Is the ANC feeling the pinch?

The next general elections in South Africa is in 2014. As usual, the elections machinery goes into overdrive and the elections trickery gets under way. However, I am not sure if the following is just elections trickery, or whether the ANC is starting to feel the pinch and pressure of electioneering. Especially now that Julius Malema started his own party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF for short).

It is very clear that the ANC no longer has any ideas as to the running of the country, especially when taking into consideration how many poor and unemployed people we have in South Africa. How do we know this? ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, visited the hometown of EFF leader, Julius Malema. How did he counsel a woman who was disappointed with the ANC and did not want to vote? He told her, “If all South Africans don’t vote, we will regress. The Boers [white people] will come back to control us.” South Africa is long past that point, and all this so-called leader of the ANC (Abortion Nepotism and Corruption/Condoms) could tell her is to watch out for the white monster! The ANC is policy-less. They have no answers for the problems of this nation. The fact that he told this woman to beware of the “dangerous” whites is because the policies of the ANC have not brought the freedom they promised. It has brought greater unemployment, creating a greater welfare problem, and invited more criminals into the fold.

In an unrelated event, “ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize wants companies to fund political parties and has suggested the establishment of a trust fund, the Sowetan reported on Monday.” This was reported in a news article at News24. If it wasn’t so sad that the ANC now thinks that businesses should pay them for democracy in this country, it would be quite laughable. Don’t think for a moment that the ANC is doing this for the good of democracy in this country. They have this demented idea that they would reign in this country until Jesus comes. Further, with a current, almost two-thirds majority vote, they sometimes actually believe they will never be dethroned. Hence my belief that this democracy trust fund, is simply a ruse to get companies to bank-roll the ANC. Further, Mkhize believes that the fund should be “administered by the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, which would allocate the funds in line with proportional representation of parties.” Of course, the fact that the speaker is just another ANC crony should not alarm us, should it? OF COURSE IT SHOULD! The fact is that large companies such as Anglo American have followed this idea of proportionate funding for many years. All that this does is to perpetuate the current situation. The parties that roll in the money, such as the ANC, will always come out on top since their budgets allow for so much more marketing of their brand. Small parties, with real answers for this country such as the ACDP, can’t get anywhere since they do not have the funds to market themselves and to make sure that people know what they stand for.

What Mkhize is proposing, is to perpetuate crony capitalism in South Africa. That is a capitalism that benefits the ANC and the businesses that support it. Herman Mashaba, chairman of the Free Market Foundation, is against this type of capitalism.

Mashaba

“has been an outspoken and uncompromising champion of the free market in the new South Africa. His great strength is that he is beholden to no political party or politician. He believes the opposite is true of too many business leaders in South Africa.

“This is their great weakness, and the whole country is suffering because of it.

“They keep quiet because they are terrified of losing their political connections, fearing that if they lose them, they will lose government business, he says.

“In effect, this means that crony capitalism rules -and crony capitalism is a devastating threat to democracy in South Africa, he believes.” (Business Day Live)

He said that

“Draconian labour legislation has destroyed entrepreneurship in this country.”

In the end, I believe that the ANC is suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. On the one hand they need to scare people into voting for them, and on the other hand they believe that they are the party of the Almighty. Or maybe it describes schizophrenia?

On the one hand the ANC claims to uphold democracy, but on the other hand they want to force businesses to pay for that democracy. Weird!

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New South African Electoral Amendment Bill

South African politics have always been party politics, and not really whether those in parliament actually deserved to be there, or were accountable to anyone but the party they belonged to.

In simple terms, the South African system is a proportional system. That means that each party gets to allocate a proportional number of members of parliament (MPs) according to the percentage of votes it garnered in an election. If there are 162 positions for MPs, and party A got 23% of the vote and party B got 53%, then party A will get to put forward 37 of its members to be MPs and party B 86. This way, the voters will never know whether these MPs are really capable of doing the job, or whether they have a sense of accountability.

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Is this America’s worst mistake ever?

America made their worst mistake in their existence thus far by re-electing Barack Hussein Obama.

I tweeted earlier today:

“America has voted to re-install, what will become the most offensive, perverted and death-lusting president ever: Barack Commodus Obama”

Just a few days ago I asked the question, “How will the U.S.A. define itself come election day?” I think now we know!

Although this next piece has been attributed to some Czech, and it was supposedly said of just about every world leader, and even though it is the stuff of legend and probably never happened, it still makes an eerie point:

“The danger to the U.S.A. is  not Barack Hussein Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails the United States.  Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their President.”

Just wondering…

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How will the U.S.A. define itself come election day?

Americans have a chance to prove the world wrong this coming Tuesday in the U.S. presidential elections. In reality, they only have one way to go to at least move a small step back towards what the American Founding Fathers envisioned for their beloved country.

