The Covid-19 pandemic and the opposition’s role in the fight
Most of us, who thought this would be our year, have not looked upon 2020 kindly. It hasn’t been dubbed the lost year for nothing.
For politicians it’s a double whammy.
Not only have opposition parties had to take a back-seat to government as it handles the Covid-19 pandemic but they might not be able to campaign, considering the local government election is potentially looming next year, depending on how the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds.
As political parties, especially opposition ones, scramble for relevance and profile, will 2020 prove to be the year that voters forget that the opposition even exists? Or will it prove to be the year that opposition parties remain relevant in promoting citizen interests and holding government to account?
In this week’s edition of News24’s Friday Briefing, Aubrey Matshiqi takes a look at why the DA and EFF broke away from Cyril Ramaphosa’s inadvertent government of ‘national unity’. Initially the two parties showed support for the lockdown but are now contesting it, albeit from different vantage points.
Then, Mpumelelo Mkhabela argues that if opposition parties are going to show their worth and win voters over, they will need to come up with firm alternatives that demonstrate they may have better ideas and plans than government, to deal with the crisis.
Finally, Ina Gouws argues that while the courts are used to fight seemingly irregular and sometimes irrational regulations, society, might in fact be better served, if opposition parties unite to fight together, to ensure greater effectiveness.
Have a good weekend and stay safe.
Vanessa Banton
News24 Opinion Editor.
Covid-19 and the opposition: It’s a game of politics
Politics necessitated that the two official opposition parties be divergent in their views on how the ANC government handled the Covid-19 crisis.
By Aubrey Matshiqi
Few alternatives offered by opposition parties
Are any of the opposition parties are providing better alternatives to the ANC’s policies during the Covid-19 pandemic?
By Mpumelelo Mkhabela
Covid-19 crisis: The choice is to oppose or resist
While some opposition parties are pushing back against irrational regulations, there needs to be unity among them to be successful.
By Ina Gouws
