saying he would be prepared to lay down his life in defence of the current labour market regime.

Contradictory statements

"This about-face was not enough for Cosatu, who are clearly anxious about Zuma's flip-flopping."

Cosatu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi declared Zuma had agreed his "phrasing and packaging" had caused him to be misunderstood.

In the same interview with the Financial Mail, it was reported that Zuma had spoken positively about inflation-targeting.

This contradicted his statements after Polokwane that this policy was problematic.

"And it is not just on the economy that Zuma says whatever will please the audience he is addressing. The problem goes far deeper than that.

"Zuma's flip-floppery also extends to his own questionable personal conduct."

Clear and consistent

Despite loudly and repeatedly demanding his "day in court" to prove his innocence on charges of bribe-taking, Zuma had done everything possible to avoid it, Zille said.

One did not need to be an intellectual to be a good leader.

One needed a vision, to stick to principles, and to be bold enough to take a clear and consistent stance on an issue.

Zuma was not elected ANC leader because he showed any of these qualities.

"He was elected because a powerful populist/leftist lobby in the party saw in Zuma their opportunity to get rid of (President Thabo) Mbeki's economic centrism and his tendency to centralise power.

"In fact, the ANC populists elected Zuma precisely because of his lack of leadership. They believe this will enable them to manipulate him," she said.

What they did not understand was that an easily manipulated leader was open to all offers, and often sold to the highest bidder.

Pulled in different directions

Zuma's honeymoon with his senior political brides, Cosatu and the SA Communist Party, was already running into trouble.

Now that he had ascended to power in the ANC he would increasingly realise how important other interest groups were to him and to the country if we wanted to make progress.

If he become President, and failed to develop any clear vision of where he was leading the country, he would be pulled in every direction by jealous suitors and end up going nowhere.

"That is the price of political polygamy: It is impossible to satisfy all your brides at once.

"They all have different needs which are often diametrically opposed. Flip-floppery may get you out of a corner a few times, but it will not work once the honeymoon is over," Zille said.

- SAPA