If they vote for Romney, even though he is not the perfect candidate, they will at least say no to Obama and his Democratic Party lust for power and big government. Under Obama, America is turning into a country of bloodlust (51 million abortions since Row vs Wade), and gross perversion, with Obama’s full recognition of the gay lifestyle and gay mismarriage!

WARNING: Obama stands for a perversion that most people cannot even imagine. This link to the Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) page called Public Sex in Your Neighborhood? shows exactly what Obama endorses. Although pictures have been “sterilised,” it may still upset certain readers.

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ANC speaks through both sides of its mouth

Over the many years of the ANC’s existence—100 years in 2012—we have now learnt with great clarity that the ANC will change strategies and policies as the circumstances demand, whatever their end-goal is!

The case in point is that several months ago, Julius Malema and his Pied Piper mice wanted to charge into Botswana to “help establish” a regime change in that country. With great fanfare the ANC chastised him and ANCYL for bringing the ANC into disrepute.

Of course, the ANC has a long-standing disrepute that all clear thinking people can clearly see and understand, since the ANC regularly rams controversial laws through parliament when they perceive resistance to their proposed laws. This was clearly the case with abortion on demand, legalised pornography, legalised same-sex whatever-it-is-but-it-is-not-marriage and now lately the secrecy bill. With each of these bills, the ANC simply rammed them through parliament, while not listening at all to what people were saying in consultation with the government. In fact, with each of these votes in parliament, ANC Members of Parliament (MPs) had no right to a vote of conscience. They were told what to vote! Democracy has no meaning to this monster!

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Some political parties will have to rethink either their strategy or their existence

Image courtesy Amazingly Pretty and Somewhat Literary

Once again, South Africans have gone to the polls and have made their decision as to which political party they prefer to run their respective municipalities in this country.

At the end of any election cycle, it isn’t always easy to analyse the data, since you do not actually know what the voters were thinking while they voted. As a result, you simply sit with raw data. So, in order to make sense of the raw data, you have to extrapolate from past election cycles into the present and then try to predict what the future holds.

At this point, I am sure many political parties must be thinking about the future. Some parties have had a downward slide for several years now.

Since 1994, we have had 4 general elections (GE) and 3 local government elections (LGE). LGEs are simply municipal elections.

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Voting experience with the local government elections 2011

Well, this was my first real voter’s experience in a long time. Back in 2006 I was a candidate in my ward for the ACDP. Hence, I did not have to stand in any long lines to vote. In subsequent elections I was an ACDP party agent, and again didn’t have to stand in long lines to vote.

However, this year I was a simple voter ready to make my cross behind my chosen party and candidate. We arrived at the voting station at 11:10 this morning and had a voting line that was only 50m (55yds) long.

Of course, the problem wasn’t the length of the line, but how long it took the IEC to get us to the front of that line to vote! It took us one and a half hours to get to a voting booth! For a 50m line, that is simply astounding, and unacceptable! The problem was not that the voters took their time in the actual voting booths inside the voting room. When my wife and I walked in there, 3 of the booths were empty. That means that if the IEC officials had a better system going, voting could have gone much quicker.

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Christ and politics: He rules over all

Just received a very short and concise newsletter from Africa Christian Action on Christians and politics. The whole letter is here below.

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Who to vote for in the South African municipal elections in 2011, Part 2

I wrote part 1 of this short series last night, although I only got to publish it after midnight, hence its date is 17 May 2011. As you may expect, I was quite tired by that time. Hence, I forgot to say some stuff. So, here I will continue in that vein.

The thing is, as a Christian, I would like to vote my convictions. And, based on my convictions, and policies that are available to ponder from the different political parties in South Africa, I can only side with two parties, and they are the ACDP and the CDP. But, as you can see from my previous post on these matters, it certainly isn’t easy to choose between these parties. They are almost exactly the same.

I know people from both parties, and I have to admit, they are good people. As I said in my previous post, I was part of the ACDP for several years, and have met some really good people there. Naturally, there are some kooks there too. On the side of the CDP, I have met and spent an entire weekend with the leader of the CDP, Theunis Botha and his wife Kerry, at a worldview seminar that the Biblical Christian Network hosted (where I am involved). We had good discussions, and although many in the leadership of the ACDP have a huge axe to grind with them, I found him very cordial, but also direct, which I like.

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Who to vote for in the South African municipal elections in 2011

I would like to tell South Africans who to vote for definitively but alas, I can’t! This is the first year since 1994, in which I don’t know who to vote for. All other years it was easy for me. It was a foregone conclusion even before the election date was declared, in those years, that I would vote ACDP. However, this year, I am not sure whether I want to vote for them or not! This post will probably make many people come after me with baseball bats, ice-picks, shot guns and more! Hey, but that is part of the fun of blogging!

