MKP’s power struggles harming electoral prospects

IN THE context of global politics, the official opposition party projects itself as an alternative government.

- PROF BHEKI MNGOMEZULU

MEMBERS of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) sing and chant outside the Constitutional Court hearing in Johannesburg on May 10, 2024, in support of their leader Jacob Zuma's eligibility to stand for Parliament. Has the MKP properly executed its mandate as the official opposition, asks the writer.

(AFP)

To earn this status, opposition parties hold governing parties accountable on all the issues including but not limited to respecting the national constitution, protecting citizens from criminals and foreign attacks (or threats), ensuring fiscal discipline, delivering services, protecting human rights, ensuring equal treatment of citizens, maintaining good relations with global partners while protecting political sovereignty, and ensuring job creation and poverty alleviation.

Whenever the governing party (governing alone or leading a coalition) fails to deliver on these and other matters, prospects of the opposition party toppling the government in the next election are significantly increased.

Opposition parties use the current government's failures as they begin their election campaign. They remind voters about these failures and outline how they would improve the situation if they were to be given a mandate to govern.

Meanwhile, the governing party or coalition uses every strategy to convince the electorate that it remains relevant and deserves another chance.

These strategies include overemphasis of the successes it has made, downplaying its evident failures by arguing that they are temporary glitches that would be addressed in the next administration, blaming opposition parties for sabotaging the government's plans, blaming external factors that have derailed their plans, and even putting the blame on natural factors such as drought and/or floods.