During Parliamentary question time on Thursday 1st September, Cyril Ramaphosa referred to South Africa as having a Multi-Dimensional Democracy. I have no idea of his intended meaning when he said this, but here is my very abstract and esoteric interpretation.
The First
Dimension is the Presidential Parallel Universe, or PPU. This dimension has primary, sycophantic, captured,
and resisting elements. These are rounded
out with a chaotic element that
results from interactions between the aforementioned primary, sycophantic,
captured and resisting elements.
Understanding the driving force behind
the primary element is essential, so:
“Imagine, if you can, not having a conscience, none at all, no feelings
of guilt or remorse no matter what you do.
Imagine having no struggles with shame, not a single one, no matter what
kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had taken. And
pretend that the concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a
burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible fools. You
are not held back from any of your desires by guilt or shame, and you are seldom
confronted by others for your cold-bloodedness. Best of all, you create
situations that cause others to feel bad about themselves. Most
invigorating of all is to bring down people who are smarter or more
accomplished than you, or perhaps classier, or more morally admirable.
This is not only good fun; it is existential vengeance. And without a
conscience, it is amazingly easy to do. Provided you are not stopped, you
can do anything at all. In fact, if you do it just right,
you may be able to make a whole nation jump. And if that is not power,
what is”[1] (ie Nenegate; Nkhandla; Hawks;
NPA etc etc etc?)
A sycophantic
element has no capacity for original thought and is essentially parasitic
in nature. While this element fuels the basic needs of a primary element, which
feeds it with scraps in return, it is a fundamentally symbiotic relationship,
without which neither element could survive. (ie Constitutional Court Judgement;
Impeachment?)
A captured
element functions in basically the same way as a sycophantic element, but
at a generally higher level for higher reward. A captured element is also
required to protect the primary element by occasionally exposing itself to attacks
from other Dimensions, or make efforts to pre-empt such attacks. (ie Shaun
Abrahams; Des van Rooyen; Nkosinathi Nhleko; Thulas Nxesi; Mozebenzi Zwane;
Charles Nqakula et al?) A captured
element will also be sacrificed by the primary element if deemed necessary to
the advancement of its cause.
A resisting
element pushes back against the destructive appetites of the other
elements, and tries to bring balance to an otherwise unbalanced situation.
While courageous, these elements presently lack sufficient power to bring about
real change in the PPU dimension. (ie Nhlanhla Nene; Pravin Gordhan, Thuli
Madonsela, Mogoeng Mogoeng?)
The common element across all dimensions is the chaotic element. As the creator of this
element the PPU exerts the most influence on it, although once fully unleashed
there is no telling who the casualties will be.
The Second Dimension is the Luthuli House Dimension, or LHD, which until recently was the ultimate controller of all other dimensions. LHD’s integrity, gender, youth, and collective decision elements have been cannibalised by the Presidential Parallel Universe, which has reduced LHD’s function to being merely a mirror of the PPU.
The Third Dimension is the Impotent Opposition
Dimension, or IOD. This dimension has a multiplicity of elements including “the ideologically incoherent coalitions of the power-hungry, the forgotten,
the almost forgotten, the preferably forgotten, the far right, the rearguard
and the downright loony”.[2]
The IOD dimension is conjoined with the PPU
through a common chaotic element, to
which they add their own chaotic contribution, resulting in increasing
occasions of rejection and ejection in the Third Dimension, known as the
Parliamentary Dimension. The Parliamentary Dimension is generally inconsequential,
and is of only occasional entertainment value.
The Fourth Dimension is the Constitutional
Dimension, or CD. This dimension has many of the most important elements of
all. The ConCourt, PProtector, and HighCourt elements are primary agents in curbing the excesses of
the Presidential Parallel Universe through application and dedication. Without constant support from these elements,
the IOD would not only be impotent, it would be irrelevant.
Unfortunately, these vital CD elements are also shackled
by the NPA and Hawks elements which are disinclined to participate in reining in
the Presidential Parallel Universe, thereby adding further fuel to the chaotic element. It also eliminates the only avenues that can actively enforce
the removal of cancerous elements in the PPU. Without an ability to enforce
such removal, the fight here is restricted to damage limitation.
The Fifth, and our very own Dimension, by far the
largest but presently the least influential, is the multi-level Citizens and
Residents Dimension, or CaRD. Sub-divisions are the RaceCaRD, GenderCaRD, and
the LGBTCaRD, all of which involve disharmony, which directly contributes
towards our lack of influence. Each of these sub-divisions is stoked by a mainstream media element that sometimes deliberately
fans the flames of disharmony, to further fuel the chaotic element, under the guise of legitimate reporting.(ie Gupta
Media; SABC?). But the biggest contributor to the chaotic element by a country mile is the social media element, together
with its comments component. These
allow mass and unfettered access to the
blame game: whites blaming blacks, blacks blaming whites; socialists blaming
capitalists and vice versa; unions blaming business, business blaming BEE; schoolgirls
blaming schools; parents blaming teachers; the list goes on ad nauseum.
In this arena, the RaceCaRD predominates, with
the most vociferous commentators generally hiding behind a wall of anonymity.
All of this plays directly into the hands of the Presidential Parallel Universe,
for while the Fifth Dimension is divided the primary element will continue to rule unchallenged.
What is also apparent from this interpretation is
that there are really only two dimensions to our democracy, the Presidential
Parallel Universe and Constitutional Dimension. All other dimensions are
inconsequential and irrelevant.
With this in mind, in our darkest hour since
1994, are we selling out if those who stand with us are black not white or vice
versa? Should we care whether they are
male or female? Is it relevant or
important that they have a different sexual orientation to us, or us to them? If you can answer an emphatic No! to all of the above, then we have some hope of
getting somewhere.
Only together, by putting aside all prejudices, can
we collectively understand how our much-vaunted Constitution allows a Presidential
Parallel Universe to come into existence in the first place, and then be
allowed to flourish without any practical mechanism to stop it. Armed with this
understanding, we can organise ourselves to stand up against the divisive and
destructive tactics of the PPU and make sure that it never happens again.
In the words of our own Dimension’s namesake 1960’s
band[3],
we need to work with harmony and
understanding, together with an abundance of sympathy and trust. Can we do it, if only for the sake of our girl-child’s
future? The answer is that we must, before we are all reduced to the
singularity of the Presidential Parallel Universe.
[1]
Extracted from: “The Sociopath Next Door:
The Ruthless vs. The Rest of Us” by Martha Stout Ph.D
[3]Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
lyrics
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation.
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation.
Let the sunshine in – The Fifth Dimension (1969)