It is definitely easier to know who I will NOT vote for: the ANC, PAC and what I would call the communistic left. It is here that the devil’s plans find root for South Africa. It was under the leadership of the ANC and “Saint Nelson Mandela” that abortion, pornography and homosexual marriage were legalised in South Africa. It is they that are leading South Africa into the ocean of despair just like the Pied Piper led the mice to a watery death!

However, living in Pretoria, I have been toying with the idea of voting for the DA. I know that the DA, as a political party, is not against abortion, homosexual marriage or pornography. In fact, according to the DA, they do not have any policies regarding these issues. When votes on such issues come up in parliament the DA gives their members of parliament (MPs) the right to vote according to their conscience. That means that different DA MPs could vote opposite to one another in a true democratic system. This is something that does not exist in ANC ranks. Their MPs are consistently told what they are to vote. However, while the DA certainly does not seem to be an upstanding moral party, there are other issues that must be considered. The ANC has brought Pretoria to brink of financial disaster, and corruption in the ANC-led council in Pretoria seems like a bottomless pit. Currently, if we are to be realistic, no other party apart from the DA has even the remote capability of taking over the reins of the city from the Abortion Nepotism and Corruption party. Many areas around Pretoria have not received adequate services and hostels that were promised by none other than Jacob Zuma to be rebuilt, after several years never happened. Also, the DA only needs another 20,000 votes to topple the ANC out of ruling this city. That is certainly something to think about!

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LGE2011: Why your vote counts!

Back in 2006 I stood as a candidate in the Local Government Elections (LGE2006). This year I will not be standing in LGE2011! I currently have my mind set on different ways to effect change, of which this is one. Back then I also wrote several blog posts on LGE2006, and you can read them here (and more generally on politics here).

Voting is not a hassle that can be ignored like a stop sign, as so often happens here in South Africa! It is in voting that you can make use of your constitutionally democratic rights. By not voting, you in essence say: “I don’t need this right. It makes no difference to my life!” You will not be saying this when evil overtakes this country completely and you lose all your free-speech rights, or your right to worship whom you please and being open about it, for instance.

So, in order to help you towards being a voting member of society, I repost this newsletter from Africa Christian Action, to make sure the word goes out.

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Christian Voting Must be Biblically Based

It is always interesting to talk to people to hear their criteria for choosing who to vote for in an election. With the 2009 elections coming up on 22 April, it is time again to hear the ideas of people. People have different reasons for why they vote for certain political parties.

Most people look at financial issues, hence, their political outlook is mostly for personal gain. How can the government make my life better? This of course shows a dependence on the government. This is also not just an issue for the poor! The rich have the same thoughts. They would like a government that will ensure that their riches don't get squandered on unnecessary taxes, or will at least see to it that the money of the rich will keep on growing.

As Christians, we march to the beat of a different drum… a heavenly drum! And that drum is not beaten by us, the Christians, but by the Lord of the universe, Jesus Christ Himself. It is very much a Lordship issue, even in deciding who we will vote for in a political election.

God is not uninterested in politics! This is not that one sphere of life where God leaves man to his own devices. This is not a no-go zone for God! "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. (Ps 24:1)" To think that God can be excluded from any sphere of life, no matter how corrupt it has become, shows a naivety that does not belong with clear thinking people.

Politics, essentially has nothing to do with power. It primarily has to do with justice and care for a nation. It is exactly the quest for power by politicians that nations end up like Zimbabwe, DRC, Middle-East and China. Politics is about the good of the country, not about the individuals leading the country. As Lord Acton once said: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This is too much of a reality in our modern world not to take notice of it.

So, how does this choice of who to vote for affect Christians? When we look at who gets the vote in South Africa, it makes one wonder how many Christians actually march to the heavenly drum! Up until our last elections, it has been the ANC and DA as number one and two parties respectively.

Those results are quite perplexing, considering that about 70% of the population claims to be Christian. Why is this perplexing? Well, if one looks at the South African Voter's Guide, it becomes clear that these two parties stand antithetically opposed to Biblical Christian values.

In all of life, Christians are admonished by the Scriptures to obey God. Why is it that they think it would be acceptable to disobey when they vote in elections?

Christians simply do not not have the luxury of making up their "own minds" on issues that have been clearly spelt out in the Scriptures. That is on any issue in life. Yet, it is true that the Scriptures do not tell us who to vote for. However, that does not give us an escape route to vote for parties that do not stand on the Lord's side!

In making up our minds who to vote for, there should be a clear procession of thought on the issues. As Christians, our decision must be guided by clear Biblical mandate first. That means, where the Bible speaks clearly, we have to follow. If the Bible is clear on the issue of murder, we cannot vote for a party that supports abortion, ala ANC and DA. The Bible is clear on murder. You get the point! Therefore, Biblical moral issues must be adhered to first in our decision before any other issues that are based on conscience or expediency.

