South Africa’s Evolving Democracy: Beyond Elections May 2014
SA national elections on May 7th 2014 marked the 20th anniversary of the country’s constitutional democracy. Whilst the ANC maintained its control over the national government with a 62% majority, it had much to worry when examining the details of voting patterns across the 9 provinces and the major metropolitan centres. Nationally, the ANC lost just over 3% of the votes compared with the previous elections five years ago. The party also maintained control of 8 of the 9 provinces, albeit with a declining majority in every single one of them. More revealing was the fact that the ANC’s majority in the Gauteng Province was reduced to 53% of the votes. This was the shocking revelation for the ANC. The significance of Gauteng is three folds. Firstly, it is SA’s most populated province, it contributes over 1/3 of the country’s GDP and as the country’s only metropolis region, it has by all measures the most informed and diverse population. ANC’s loss of considerable support in Gauteng almost overshadows the party’s continued success nationally. Overall, ANC is shown to have lost much support amongst the middle class in the country. A number of factors have led to this outcome. Most detrimental has been ANC’s own organizational in-fighting and precipitous moral decay. Continuous allegations and revelations of corruptions and misuse of public resources have tarnished the image of the party, and its top leadership. The party leaders at local, provincial and national levels appear oblivious to the damage that their misconduct and abuse of public resources are bound to raise the ire of the citizens. Given the rapid rate of urbanization, and accessibility to real time information amongst the citizens, gone are the days that the political leaders and their administrative stooges, could obfuscate their abuses of power or extraction of public resources. Yet, the ANC leaders over the past five years appeared determined to swim against the tide! Both on the right and on the left of the political spectrum, the ANC found itself under pressure. The emergence of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by the ANC’s previous youth league leader, Julius Malema, was a game-changing phenomenon during the 2014 elections. The EFF is the political voice of nearly 4 million youths in the country. The bitter reality is that ANC’s education policy failures since 1994 have left the youths unemployed, unemployable, marginalized and radicalized. This lethal cocktail compounds the structural and widespread poverty left behind by Aparthied twenty years ago. Although EFF managed to garner only 6% of the votes in the 2014 elections, this understates the party’s inherent appeal and widespread political support. If properly resourced and appropriately structured, the EFF could well increase its actual voter support by a factor of 3 to 4 in the next election cycle. For as long as unemployment rate of over 25% persists, the EFF has a fertile ground for consolidating its power base. From the viewpoint of economic policy, the ANC has made considerable errors of judgment over the past few years. Nearly five years have been squandered in dabbling in contradictory and counter-productive policy positions within the government. Under the rubric of “developmental state’, the government policy has become a great deal more interventionist, at times contradictory, and by extension operationally ineffective. Ministerial involvements in corporate operations, supply chain management, and organizational issues have risen sharply. State-owned enterprises have lost much of their technocratic capabilities and have been reduced to proxy political agencies for supporting crony capitalism and political agendas. Enterprises such as Eskom, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and The Development Bank of Southern...
Read MoreIntergenerational Equity and the Political Economy of South Africa
To watch the full keynote address video by Dr. Abedian go to the following link: http://youtu.be/oC5lseYIgxk Intergenerational equity is a complex issue in public policy. The complexities may be compounded when one views it through the lenses of political economy, philosophy, applied ethics as well as in public policy. More often than not, the notion is invoked in discourses around environmental sustainability and or in politics of public debt. The concept, however, is much deeper and wider in scope. There is a range of sub-issues that are embedded in the term “intergenerational equity”. This is so because society is the intermediary among past, present and future generations. All social processes, be they political, economic, technological, ethical, or environmental have a systemic and dynamic impact upon the overlapping generations’ welfare. In the meantime, human beings are predominantly “present-oriented”. In effect, they discount the future heavily the more distant it is or is perceived to be. In effect, the present is more important than the near future and the near future is more important than the distant future. Furthermore, human activities and enterprises are, more often than not, subject to uncertainty and imperfect information. These simple but factual realities do have profound and far-reaching consequences for the success and failure of nations. Moreover, our use of the natural resources, our approaches to the ecosystem, and the political economy institutions, the social and ethical framework we promote and the ease with which we commit resources to social and human integrity are all affected by our implicit or explicit regard for the principle of intergenerational equity. These issues have preoccupied philosophers since time immemorial and entered classical economic thought. However, the modernist pursuit of economics as a value-free “technical” science, particularly within the framework of neoclassical economics, effectively marginalized the intergenerational