Enough has been said about how the first year of Cope’s existence has been a rough ride characterised by a mix of leadership difficulties as well as a sense of disorganisation at both administrative, strategic and policy levels. So how should Cope fix these obvious impediments that have made its founding year an overall disappointment for many of us? How should it become the change it wants to see in our society?
Electing a new, visionary and democratic leadership is one of the key solutions and policy clarity to the population is another. There is, frankly, no point in dreaming about a political programme that will have no driver, no leader, no initiator — a case of a flock without a shepherd or multiple shepherds for that matter, is a malady that Cope cannot suffer further. So uppermost in the agenda must be to stop dithering and announce a date for the policy and elective conference to deal once and for all with both these cardinal challenges. Though it is important that branches are built ahead of such a conference, there is a case to be made to elect a leadership based on whatever branches are formed come the cut-off date for such an exercise — otherwise we may wait in perpetuity for the “ideal number of branches” and wake up to a disintegrated organisation with the few paid-up members that Cope has having lost interest all together and an electorate that is disillusioned enough to resign themselves to the ruling party’s destruction of our democracy.
But the conference is not the be-all of Cope for 2010. I have five suggestions for Cope that are simple enough to start its rise from the ashes. Be organised; be truthful about the challenges facing us in parliament, in the party; be clear about the policy and leadership of the organisation and for heaven’s sake have a campaign that can make Cope stand out and be the “change it wants to see” in our society.
(1)
The challenge to be organised. First of all in order to be organised the following basic things need to happen:
• The establishment of a seamless head office and staff this with a set of professionals who will ensure clarity in developing and executing an overarching strategy for the re-emergence of Cope as a force to reckon with in our body politic.
• The appointment of a formal fundraiser: no party can live on politics or prayer alone. The dire financial situation needs to be changed urgently.
• Running proper meetings with clear outcomes and ensuring that office-bearers are made accountable systematically for the work they have been assigned to do: this has been sorely lacking.
• Ensuring that Cope has a business plan in all areas of its operations: you can’t run anything decent without a plan that outlines what resources we need to succeed and how the work will be monitored. The current programme of action is a good start but is highly inadequate.
• Ensuring that there is organised space for thousands of volunteers who want to help. There are just too many people who have walked away from the party because they were made to feel underutilised and unwanted.
(2)
Secondly, being truthful about the challenges that face Cope in parliament and in the party.
There is nothing that annoys the public more than pretending there is no crisis when it is staring you in the face. Therefore the sooner we face the fact that we could be better organised in parliament the better. We need to acknowledge the challenges facing our leaders, caucus and whip in parliament and deal with these head on. There is a need for a broader engagement about what the strategy as an effective opposition in an out of parliament has to be. The starting point is that the congress national committee should actually discuss the matter and give our members of parliament direction. That this has not happened with any measure of seriousness leaves much to be desired and needs to be fixed urgently. Then we need a total overhaul Cope’s modus operandi there if we are to operate shoulder to shoulder with other opposition parties whose machinery is polished and has had ample time for practice.
The much-publicised “toenadering” with the DA in particular must be clarified and communicated much better. Members of Cope must be deeply involved in the shaping of any coalition into the next election. I believe that well executed, such a coalition of opposition forces is a winner, but poorly handled it can backfire. Cope has to stand its ground because the future of such a coalition rests in its success as a player of significance and not an inefficient junior partner.
(3)
Be clear about need for policy clarity and leadership stability.
In his book The Democratic Moment Xolela Mangcu correctly argues that: “It may well be that the arrival of the new party contributes to procedural plurality but does not automatically translate into a substantively democratic culture. In fact, political plurality can easily be either wonderfully democratic or terribly anarchic. To avoid the latter, plurality requires at least two things vision and leadership.”
The firming up of Cope policies is the greatest challenge the party faces in 2010. The policy conference is crucial to accentuate and detail Cope’s vision for our country — the population needs to know that if it lets Cope govern, what sort of a South Africa are we going to have. Leadership has to be a visionary one prepared to establish a new culture so as not to impose old cultures inherited from elsewhere. Any old culture of political traditions will kill this party as a new venture and contribute only to hollow plurality.
(4)
Be the change you want to see in government.
One of the key issues that Cope raised for the elections campaign was the professionalisation of the civil service. We argued at the top of our voices that what is fundamentally wrong is the inability of government to implement policies. In being the change it wants to see in our society, Cope needs to demonstrate the same professionalisation of its own organisation — be it how constituency offices are run, how we deal with the public, our debtors and creditors as well as how we run our operations. How we deal with the well-being of our own staff for that matter. The question should be — if this was government would we run it this way?
(5)
Have one campaign at least that has nothing to do with self but with the people.
There are various campaigns that Cope can run starting with calling for corrupt officials to be jailed and communities without basic services to be taken care of and be represented against a government that does not care for them. Cope has to find that one campaign that South Africa can identify it with — a campaign that will turn its theory, ideology and policy into something that people can appreciate and realise — these people are serious. At the same time I agree with Mangcu’s assertion in his latest book that given the lopsided majority of the ANC in our electoral politics there must be strong emphasis on strengthening civil society, the judiciary and the media. Cope must go back to where a seed of hope was planted — the defence of the constitution, but show through clear campaigns how these often lofty ideals of constitutionality can put bread on the table of our poverty-stricken population in the short and the long term.
