STRAIGHT TALK
25 August 2023
In politics, as in life, true power comes from aligning our actions with our highest values and principles. Faced with a tough decision, principles are the star pointing to “true north”.
The DA has come under pressure to accept the Patriotic Alliance into the Multi-Party Charter, a pre-election agreement sealed last week between seven opposition parties to get the ANC out, keep the EFF out, and offer South Africa a new government in 2024.
The PA’s actions in Nelson Mandela Bay this week once again show why they do not belong in the Charter. They had the opportunity to vote the ANC/EFF coalition out, but instead decided to support them, as they have done in Joburg and nine other local governments across the country.
Actions speak louder than words. This week, the PA’s actions yet again told us exactly what kind of party they are: a party that puts their own interests first, a party for sale to the highest bidder, and a party that does not subscribe to the shared governing principles that the signatories to the Multi-Party Charter have pledged fealty to:
The South African Constitution, the rule of law, and equality before the law.
Decentralising power to the lowest effective level of government.
Accountable, transparent government with zero tolerance for corruption.
Capable government that spends public money efficiently to deliver quality services to all.
Caring government that puts people first and prioritises the poor.
An open market economy.
Policies guided by evidence that they produce positive results for society.
Redress our unjust past by promoting nonracialism and unity in our diversity.
These eight principles code our Multi-Party Charter for success. But only if we stick to them.
These principles will be the glue that binds the parties, the centrifugal force that unites diverse South Africans around this new political axis, and the ideological foundation for achieving the Charter’s vision of: A new government to build a just, inclusive and prosperous South Africa based on opportunity, freedom and security for all of its citizens.
By aligning itself with the ANC and EFF, and through their corruption and cadre deployment in Beaufort West and Knysna, the PA has made crystal clear its disregard for every one of these principles. By their own actions, they have told South Africa they do not belong in the Charter.
In 2024, a vote for the DA will be a vote for these principles and for the prosperity and unity they will promote. Please direct your friends and family to kickstart their voter registration process online by visiting check.da.org.za. Voter actions, too, speak louder than words!
Yours sincerely
John Steenhuisen
DA Leader