topics. The contemporary emergence of institutional economics coupled with environmental concerns and globalization, has repositioned intergenerational issues at the centre stage of the global political economy discourse. For the discipline of Economics, this offers an interesting, but challenging, vista. In reality, ethical values are implicit and exogenous in virtually all models. Economics is yet to fully internalize this fact. For South Africa, at this juncture in its social democratic evolution, intergenerational equity has an added significance. Nearly twenty years into the foundational years of its new democratic dispensation, compelling evidence and complicated syndromes of disregard for intergenerational equity are emerging. From the utter failure of the public basic education system, the widespread collusive and extractive conduct amongst the business corporations, to the near collapse of the public sector administrative and management capabilities, particularly at the local government levels, glaring and worrisome signs are in evidence that social welfare across generations is being disregarded, or even compromised. In the remainder of this chapter, the concept of intergenerational equity will be explored in more detail in Section 2, followed in Section 3, by an analysis of the patterns and trends in resource allocation across generations in South Africa. The analysis of non-pecuniary investments in future generations will be examined in Section 4. Section 5 will look into the challenges of intergenerational equity rebalancing. The final Section will end with some conclusions. 2 – Intergenerational Equity: Definition, Application & Significance Intergenerational equity is a principle of distributive justice which concerns the relationship among past, present, and future generations. We could conceptualize the basic contours of an equitable relationship among generations in many ways. From a social contract perspective, it is instructive to imagine that all generations are partners in an implicit social contract defining rights, duties, and obligations among generations. The contractarian approach, however, ignores...
Read MoreToday’s Global Uncertainties, Tomorrow’s New World Order
Honourable and distinguished guests, honoured members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’i’s of Swaziland, eminent members of the Auxiliary Board of the Continental Counsellors for Africa, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, I am most grateful, indeed honoured, for being invited to share some thoughts on the subject of the prevailing global uncertainties and their possible and ultimate outcome’ on this auspicious occasion. As we gather here to celebrate the birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, it is befitting to pay homage to His message of love and unity, peace and prosperity for the entire human race. His mission is to establish a worldwide community, whose hallmark is ‘unity in diversity’. Back in the second half of the 19th Century, Baha’u’llah foretold the inevitability of the emergence of a global society, driven by the quest for the world peace, inspired by the divine vision of a united humanity imbued by spirituality, sustained by the eternal covenant, and founded upon justice and fairness. At the first glance, the vision that Baha’u’llah offered could hardly be more in contrast with the prevailing socio-economic and political circumstance in which we find ourselves, in every land on the planet. The prevailing uncertainties, the grinding poverty of so many of our fellow human beings in the midst of the opulence and the plenty that the “other half” displays, the public and increasingly aggressive and demeaning manner in which societal issues are debated and often not resolved, the growing worldwide emergence of the extent of tyranny against children, youths, and the women, and the pervasive spread of corruption in the use of public and private resources across the international economic and financial system, all these are deeply unsettling and indeed emotionally depressing. I am sure you have followed on the recent report about the prevalence of slavery, estimated at around 30 million in 2013! It is almost unthinkable that in this day and age, a global ‘slavery map’ highlights the fact that over 5 million slaves live on our continent of Africa, and even a larger number lives in the Indio-China sub-continent[1]. Equally disturbing is the reality that no region of the world is free of slaves! Modern slaves include women, children and men. This of course is but one of the manifestation of our prevailing moral crisis of humanity. There are many other social, emotional, and political manifestations. The upshot of them all is a rising level of despair for a considerable proportion of our fellow human beings. The world is indeed in the throes of one of the most profound transitions in history. Not only do technological and economic changes have world-embracing effects, but also the prevailing socio-political dynamics has no historical precedence. This is not to say that in the past the world has not had periods of deep and game-changing transitions. For example the advent of industrialization in the 17th and 18th century culminated in the dawn of a new world order in which the West emerged as a dominant economic, military and colonial power. The ancient civilizations of India, Africa, China, Ottomans and Persians were subjugated for a few centuries to come. Yet in comparison with the contemporary transformative forces, the industrial revolution had limited reach and its impact was slow. The many forces of contemporary transformation in human and social life may be broadly divided into two categories. One group tends to integrate socio-political, economic, and cultural life across regions and continents. Such integrative forces tend to narrow the gaps across communities and nations, build bridges within and across cultures, and...
