Thirty-one years after the ANC was unbanned and 27 years after the commencement of the transition from liberation party to a governing party, it would seem the ANC has not got around the idea of campaigning for internal positions.
As we head to the ANC watershed 2022 elective conference in December, once again campaigning, or at least the idea of publicly raising one's hand to be elected, is still frowned upon. The idea of waiting and accepting branch nomination before one can claim to be standing for a position is outdated in my view.
As things stand, the current situation favours the incumbents as they don't have to say much except "if the branches want me to stand again, I am here to serve". What's wrong with a member raising their hand and lobbying members to nominate them and not the other way round?
The current set-up is counter productive and only serves factionalism and stifles debate within the party. Anyone who dares say they are ready to stand for any position ahead of conference is seen as ill-disciplined and sowing divisions within the party.
The reality is that, if the ANC doesn't change and adapt to the more practical way of handling campaigns, it will be left behind with outdated methods that serve no-one. Open up campaigning and set strict guidelines on how to go about doing this, nothing wrong with members openly proclaiming their ambitions to lead and saying what they can/will do if elected.
Currently, you have clandestine meetings of campaigns and lobbying that is seen as factionalism or plotting in some quarters.
It's a matter of adapt or die for the ANC.
Kiekie Mboweni, Nkowankowa, Limpopo
ANC should open up campaigning for posts
Thirty-one years after the ANC was unbanned and 27 years after the commencement of the transition from liberation party to a governing party, it would seem the ANC has not got around the idea of campaigning for internal positions.
As we head to the ANC watershed 2022 elective conference in December, once again campaigning, or at least the idea of publicly raising one's hand to be elected, is still frowned upon. The idea of waiting and accepting branch nomination before one can claim to be standing for a position is outdated in my view.
As things stand, the current situation favours the incumbents as they don't have to say much except "if the branches want me to stand again, I am here to serve". What's wrong with a member raising their hand and lobbying members to nominate them and not the other way round?
The current set-up is counter productive and only serves factionalism and stifles debate within the party. Anyone who dares say they are ready to stand for any position ahead of conference is seen as ill-disciplined and sowing divisions within the party.
The reality is that, if the ANC doesn't change and adapt to the more practical way of handling campaigns, it will be left behind with outdated methods that serve no-one. Open up campaigning and set strict guidelines on how to go about doing this, nothing wrong with members openly proclaiming their ambitions to lead and saying what they can/will do if elected.
Currently, you have clandestine meetings of campaigns and lobbying that is seen as factionalism or plotting in some quarters.
It's a matter of adapt or die for the ANC.
Kiekie Mboweni, Nkowankowa, Limpopo