So, issues such as abortion, pornography, homosexuality, prostitution and the like must take precedence in your decision who to vote for. The Bible is clear on these issues. There are clear commands and Biblical doctrine on each of these issues and other moral issues. As a result, issues of conscience, on which the Bible has no clear teaching, must play second fiddle to moral issues. Even more so, issues of expediency such as simple economic issues.

If Christians do not use their votes towards establishing Biblically righteous government, they are indeed using their votes towards evil. And, perpetuating evil in this way is clear disobedience against the clear statutes of God. "Without virtue, a society can be ruled only by fear, a truth that tyrants understand all too well."¹ Already, the ANC is planning to amend the South African Constitution if they win a two-thirds majority.

Voting by a Christian must result in a better country with justice for all. A better country can only be seen as a righteous country. It does not have to be a country where all its citizens are Christians, but it will be a country where the people understand what is right and what is wrong, and where the law and its application brings true justice for all.

There are many Christians that vote for both the ANC and DA. They vote for the ANC as the so-called liberators from apartheid, and others vote for the DA as a so-called strong opposition to the ANC. With the upcoming elections, there will also be the breakaway party, COPE. When you look at the SA Voter's Guide, you will realise that COPE's policies are exactly the same as that of the ANC. In fact, of the 8 issues in the guide, the ANC and COPE get 0/8 and the DA get 2½. The ½ of the DA here is only because of stated policy, disregarding their poor voting record in parliament.

Remember, voting is a Christian duty. In a democracy, your vote can actually effect change. Your vote can move this country closer towards justice and righteous government. Don't throw that vote away by denying a party perhaps just that one vote it needs to have someone put into parliament. Further, don't waste your vote on the memories of so-called past liberation or on the promise of so-called strong opposition, especially when both of these sides stand for very much the same when it comes to moral issues.

Let your vote count towards righteous government, and vote for a Christian party such as the ACDP or CDA.

Christian, do not support and perpetuate immorality by giving your vote to parties that do the same! Do not vote through fear, but rather let your vote reinforce Christian Biblical values!

Notes

1. Colson, Charles and Pearcey, Nancy, How Now Shall We Live?, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1999, p373.

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South Africa's next president?

Many people outside South Africa have little knowledge of what is really going on in South Africa. I don't blame them. Since the 1994 fully democratic elections that delivered Nelson Mandela as the winner, South Africa has been seen as a great example of success, being dubbed the "Rainbow Nation!"

South Africa is not a democracy as much as it is a tyranny by the majority over the minority ruled by corrupt politicians with an evil glint in their eyes. Neither is South Africa a "Rainbow Nation" as much as it is a stormy torrent of crime, corruption and drug laden dark back alleys.

Peter Hitchens, at the Daily Mail, wrote a thought provoking piece after a visit around ANC strongholds in South Africa. It is called "He has four wives and he faced 783 counts of corruption: PETER HITCHENS on South Africa's next president."

Here are a few paragraphs of Hitchens' story:

"Imagine how you would react if Gordon Brown opened and closed his election rallies by bursting into a song called Bring Me My Machine Gun, swaying and jigging to the hypnotic chorus of this menacing ditty.

"And how would you feel if the Prime Minister were alleged to be taking campaign money from Colonel Gaddafi; faced 783 counts of fraud, racketeering, tax evasion and corruption which somehow never came to court; and had been acquitted of rape while his fearsome supporters mobbed the courthouse?

"Then ponder how you would despair if, despite all these things, Mr Brown's party was certain to win the election whatever he did or said.

"If you can picture all this happening here, then you have an inkling of the horrible process South Africa is now going through. Except it is much, much worse."

The following cartoon is one of the calm depictions of Jacob Zuma at the Mail&Guardian:

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Over A Million Reasons Why I Will Not Be Voting ANC

Dr. Peter Hammond has sent his latest newsletter to day and I agree wholeheartedly with him on the 2009 elections coming next week, 22 April.

South Africans need to stand against the evil of the ruling party, and not only against the ruling party, but against all parties that stand for evil. See the SA Voters Guide.

Without further ado, here is Peter Hammond's latest newsletter.

