Street politics
Editorial
The temptations of extra-parliamentary or street politics are obvious. They gain quick attention, they amount to a show of power, and they suggest that a party is doing something, is reacting to whatever issue or problem may be current. However, there is a heavy price to be paid, both by the party involved and the broader society. In the first place, the tactics tend to give the initiative to hard line elements in a party and to devalue sober and intelligent strategy and planning, secondly if pursued frequently they create an image of extremism which is incompatible with mainstream, democratic politics and antagonise many more people than they may attract, and thirdly they raise tensions and increase polarisation. In a democracy the issue of who will govern is settled at periodic elections. The duty of those who lose an election is, where necessary, to criticise the policies and practices of the government and keep them on their toes but to do this in accordance with the rules of the game. Where an election result is disputed there is a prescribed legal method for doing this. The maintenance of democratic politics is vital for stability and development. If there are repeated upheavals of one kind or another it will be difficult to achieve meaningful economic development. It is therefore important that the broad rules of engagement on the basis of which political parties participate in a democratic society be clearly settled and understood. First, elections must be free and fair and efficiently run. Second, if there are other major grievances with the systems of governance they must be clearly articulated in advance and dealt with where possible. Suggestions for improvements in the way parliament operates can and should be dealt with. Deals can be made on issues like the composition of statutory boards and land selection committees. Other important matters can be dealt with through dialogue and constitutional reform. But at the end of the day, once the measures have been agreed and the rules of governance have been settled the players must abide by them. There can be no constant revision, no repeated second guessing, the goal posts can't be moved. The government must be allowed to govern, otherwise the basic assumptions on which a democracy is based will no longer apply and the society will be in a permanent state of unrest. Democracy assumes that political parties will conduct themselves in a certain way, will abide by the rule of law and will not transgress certain limits, in speech or in action. It is important therefore that important issues of governance be thrashed out in advance and finally settled and that this be clearly seen to be done. Once the constitution has been amended and other issues dealt with then winners and losers must play the game by the rules they have themselves set. Street politics are not a regular option in a democracy.
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