4 June 2024
Blaai af vir Afrikaanse weergawe.
The Free Market Foundation (FMF) has urged political parties in South Africa to reject all possible coalition arrangements in favour of a ‘no-alition’ confidence-and-supply alternative.
In the wake of the historic 29 May election, which saw South African voters elect a Parliament without a clear majority for any party, the FMF believes political leaders should respect these wishes by not attempting to artificially construct a new majoritarian regime.
“The electoral math is such that attempting to form a traditional coalition government is fraught with unacceptable risk, no matter how such an arrangement is configured,” argues David Ansara, Chief Executive Officer at the FMF. “The interests of ordinary South Africans would be far better served by a decentralised, ‘no-alition’ regime, which allows parties to independently serve their constituencies on a case-by-case basis rather than being co-opted into serving the often questionable interests of the former majority party.”
A “confidence and supply” arrangement, says the FMF, is an alternative that avoids many of the risks of a formal coalition. In terms of such an arrangement, the larger partner would be able to govern as a minority government, but secure in the knowledge that its Cabinet can remain in place (confidence) and its annual budget will be adopted (supply). Confidence and supply would also ensure that a President is elected within the allotted constitutional timeframe.
The benefit of this alternative approach according to Ansara is that, “the governing party would need to lobby for support for every new bill it introduces in Parliament (other than the annual Appropriation Bill – the budget), but this is not a bad thing. It will, for the first time since 1994, mean that laws are adopted through persuasion and compromise rather than brute parliamentary force.”
“Much of the widespread policy failure of the last thirty years has come as a result of having unchecked power concentrated within the hands of a single dominant party. This is how political power became perverted. The only feasible way of limiting such power is through the radical decentralisation of government,” Ansara concluded.
Ends.
Press enquiries
Anneke Burns
FMF Publicist
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
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Vryemarkstigting plaas steun agter ‘geen koalisie alternatief’
4 Junie 2024
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Die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) het politieke partye in Suid-Afrika aangemoedig om alle moontlike koalisiereëlings te verwerp ten gunste van ‘n “geen koalisie”, vertroue-en-aanbod alternatief.
In die nasleep van die geskiedkundige verkiesing van 29 Mei, waarin Suid-Afrikaanse kiesers ‘n Parlement sonder ‘n duidelike meerderheid vir enige party verkies het, glo die FMF dat politieke leiers hierdie wense moet respekteer deur nie te poog om ‘n nuwe meerderheidsregime kunsmatig op te rig nie.
“Die verkiesingswiskunde is sodanig dat ‘n poging om ‘n tradisionele koalisieregering te vorm, belaai is met onaanvaarbare risiko, maak nie saak hoe so ‘n reëling opgestel is nie,” argumenteer David Ansara, Hoof Uitvoerende Beampte by die FMF. “Die belange van gewone Suid-Afrikaners sal baie beter gedien word deur ‘n gedesentraliseerde bedeling, wat partye toelaat om onafhanklik die belange van hul kiesers op ‘n geval-tot-geval basis te dien eerder as om by die dikwels twyfelagtige belange van die voormalige meerderheidsparty meegesleep te word.”
‘n “Vertroue en aanbod”-reëling, sê die FMF, is ‘n alternatief wat baie van die risiko’s van ‘n formele koalisie vermy. Ingevolge so ‘n reëling sal die groter vennoot as ‘n minderheidsregering kan regeer, maar seker wees in die wete dat sy Kabinet in plek kan bly (vertroue) en sy jaarlikse begroting aanvaar sal word (aanbod). Vertroue en aanbod sal ook verseker dat ‘n president binne die toegelate grondwetlike tydraamwerk verkies word.
Die voordeel van hierdie alternatiewe benadering volgens Ansara is dat, “die regerende party sal moet onderhandel vir ondersteuning vir elke nuwe wetsontwerp wat dit in die Parlement voorstel (behalwe die jaarlikse Begrotingswetsontwerp – die begroting), maar dit is nie ‘n slegte ding nie. Dit sal vir die eerste keer sedert 1994 beteken dat wette aangeneem word deur oorreding en kompromie eerder as brute parlementêre dwang.”
“Baie van die wydverspreide beleidsmislukking van die afgelope dertig jaar het gekom as gevolg van die feit dat ongebreidelde mag in die hande van ‘n enkele dominante party gekonsentreer is. Dit is hoe politieke mag verdraai geraak het. Die enigste haalbare manier om sulke mag te beperk, is deur die radikale desentralisasie van die regering,” het Ansara afgesluit.
Einde.
Persnavrae
Anneke Burns
FMF Publisiteitsbeampte
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