Over A Million Reasons Why I Will Not Be Voting ANC There are over a million reasons why I will not be voting for the African National Congress (ANC) in the upcoming elections on 22 April 2009: 1. Over 800, 000 babies have been killed by abortion in South Africa – officially, legally, often with tax payer’s money - since the ANC legalized abortion on demand, 1 February 1997. 2. Over 350, 000 people have been murdered in South Africa since 1994 – under the ANC government – yet the ANC has steadfastly refused to consider re-instating the death penalty for murder. Nor have they been willing to put the matter to a referendum. 3. Over 750, 000 women and children have been raped in the 15 years of ANC rule – while pornography has been legalized. Less than 7% of reported rapes result in convictions. 4. The ANC is soft on the criminals and hard on the victims of crime. Rather than fight crime effectively the ANC have worked to disarm the potential victims of crime, denying firearm licenses to tens of thousands of law abiding citizens, claiming that self-defense is not a legitimate reason for owning a firearm! Rather than support community initiatives to fight crime the ANC have frustrated communities by demanding that security barriers be removed from crime afflicted suburbs. "Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice." Isaiah 1:16-17 5. The ANC’s Ministry of Education has evidenced a consistent hostility to Christianity, insensitivity to the concerns of parents and prejudice against the Bible. Kadar Asmal’s anti-Christian policies and the unworkable curriculum 2005 Outcomes Based Education dumbed down education and has turned government schools into recruitment centers for radical homosexual groups. 6. The ANC’s affirmative action and blind support for Mugabe’s racist and tyrannical policies have chased away investors and cost the South African economy over 2 million jobs. According to the JSE, the net worth of South Africa over the first 10 years of ANC rule shrunk by over 30%. And the Rand under the ANC has plummeted from R2 to the US dollar to R10 to $1. 7. Rates and taxes are higher and government services are lower. Despite increased rates and taxes the filthy, litter strewn, graffiti vandalized communities testify to the incompetence of government. "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting..." Daniel 5:27 8. Corruption has flourished under the ANC to such an extent that the ANC is being referred to in the streets as the Abortion, Nepotism and Corruption party. "They claim to know God but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." Titus 1:16 9. The endless propaganda and pornographic programmes on the state TV – which is supported by compulsory “licences”. 10. The arrogance of so many in the ANC and the arbitrary manner in which they ride roughshod over the concerns and freedoms of others – such as the Minister of Health refusing to meet over a thousand concerned doctors; and how their ICASA has attempted to close down 9 Christian and community radio stations in South Africa. The Bible instructs us to “select capable men from all the people - men who fear God,trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials..." Exodus 18:21 Evidently the ANC candidates fail to qualify on Biblical grounds. Dr. Peter Hammond Africa Christian Action PO Box 23632 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021-689 4481 E-mail: info@christianaction.org.za Web: www.christianaction.org.za

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What All Christians Need to Know Before They Vote

This is an email letter from Africa Christian Action.

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THE ELECTIONS: WHAT EVERY CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO KNOW BEFORE THEY VOTE Politics has always been a contentious subject and together with ‘religion’ has caused more unrest and division than any other factor (apart from greed of course, for we know that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” 1 Tim 6:10). One has to ask why this is so? Very simply because politics affects nations, generations and each and every one of us on a grass roots level. Why then, do many Christians and particularly the Church, run away from political engagement? Why is it that Christians can differ so significantly on who they vote for and why, when we serve the same God and read the same Bible? In Hosea 4:6 the Lord says “My people perish for a lack of knowledge”. Many Christians do not know the Biblical mandate they have from God, to vote, to hold their governments accountable and to play a role in societal change. It is partly due to this apathy and ignorance that the Church (and Christian individuals) has usurped its role in keeping governments accountable. 2 Chronicles 7:14 clearly outlines what God thinks about this: “If My people who are called by My Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Your responsibility We cannot expect ‘government’ to run society along Biblical values, if WE do not elect a Biblical party. Every Christian needs to vote and they need to vote according to Biblical values. We do not prescribe who you should vote for, however when you look at the Biblical Voters' Guide and you see what every party stands for, you as a Christian can surely only vote for a Christian party. If every Christian voted for the Christian option, we would see our nation transformed. God will hold us accountable, because we are the electorate who have the power to choose Godly government. Elect Godly leaders Even if you dont like the leader/representatives within the Christian party options, you are obligated to vote for them (as long as they live Biblically and support Biblcal policies). Your conscience cannot grant you leeway in this matter. Many people will argue and say that “The Christian vote is a wasted vote” and, “We need to vote for the strongest opposition party in order to break the control of government” – but that is not what God would say. His Word clearly declares that we are to uphold Biblical values and elect Godly leaders. “But select capable men from all the people - men who fear God,trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials..." Exodus 18:21 No Christian can vote for a pro-abortion party/person. Full stop. If you do so, beware – “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” Matt 12:36,37. Likewise, no Christian can abstain from voting, for an uncast vote is actually a vote for the ruling party. A critical election This election is a watershed event in South African politics as, if Zuma is elected as the President (whilst still facing trial for corruption), he could have the power to change the constitution and possibly dismiss his trial. We know this could be the start of a downward spiral for our country and so we need to rise up as the Body of Christ and place our trust in God by voting in Godly representatives, so that the Lord’s will may be done in our land. With God all things are possible! (Matt 19:26). Jackie Georgiou This article is published in the April edition of JOY! magazine (on shelves now) along with the Christian Action Network's Biblical Issues Voters' Guide. SAVOTERSGUIDE.COM The updated 2009 Biblical Issues Voters’ Guide in English (including COPE's standpoints) – detailing the positions of 8 leading political parties on 8 key Biblical issues - is now available from www.SAvotersguide.com or you can click here to download. Distribute quantities to your congregation, community and colleagues. You can also download the Voters' Guide as a one page PowerPoint here (excellent for church announcements or sermons). Quantities can be ordered from Africa Christian Action, call 021 –6894481 or email: info@christianaction.org.za. The Afrikaans Voters' Guide is now available as well as the main page of the Xhosa Voters' Guide on the www.savotersguide.com website. The SAvotersguide.com website also features relevant articles, helpful links, a downloadable Voter Education tract and Powerpoint, plus view responses of political parties to the Christian Action Network’s Policy Survey. Christian Action magazine The latest Christian Action magazine includes a special election emphasis. Quantities are available for distribution. Contact Africa Christian Action: 021 -6894481 or info@christianaction.org.za. Africa Christian Action PO Box 23632 Claremont 7735 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021-689 4481 E-mail: info@christianaction.org.za Web: www.christianaction.org.za