Read MoreMarikana Massacre: A Lesson for Africa
A year after the tragic Marikana Massacre, where over 46 people were killed, the soul of South Africa remains haunted. Last year September, in this column, I dealt with some of the contributing factors that culminated in this tragedy. As South Africa struggles to come to terms with this appalling incidence and its multifarious ramifications, I believe the rest of the continent has much to learn from it too. The world over, the history has shown that social development assumes meaning only when the public policy consciously and actively promotes the wellbeing of the working classes and the poor within the society. Focusing on poverty alleviation and the working class welfare does not necessarily mean neglecting the broader interests within the society. In fact taking care of the poorer groups is also partly about securing the sustainability of the well-off classes over time. This is particularly pertinent for Africa at a time when its growth and development process has gathered real momentum. During such periods of sustained growth, two trends emerge. One is the fact that politicians and policy makers equate robust GDP growth and its resultant rising per capita income with the betterment of the poor. The second fact is that during periods of sustained growth, the income disparity rises sharply before it moderates over time. This, the so called “J-Curve” of economic growth dynamics, embodies serious consequences for socio-political stability. Operationally, the shape of the “J” differs vastly from society to society. The first phase, when income disparities rise, can take many years, even decades, depending on the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector in the country. During this period socio-political stability is vulnerable to the rising social discontent. In such times, the relative and visible improvements in the fortunes of the rich together with their conspicuous display of wealth do not sit comfortably with the misery of the struggling classes within the society. In effect, in periods of high growth, the public policy makers and political leaders should be more, not less, worried about the plight of the poor and use the available resources to deal with the underlying structural issues of income maldistribution and poverty trap. In all likelihood, the Marikana Massacre would not have happened if South Afirca’s political and business leadership remained focused on alleviating the crushing burden of workers’ plight- in this case that of the mine workers. Social and other structural imbalances, inherited from whatever past, do not self-correct. Economic growth generates the required resources and creates the general social receptivity for corrective actions, but sustained and honest political will, underpinned by institutional capability, is needed to effect meaningful improvement in the plight of the poor. Political slogans and ideological sloganeering are dangerous substitutes for a value-based commitment to the removal of the drivers of income disparities. To the extent that Africa’s current growth momentum is driven by the natural resources sector, South Africa’s experience offers many “how-not-do-lessons”. It is a fact that all over the world, the mining industry is synonymous with the destruction of the environment, land disposition and the use of land potentially useable for agriculture and food production. Such dichotomies have to be managed carefully and responsibly via sound and concurrent environmental rehabilitation management practices. Globally, the extractive industries have come under the spotlight. As is well known, the G8 leaders are focusing on this sector, not only due to the issues of tax evasion, but also because of the broader factors that have turned the blessings of the natural resources to what is now referred to as “the resource...
