Every political party, by default, claims to have a set of solutions to society's most pressing problems. Technically speaking, the clearest and most focused way they can make their case is through the publication of a manifesto.
But policy is no longer that important. Our politics often seem to be all about identity and individuality.
Furthermore, the published manifestos reveal that parties are focused on protecting their basic constituencies and ignore the political middle ground. This has important implications for the coalition government that will need to be formed after the general election.
A parade of manifestos took place over the past few weekends.
In its manifesto, the ANC list of promises … We promise to end load shedding, stop corruption, fight crime, create jobs, and more.
We have made these promises before. One of the major issues in this election is whether those efforts were achieved.
The prosecutor's office says stop Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies, ending affirmative action, ending corruption, fixing the education system, and reducing crime.
Again, we've made these promises before.
The same applies to EFF. Probably the most detailed manifest of all major political parties.
Julius Malema's party wants to nationalize banks and other strategic economic sectors (without compensation), double social subsidies and expropriate land.
FF+ It says it will repeal BEE and employment equity laws and reduce the role of government. It claims that the ANC's corruption is a new form of “apartheid”.
PAC says it wants to do that. Africanize the legal system and bring about changes in government.
This means that while some of the more established parties (notably the IFP) have yet to release their manifestos, most parties are currently sticking to the policies they have previously promoted.
midway point
This raises an interesting question.
For example, if you are a small party and want to get more votes, it makes sense to appeal to people in the political center, which includes more voters.
However, this depends on the purpose of your party.
For the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), policy may simply be an act of faith. No matter what the political situation on the ground is, nothing can change that. (There is a good chance that this will support former Chief Justice Mogoeng, who still says in interviews: become president after the election even though he is not a candidate for any political party. )
FF+ and the Patriotic Alliance are targeting specific communities because they know very well that they will never get a majority of votes.
Still, it is surprising that so few parties contest the middle ground.
Their strategists may have decided that in a country as diverse as South Africa, no one party could win at the center. Or they may think it is impossible to wrest a middle ground from the ANC. They are betting that turnout will be a big factor in this election, and may want to rally as many core supporters as possible on the day rather than reach new supporters.
This may explain why so many political parties repeat old, well-worn mantras.
Is the manifest important?
The question to ask is: do manifestos, policies, and even ideology matter to voters, or do identity politics dominate?
Indeed, identity has always been important in our politics and will continue to be important in a country with a diverse composition of linguistic, ethnic, racial groups, and classes.
The only reason to create a manifesto seems to be to use the publication of the document as a campaign tool, rather than focusing on the content of the document.
That impression is reinforced by the fact that virtually none of the manifestos promises anything new or different.
That said, EFF's manifesto stands out from other manifestos with its strong message, promising fundamental change and focusing on identity.
Pushing the same message every election won't attract new voters to your party. This could lead to further voter apathy and reduce turnout.
Parties' emphasis on basic constituencies will also have an impact on coalitions.
Despite several party leaders saying they were prepared to work together (and as Rebecca Davis reported, we got used to hugging each other), focusing on campaigns to one's own base will inevitably lead to attacks on other political parties.
Some people are abused and harassed for wearing T-shirts of certain political parties.There are also concerns that a political move may occur. Violence, especially in KwaZulu-Natal.
In preparation for elections, leaders and political parties are working hard in different directions. This will make it difficult for them to cooperate at the political center.
As a result, our society and the political parties representing different constituencies within it may be further apart than they were before the election.
This power relationship will likely become even stronger if elections become especially close in the central government or in local governments.
Of course, none of this is doomed. A single issue can arise and unite many parties, or it can become a focus of differences between parties (possibly Israel's actions in Gaza or the ANC's involvement in corruption). (This includes allowing political party representation in parliament.)
Most likely, despite all the grandstanding currently going on, on voting day most people will forget that the party they are voting for had a manifesto in the first place. . DM