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IEC released election 2009 lists

The IEC released the lists of political parties and their candidates for the upcoming national/provincial elections on 22 April 2009. For these lists you can visit the Participating Parties & Candidates page of the IEC.

From that page you can download the complete list of all parties and their candidates (.xls, .pdf), or you can download the lists of each party (ACDP list here).

Having gone through the national and provincial lists of the ACDP, lists that were democratically determined within the party, it once again struck me how inefficient democracy is. Like someone once said, democracy is the tyranny of the majority over the minority. And, haven't we seen that with the ANC rule thus far!

The problem with democracy is that the majority of people vote for a party or its candidate on far less than the actual issues that matter. Most of the time it boils down to popularity contests.

Now, going back to the party I support, ACDP, and their lists, I have to admit that there are people on those lists that I would not have had so high on those lists, if at all! Some of them reached the lists at those high points for two reasons: a) party members either had no idea who the candidate was or what the candidate was like or even what the candidate understood of the ACDP's own constitution and rules, and/or b) the candidate was very popular among the members.

Now popularity among the members certainly does not preclude someone from being voted onto either of the two lists. However, if the candidate, IMHO, either is not real politician material (debatable classification), or that candidate never bothered to even get to know the constitution and/or the rules of the ACDP, how will he bother with the bigger things of running the government?

Of course, this problem is not easily solved, and to date, there aren't any other political system that can bring better equity than democracy!

Somehow, there should be checks and balances (C&B) built into the process of building these lists, and I know there are a measure of such C&B built into the process at the ACDP. Looking at the lists, however, I am not sure that those C&B are enough! Discovering what those C&B should be is not an easy task. Still, the lists that come out of such a process is hardly ever satisfactory.

Yet, the lists are there and we have to make do with them.

The problem with democracy, is that it is enshrined in "rights" and entitlement language. Democracy, because it has brought a lot of freedom, has created a culture of people that think that everything they want, is their right to have. They also think they can say and do what they want. Freedom of speech apparently means that there are no limitations to what can be said, and there are no consequences to what was said. That is mere brutishness and shows how far our democratic culture has fallen from simple civility.

If members of our culture could only realise that it is a privilege to live in the democratic countries we live in, then perhaps our civilization could be saved. However, with the "rights" and entitlement culture, we are doomed to destroy ourselves. If enough people start claiming their "rights," anarchy will ensue. That can only lead to the destruction of our democratic culture.

If only the South African Bill of Rights could be paired with a Bill of Responsibilities that countered each right with a responsibility (that actually carried some type of incentive), we could perhaps have a better society.

Will we ever have such a Bill of Responsibilities? Probably not! Not while we have governments run by selfish people.

Well, that won't change since we are a fallen race. A race steeped in sin! Selfishness comes oh so naturally!

Maybe then, when parties release their lists, those lists will contain the names of the right people.

Oh well, it is nice to dream!

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"Obama profoundly evil": well said!

In his blog post, The Simple Truth II, Hassan Nurullah said that President Barack Obama is "a tremendously ignorant [and] profoundly evil man."

"After the press conference held by President Obama announcing his signing the order to lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research which, ended moments ago, I am for the first time in my life ashamed to say that I am a citizen of a country that would elect such a  tremendously ignorant or profoundly evil man.

"In the first two months of his presidency, Barack Obama has proven to be the most radically anti-life president in the history of this nation.

"The lefts sick obsession with destroying human life and in this case couching it as research to preserve life is demonically inspired."

This blog post says it so well!

Read the blog post here!

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South African Expats will be allowed to vote

Good news!

The South African Constitutional Court (at the same level as the U.S. Supreme Court), has ruled that registered voters living overseas can vote for the National Assembly in the South African elections to be held on 22 April 2009. The only proviso is that they must notify the chief electoral officer that they intend to vote by 27 March 2009.