In conclusion 2010 can be a year that sees the reassertion of Cope as a frontrunner for the governance of this country. If we fix these things and become the change we want to see in our society, our new agenda for change and hope will start to shine bright on people’s faces.
Hoping for a robust debate on these suggestions from Copers and beyond. Let a million flowers bloom.
Anyone who,like this guy JJ,thinks Cope does not have well set policies is politically immature.Let me just mention but a few of clear-cut Cope policies:
1. Cope is against BEE.
2. Cope stands side by side with the exploiting labour brokers.
3. Cope stands side by side with DA,hence it is called the black DA.
4. Cope is a middle class party that does not care about the poor.that is why their founding principles are “the defence of the constitution”.As to how that will put food on the poor mans table,they dont even want to know.
5.Cope is just…well..Cope.An angry party that will oppose everything the ruling party says,simply to oppose.
Need we say more?
First and foremost, Cope must sort out the leadership struggle between Lekota, Shilowa and Dandala that hampers their work.
Cope would have to face the fact that it is riddled with ANC informers bent on destroying the party.
Formal leadership positions need to be clarified ASAP as those in positions of power undermine others in order to keep that power.
Cope also has to face the fact that its racial experiment failed, as whites are window dressing only and not included in any policy decisions. That’s why they leave the party and go back to the DA.
Finally Cope must understand that the longer it takes to go to the people and the branches the less likely they are to do well in 2011. The ANC is mobilising and already hard at work.
YOU WILL MISS THE BUS – AGAIN
Somebody once said “There is only one road from the sublime to the ridiculous, and there is no road back from the ridiculous to the sublime”.
A whole lot of people i know gave their hearts to COPE, only to be let down by ill-thought pronouncements from the likes of Terror on the need for Affirmitive Action.
You outline important issues that need top be adressed. but is it not a little too late? can COPE mend those brokens hearts of the people who thought that COPE was their last chance for a democratic society? some even ask “why have COPE when we already have the DA?” because COPE is a party with no identity, its rallying call was around the need to stop Zuma from ascending to the Union Buildings, now that this mission has failed, methinks its time for COPE to close shop.
hey JJ… u can buy the DA+COPE election campaign for 2011 with all of the one nation / be the change songs for just a R1million donation to the ANCYL… if u want the COPE book that will get u from 3% to something respectable that will cost another R1million donation to the ANCYL… and for your information… COPE was planned by ME in October 2006… and we just had the misfortune of getting a bunch of rank amateur opportunists to f-everything up. and if u dont buy this stuff then WE (the ANCYL) may choose to use the DA+COPE suppression campaign which will take u from the 3% lapdog of da massa… to the 0.3% jailbird crew who get indicted for intellectual property theft…
happy new year !!!
They are tooo angry to…ehhhhh….ehhh…know where they are heading.
-First stop, Dissolve the current leadership and have a credible leadership election.
-Distance yourselves from the ever whining DA.
-Agree (when necessary) with the ANC and if needed so, disagree with it.
-Have a new role model, surely Mbeki has proven not to be a good one to be identified or associated with.
-Stop your nonsensical hipocricy
-Know what you really represent, you cant be all for everyone.Trying to please the wealthiest whilst you’re also portraying yourselves to be champions of the poor (in EC).
@LubabaloN, There are a lot of issues that the people of SA are raising and COPE should be in the for front talking about them. Below is a list of issues:
1. This country needs investment to create jobs for the masses.
2.Corruption in the ANC is widespread and this is affecting services deliveries.
3.COPE should promote help for black farmers and small black business to create jobs.
4.COPE should push for the decentralize of the government to give people on the local level a voice in the government. Half of the members of parliament should be elected by the people. SA is a flawed democracy with the people having very little voice in the government.
5.Many of the money losing business should be sold off or shut down that the government owns.
6.COPE should call for the promoting of local manufacturing in SA. Trade with the Asians counties are driving SA to the poor house and not sustainable.
7.Establish a minimum qualification for all jobs and the jobs should be made public. The same for all tenders in that country.
8.The tax record of all government
officials from the president on down should be made public.
9.Promote research and development in science.
10.Opening of trade schools for students that didn’t pass the matric exam. This country should open more second chance schools to help students that had to drop out of school for personal reasons.
BEE and AA are racist policies. But blacks who benefit from this racial advantage adore it, because they gain from it. These same people condemn apartheid because whites gained the advantage and they did not.
So, the “morality” shifts shape: if I win from the deal, it’s moral; if I lose from the deal, it’s immoral.
Actually, it’s selfishness.
JJ is correct there is no ideal number of branches required to hold an elective conference and/or policy conference. Preparations for an elective conference and/or policy conference would also have the effect of rejuvanative the efforts to set-up branches as everyone wants to be part of these conferences. Its not a one-way from branch set-up to elective conference and/or policy conference.
Good points JJ, just to add onto what you’ve said.
COPE is relevant in our times but the leadership is letting the electorate down. COPE could have the best policiesever but without a competent person at the helm it will all come to nought.
COPE is a civil movement more than a political organisation at the moment. People sympathise with COPE and will lend their support, if not merely to dilute the power of the ruling party.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, it might never again present itself.
We all need inspired and inspiring leaders to help us be the change we want to see in SA society. Who cares where they come from or to which party they belong?