Read MoreUniversity of Pretoria Public Lecture on the Bahá’í Faith
On 14 March 2012, Iraj Abedian delivered a public lecture at the University of Pretoria entitled: “Social Development and Religion: A Bahá’í Perspective”. The lecture had been organized by the Dept of Theology of University of Pretoria. All theology students were obliged to attend as it was part of their academic curriculum. In addition other interested individuals were free to attend. The lecture was publicized on the university campus. In addition to the students from theology, political science and sociology, the following high ranking university academics also attended the lecture: Professor Johan Buitendag, The Dean of Theology, Prof. Antony Melck, Executive Director of the University of Pretoria, Prof. Niek Schoeman, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Prof. Maxi Schoeman, Head of Dept of Political Sciences Prof. Alfonso Groenewald, Dept of Theology; Counsellor Christopher Songok together with NSA member Mrs Freshteh Samadi were present too. Also present were two members of the LSA of Tshwane, as well as Miss Khwezi Fudu of Bahai Diplomatic Office of the External Affairs Directorate. Members of Pretoria University’s Bahai Students Association as well as some Bahai students from Wits University participated too. All in all, an estimated 600 people were present at the public lecture. The lecture explored the role of religion in the progressive evolution of socio-economic development on earth from a Bahai perspective. Explicit references to the Bahai Faith, its theological and socio-economic teachings were made right through the lecture. The analysis presented argued that “….in nearly all spheres of human activity the dominance of the materialistic approach has caused systemic distortions with deep social, political and economic impact.” The reality is that : “The debate about religion in the public sphere, however, has been driven by the voices and actions of extreme proponents on both sides — those who impose their religious ideology by force, whose most visible expression is terrorism — and those who deny any place for expressions of faith or belief in the public sphere. Yet neither extreme is representative of the majority of humankind and neither promotes a sustainable peace”. The lecture concluded that: “Clearly, humanity stands at a crossroads of convergence or divergence between religion and social development. From the perspective of the Bahai scriptures, the concurrent transformation of the individual, the institutions, and the society is vital for the effective and constructive processes of social development. In this process, religion has a pivotal role to play.” As part of their academic programme, all 250 theology students were expected to write a short ‘project report’ on the Bahá’í Faith based on the lecture. A short write up on the lecture is posted on the website of the university of Pretoria’s Theology Dept at the following URL address: http://web.up.ac.za/default.asp?ipkCategoryID=4721&ArticleID=10564 The full transcript of the lecture is available from the National...
Read MoreModern Societies and Ethical Values
Nowadays, the world over, a tangible and troubling rift has emerged between the prevailing socio-economic ‘formal (professed)’ as opposed to ‘informal (practised)’ ethics. For example, in the business sector business executives and corporations formally subscribe to the ‘codes of good corporate governance’. Their annual ‘glossy’ reports are decorated with “impressive evidences” of their socially responsible citizenship. Yet operationally they do not hesitate to collude and/or abuse their market powers. The current “horse meat saga” in Europe and its counterpart in South Africa are cases in point. The conduct of global bank executives in Europe and North America since 2008 has left little doubt about their lack of ethical values. Ironically, their corporations, and hence their shareholders, have been convicted to pay billions of US dollars in penalties. Evidences of price fixing amongst pharmaceutical companies, construction companies, cement manufacturers, bread producers and steel manufacturers have been high profile cases over the past few years in South Africa. Sasol, South Africa’s most celebrated petrochemical corporation, has been heavily fined, both locally and internationally in the EU, for its extensive anti-competitive practices. The country’s banking sector is also accused of malpractices and a report in this regard is yet to be made public by the Competition Commission. The banking sector is alleged to be exerting every pressure to halt its publication. The cellular phone companies are likewise accused of collusion to fleece the consumers in South Africa. There are also allegations against tyre manufacturers in the country, and so on….. South Africa is by no means an exception! The gap between the formal and informal ethics within the government sector is even more pervasive and pronounced. Frequently, government ministers and departmental executives espouse ‘global best practices’, and yet operationally in their organizational and managerial behaviour there is little evidence of the values, standards, or practices that conform to their formal statements. Whilst the political leaders often express commitment to serving the people, the experience of the citizens speaks of a contrary and divergent conduct. Duality of the values is equally prevalent in labour unions, the media sector and other social structures and organisations. In the recent past there has emerged much publicized and high profile global cases of value duality within the institutionalized religious establishments too. Sporting personalities and organizations likewise have been proved to be polluted by value inconsistencies. Pervasive duality of values within the society leads to a vast array of social ills. The most visible of these is the spread of corruption in both the private and the public sectors. Disturbingly, the prevalence of corruption is no longer a phenomenon confined to any particular continent, region, country, culture, religion or developmental status of the society. There are convincing and growing evidence that the facts as well as the allegations of corruption in the society have gradually tarnished the internal and external perceptions of the state operations as well as the political authority of the governments. As a result, social trust in governments has been considerably undermined. Whilst the economy and the society at large suffer the consequences of widespread corruption, the poor within the society bear the brunt of its impact. After all, the poor are far more dependent on the performance of the public sector. The growing gap between the rich and the poor over the past decade is in part due to the growing spread of corruption, and more broadly the duality of values, across all sectors and spheres of the economy. The duality of values has been accentuated by the processes of socio-political globalization. In general, it is much easier to create convergence of values in...
Read More