Yonela Diko
The philosopher philosopher Enzo Traverso suggests that “in our days, politics no longer derives from ideology; instead, the latter is improvised, a posteriori, in search of legitimising a policy”.
When one looks at the ideological inconsistency of the DA over the years, all in search of legitimacy in various constituencies, the party reaffirms Traverso’s observation. The DA has come a long way from its liberal conservatism under Tony Leon, moving towards the middle looking for Social Democrats and progressives.
As the party moved from the centre right into the centre, flirting with centre left in order to make inroads in the black majority vote, some white conservatives found the shift unbearable and took their support and unearned enrichment into the FF+ which was now fashioning itself as the only party protecting white minorities.
It is here, in the Centre, where previous conversations about historical race disadvantages and economic redress could reluctantly be discussed and more black voters could be accommodated. All these shifts however could only be legitimised and accepted if they were helping the party to grow its black base.
When the party regressed in the 2019 elections, under the black leadership of Mmusi Maimane after painful bending from the liberal conservative white class that remained, the continued chase for the black vote could not be justified. Liberal conservatives came back with a vengeance. Without a possibility of winning the back vote, they reverted back to their default instinct, federalism.
It is here, in federalism where all the hippies and misfits and racists converge. Federalism teaches people to be loyal to their region first and only be loyal to the federal state only when the Federal state dances to their tune.
The Afrikaner and English community, some of whom have been feeling displaced since the dawn of democracy which put black majority at the helm of the country's political life-reclaimed the DA as the white saviour and because it has enough support to govern a province, independence would be nice.
The shift back to centre right again has found the DA converging with other right-wingers and separatist groups who have some influence in white constituencies.
The DA has now officially morphed back into the far right to lead this dangerous bunch of undemocratic racists hellbent on attacking our inclusive societies.
The DA, like all federalists, is accusing the Unitary State of not dancing to the tune of the regionalists and therefore the Unitary State must be broken. The accusations are political rhetoric masquerading as constitutional imperatives.
Whether the national governing party is failing or not is a matter to be decided by the voters. If the DA cannot make this case with the voters they can close shop. The world is also a global village and those who may find the South African state unbearable can always find a home elsewhere.
What we will not accept is a desperate DA, which seems not averse to exploiting the historic social fractures and racial mistrust of our past whose last vestiges remain with us today in order to slice a piece of this country for their deranged constituency. That we will not accept.
On one hand, the flood control of apartheid that kept blacks outside looking in from such urban cities as Cape Town is now exploited by the DA, calling fellow South Africans migrants and refugees.
On the other hand the racial hierarchy of apartheid is also being exploited by the DA pitting racial groups against one another.
The DA is vacillating from right to left depending on which side the wind is blowing. On one hand it wants to grow its black vote, on the other hand it does not want to lose its white vote..
A party that is willing to foment racial mistrust and social fracture in order to secure its highly funded little constituency, after it was willing to sacrifice this very lucrative constituency for more black votes is a danger to all constituencies. The DA cannot be trusted.
Diko is former ANC Western Cape spokesperson
Cape Times