It is now common cause that the 2015 state of the nation address was rowdily disrupted by men and women in red attire labelling themselves Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
What was in its essence arguably the most instructive state of the nation address by President Jacob Zuma was heavily contested by hooliganism.
It would be economical with the truth if we were to say as a nation that we were not offended by the events that played out. Many of us who watched on television had a sense of powerlessness. We wished we could avuleke umhlaba singene (hide in shame).
In desperation we had to Google the rules of our parliament and trust that they would provide some sort of remedy to what was fast dissolving into pandemonium.
According to the reaction in the mainstream media and on social media ours was a nation astonished that its representatives with a mandate to change people’s lives for the better could stoop to such sickening lows. All this done in our name by representatives in the people’s assembly.
From the day they set their feet in the people’s assembly the EFF started with their theatrics decorated as militancy. They earned applause in some quarters, perhaps from those who wanted us to believe this was making parliament vibrant and serving to hold the executive to account.
I do not know how one can define as “vibrant democracy” being rowdy and banging chairs, standing on top of tables, insulting all and sundry and having no regard for procedure and even preventing the very same executive from being engaged. Evidently, once it became clear that it was comical to contest the good story of the ANC over the last 20 years with rationale and facts, cheap political point-scoring and foolish acts and omissions became the order of parliament.
All of this to grab the headlines in a vulture media, forever eager to boost its dropping sales with conflict. And the EFF provided just such drama.
From the DA and EFF we have seen perpetual disruptions, tantrums and walk-outs clearly designed to remain in the minds of the electorate.
Prior to February 12 warning shots had been fired, with the EFF insisting that it would not be forgotten during the state of the nation address.
It is now common cause that the EFF allowed the president to begin his address only to interject and disrupt it. The plan was clear and timed to brook no amount of explaining from presiding officers.
Under the circumstances there was no choice but to order the hooligans to leave the chamber. When they brazenly defied this instruction, order had to be enforced as provided for in the statutes of parliament and subsequently security forces were called in to escort those unruly elements from the chamber.
It must be stated that all statutes of parliament remain valid and must be enforced, until amended by the very same parliament or declared unlawful or unconstitutional by higher courts in the land. This means the presiding officers were absolutely within their rights to reinforce security and defend the decorum and credence of parliament.
It also was clear that the despicable conduct of the EFF had nothing to with accountability but was a predetermined agenda to degrade the president and hold parliament to ransom, with the nation denied the president’s speech. For all intents and purposes this had all the elements of a coup d’etat since the electorate, when it took to the voting stations last year, rejected the overall rule of the EFF with an overwhelming 94%.
Now we have 25 people from a party of rejects and rascals having the nerve to try and hold the entire country to ransom in the most regressive of forms. Surely all democracy-loving people have to stand up and condemn with harshness this type of behaviour.
As South Africans we like to showcase ourselves as a coherent nation with an ability to negotiate our way through the toughest of challenges and avert any disaster. Although disturbed by spoilers we are most patient with anarchy in the belief that we can reason with it and manage our differences. But a time arrives when, as a country, if we are to go forward, our differences must be resolved.
While it is our earnest hope that those parliamentary scenes will never be repeated they were instructive in exposing to all sundry that if we compact the most backward tendencies into our political discourse there exists a potential to reduce the whole country into a mess and lawlessness at the hands of an anarchic few.
Maybe, just maybe, for the sake of breaking new ground the whole country needed to see this spectacle in order to unite in defeating these rogue elements.
It serves to provide to all democracy-loving people a basis for isolating destructive politics and establishing cohesion come the local government elections next year.
If not, the price of continuing along this path could be dire.
Mawethu Rune is a SACP executive committee member in the Eastern Cape
Country must unit to defeat EFF's thuggery
What was in its essence arguably the most instructive state of the nation address by President Jacob Zuma was heavily contested by hooliganism.
It would be economical with the truth if we were to say as a nation that we were not offended by the events that played out. Many of us who watched on television had a sense of powerlessness. We wished we could avuleke umhlaba singene (hide in shame).
In desperation we had to Google the rules of our parliament and trust that they would provide some sort of remedy to what was fast dissolving into pandemonium.
According to the reaction in the mainstream media and on social media ours was a nation astonished that its representatives with a mandate to change people’s lives for the better could stoop to such sickening lows. All this done in our name by representatives in the people’s assembly.
From the day they set their feet in the people’s assembly the EFF started with their theatrics decorated as militancy. They earned applause in some quarters, perhaps from those who wanted us to believe this was making parliament vibrant and serving to hold the executive to account.
I do not know how one can define as “vibrant democracy” being rowdy and banging chairs, standing on top of tables, insulting all and sundry and having no regard for procedure and even preventing the very same executive from being engaged. Evidently, once it became clear that it was comical to contest the good story of the ANC over the last 20 years with rationale and facts, cheap political point-scoring and foolish acts and omissions became the order of parliament.
All of this to grab the headlines in a vulture media, forever eager to boost its dropping sales with conflict. And the EFF provided just such drama.
From the DA and EFF we have seen perpetual disruptions, tantrums and walk-outs clearly designed to remain in the minds of the electorate.
Prior to February 12 warning shots had been fired, with the EFF insisting that it would not be forgotten during the state of the nation address.
It is now common cause that the EFF allowed the president to begin his address only to interject and disrupt it. The plan was clear and timed to brook no amount of explaining from presiding officers.
Under the circumstances there was no choice but to order the hooligans to leave the chamber. When they brazenly defied this instruction, order had to be enforced as provided for in the statutes of parliament and subsequently security forces were called in to escort those unruly elements from the chamber.
It must be stated that all statutes of parliament remain valid and must be enforced, until amended by the very same parliament or declared unlawful or unconstitutional by higher courts in the land. This means the presiding officers were absolutely within their rights to reinforce security and defend the decorum and credence of parliament.
It also was clear that the despicable conduct of the EFF had nothing to with accountability but was a predetermined agenda to degrade the president and hold parliament to ransom, with the nation denied the president’s speech. For all intents and purposes this had all the elements of a coup d’etat since the electorate, when it took to the voting stations last year, rejected the overall rule of the EFF with an overwhelming 94%.
Now we have 25 people from a party of rejects and rascals having the nerve to try and hold the entire country to ransom in the most regressive of forms. Surely all democracy-loving people have to stand up and condemn with harshness this type of behaviour.
As South Africans we like to showcase ourselves as a coherent nation with an ability to negotiate our way through the toughest of challenges and avert any disaster. Although disturbed by spoilers we are most patient with anarchy in the belief that we can reason with it and manage our differences. But a time arrives when, as a country, if we are to go forward, our differences must be resolved.
While it is our earnest hope that those parliamentary scenes will never be repeated they were instructive in exposing to all sundry that if we compact the most backward tendencies into our political discourse there exists a potential to reduce the whole country into a mess and lawlessness at the hands of an anarchic few.
Maybe, just maybe, for the sake of breaking new ground the whole country needed to see this spectacle in order to unite in defeating these rogue elements.
It serves to provide to all democracy-loving people a basis for isolating destructive politics and establishing cohesion come the local government elections next year.
If not, the price of continuing along this path could be dire.
Mawethu Rune is a SACP executive committee member in the Eastern Cape
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