You can read about it at News24.

Also read:
22 April: South African election date

Update:
If you, as an expat (or any South African for that matter), would like to know if you are registered as a voter, simply go to the IEC website and enter your South African ID number to verify whether you are or not. If you are registered, download the VEC10 form, fill it in and send it back to the IEC before 27 March 2009.

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ANC: “It’s apartheid, baby!”

Yip! Here we go again! Whenever someone points a finger at someone in the ANC, they call it either an “apartheid” move or a racist ploy. This simply shows how vacant the ANC is of any unique idea, never mind how depleted their sense of morality is. Whenever there are claims of corruption against them, they do not supply contrary evidence, they simply play the apartheid game. How tired! How yesterday!

Read about Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile’s accusations against the DA of apartheid tactics.

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ACDP Manifesto Elections 2009

ACDP MANIFESTO ELECTIONS 2009

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) brings to South Africa hope for a strong, healthy and prosperous nation by recognising family values as the building block of society. Our hope lies in God Almighty and in our Christian Democratic value system. The ACDP will focus on addressing the critical challenges such as Poverty and Unemployment, Education, Housing, Health, Justice and Crime, and Moral Regeneration and Integrity.

Poverty and Unemployment

The ACDP will reduce poverty and unemployment with sound economic policies.  Due to South Africa’s legacy of inequality and an ever-widening gap between rich and poor, much-needed social grants are necessary in the short-term.

The ACDP thus supports the concept of targeted social interventions designed to reduce poverty for the most vulnerable. We need to ensure that the elderly, particularly the impoverished, who have contributed so much to building our nation, are properly cared for through state pensions and social grants.  Annual increases to state pensions and grants should cater for increases in the costs of living and should not be below inflation.

We will extend child support grants to the age of 18 (in the form of vouchers) linked to specific criteria, such as school attendance, and provide nutritional programmes at schools from pre-school to grade 12.  We will also implement a developmental programme in order to reduce long term dependence on social grants. This programme will include an emphasis on entrepreneurship, skills development and job creation.

The ACDP will:

• Support small business development by facilitating access to financial assistance and mentorship programmes;
• Encourage privatisation and labour-intensive initiatives;
• Streamline labour legislation to remove obstructions to growth within the framework of fair labour practices;
• Increase public sector investment in infrastructure to address the power crisis, ports, roads, public transportation, water and sanitation systems;
• Encourage the development of a culture of savings, investment, patient building of capital and hard work;
• Ensure that economic empowerment results in broader socio-economic upliftment instead of the current culture of entitlement and the enrichment of a small group;
• Encourage training and development within industry through grants and tax incentives for apprenticeships, appropriate skills, and labour-intensive practices;
• Promote agricultural development to ensure food security, including making small and subsistence farmers commercially viable;
• Help South Africa become more competitive in the global economy and encourage fair trade internationally; and
• Promote stricter standards of international financial governance to address the devastating affects of the global financial meltdown and ensure that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are more democratic and transparent.

Education

Education develops a nation’s character and determines its future prosperity.  According to a World Economic Forum report (2007), South Africa has one of the worst educational systems in the world. There are still too many disadvantaged children because of failing or under-achieving schools. The gap between the poorer and middle-class public schools has not narrowed sufficiently.

The ACDP is committed to providing quality education and re-establishing the central role of parents in the education of their children.  The development of the intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual virtues of our nation will be the primary focus. The ACDP will scrap Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) and implement a Value-Based Education (VBE) system.

The ACDP will:

• Focus on basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy;
• Protect freedom of religion within schools;
• Prioritise access to early childhood development facilities from 0-7 years;
• Provide free education to learners in certain schools and subsidies to ensure access to education for all learners;
• Increase subsidies for tertiary education;
• Attract and retain skilled and experienced teachers through better remuneration packages, working conditions and career opportunities;
• Re-open and properly equip training colleges and promote teaching as a profession;
• Reintroduce school inspectors to monitor the standard of teaching;
• Review and improve adult education and provide communities with a range of family and learning services including drama, dance, music, sport and languages; 
• Provide for special education needs through suitably resourced special and mainstream schools;
• Empower educators to deal with undisciplined and disruptive children through inter alia corporal correction; 
• Remove gangsterism, weapons, drugs and alcohol from schools; and
• Strengthen school governing bodies.

Housing

The ACDP respects property ownership and is committed to extend this to as many citizens as possible. The ACDP will incrementally provide access to adequate housing for all.

The ACDP will:

• Promote the development of affordable housing through the provision of community-owned self-help schemes;
• Ensure the use of cost–effective technology to provide better quality housing;
• Encourage the development of sustainable housing communities with amenities and services such as health, education, socio-economic and recreational facilities;
• Focus on rural development to address the problems resulting in urban migration through incentives for industries to relocate to rural areas; and
• Review and establish a comprehensive data-base of persons on waiting lists for housing.

