JEFF KATZ
We are not a political lobby and therefore do not speak on behalf of the Jewish community on questions of national policy-making. Not only would doing so exceed the bounds of our mandate, but it would undermine our core purpose. In order to effectively represent our community, regardless of which government is in office, we need to be strictly non-partisan when it comes to political matters.
That being said, extraordinary situations have sometimes arisen which have called for the Board to speak out. While we must continue to remain apolitical, we nevertheless have a moral obligation not to turn a blind eye when we see unethical immoral or unacceptable conduct at multiple levels of government.
This week, we took a decision to add our voice to the broader national debate over the unfolding saga of the recent Cabinet reshuffle and the political and economic fallout that is resulting.
The Board’s full statement can be viewed on our Facebook page or website (www.sajbd.org). In essence, our approach was not to single out particular parties, factions or individuals, but rather to call for citizens to unite in confronting corruption and maladministration, protecting the Constitution and fostering a stable economic and political environment.
We stressed how critical it was for the independence and integrity of our democratic institutions to be upheld. Should this be compromised, it would be impossible to achieve the stability, efficiency, economic growth and good governance that this country so desperately needs.
While expressing the profound concern that we all feel at this time, we also stressed the inherent strengths of the South African people and their collective ability to overcome even the most daunting challenges.
As expressed in our statement, “South Africans have come too far and achieved too much together to allow their country to become a failed state. By working together in a spirit of shared commitment to meeting the challenges of the day, we will ensure that it does not happen.”
Recent events appear to be bringing problems of governance that have long been evident in our politics to a head. We are likely to see further important developments, which will give us a better idea as to where the country is heading.
We face difficult times in the immediate future, but remain hopeful that our democratic institutions will ultimately be robust enough for the necessary self-correction to take place.
Perhaps it is appropriate to close with the thoughts of Stephen Grootes, one of this country’s leading political commentators: “We are in for a wild ride over the next few weeks. There will be ups and downs.
“Monday… was a downer. But there’ll be highs as well. Our politics is changing, the ground is literally shifting beneath our feet. But something new will emerge from the earth upon which we’ve trodden for so long.”