Health

Approximately 5,5 million South Africans are infected with HIV and hundreds of deaths every day are Aids-related.  Government-funded HIV education programmes provide mixed messages about sex that are counter-productive.  The ACDP will intensify the fight against HIV/Aids by declaring it a notifiable disease and ensuring routine testing.

The ACDP will ensure that primary and tertiary health care will be accessible and of an excellent standard.

The ACDP will:

• Ensure the provision of clean water and proper sanitation and that basic health and hygiene is taught from primary school level upwards;
• Extend the roll-out of antiretroviral treatment and the prevention of mother to child transmission programmes;
• Prioritise public awareness campaigns to promote abstinence and fidelity;
• Focus on efforts to contain and eliminate tuberculosis (TB) with a particular emphasis on extreme and multi-drug resistant TB;
• Improve public hospital services and ensure better equipped and properly remunerated medical staff;
• By facilitating public-private partnerships ensure that hospital revitalisation is a top priority;
• Intervene to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality; and
• Provide access to medical aid through a national health scheme which will broaden access to health services.

Our physical wellbeing is also largely dependent on what we eat, drink and breathe.  The ACDP therefore supports alternative, renewable sources of energy, adherence to global environmental standards and clean technology.

Justice and Crime

The ACDP will ensure justice for all.  We are committed to a constitutional democracy that upholds the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. All laws should be measured against Biblical law which is objectively true and binding.

The main role of government is to protect its citizens and to wield the sword of justice; yet there is hardly a person in South Africa who has not had his/her life affected by crime. The ACDP believes that the most effective deterrent to crime is when criminals know they will be swiftly apprehended, tried, convicted and sentenced.

In the case of minor offences, the ACDP’s victim-centred policy of restorative justice will play a crucial role in maintaining the balance between punishment and individual responsibility on the one hand, and restoration of both the victim and offender on the other. Criminals in this case will be held accountable for their actions by the payment of restitution to victims or through community service.

The ACDP will:

• Implement a zero-tolerance anti-crime strategy;
• Fight corruption by re-establishing the Scorpions and strengthening the independence of the National Prosecuting Authority and other anti-corruption units;
• Increase salaries and benefits of law enforcement officers;
• Provide more police stations, forensic laboratories, courts and better trained and equipped personnel;
• Ensure an integrated law-enforcement approach for Metropolitan Police, the South African Police Services and private security companies; 
• Provide access to pre-trial services, including victim and witness support;
• Ensure that stiffer sentences are imposed with minimum sentences for certain crimes;
• Review the parole system and deny bail for certain categories of crime such as murder, rape, armed robbery and car hijacking;
• Introduce capital punishment for serious offences such as premeditated murder; and
• Broaden prison labour programmes whereby prisoners will learn various skills and contribute to the costs of their board and lodging.

Moral Regeneration and Integrity

This election must reset our moral compass — the call to integrity is the internal compass we must all carry.

South Africa needs leaders of integrity.  The ACDP will root out corruption in the public service and ensure honesty, accountability and transparency in government at all levels.

The ACDP will accelerate moral regeneration by amending liberal and humanistic policies and legislation that have systematically undermined family values.

Some examples of these include:

• Access to contraceptives and abortion by children as young as 12 years (without parental consent);
• The banning of corporal correction in schools and efforts to criminalise corporal correction by parents in their own homes;
• Inappropriate sex education in schools;
• The reduction in the age of sexual consent in certain cases;
• Attempts to legalise prostitution; and
• Legalising pornography, gambling, same-sex marriage and abortion-on-demand.

The ACDP is committed to implement these policies to ensure a safe, healthy and prosperous nation.

We stand for Christian principles, freedom of religion, a free market economy with a social conscience, family values, community empowerment and human rights in a federal system.

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I would just like to make a comment on the last section in the manifesto above.

The paragraph just above the bullet points says:

“The ACDP will accelerate moral regeneration by amending liberal and humanistic policies and legislation that have systematically undermined family values.”

IMHO, this paragraph which then leads into the bullet points makes the bullet points seem a bit ambiguous. I have had some comebacks from people I emailed the manifesto to on this very section. They wanted clarity on this because they seemed to think that the ACDP supported the bullet points and that the bullet points are the amendments suggested.

Let me clarify that issue… The ACDP would want to repeal the laws pointed to by the bullet points. Those are laws currently in existence, and the ACDP feels that those laws are immoral and should be changed.

Therefore, I wrote to the ACDP on Friday suggesting that the sentence from the manifesto I quoted should’ve read:

“The ACDP will accelerate moral regeneration by repealing liberal and humanistic policies and legislation that have systematically undermined family values.”

Anyhow, there is the manifesto of the ACDP.

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