Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2006-08-03 Reporter: Glinnis Underhill Reporter:

Our Greatness as a Nation is Diminished by Our Negativity

 

Publication 

Cape Argus

Date

2006-08-08

Reporter

David Leslie

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

I am sick and tired of what our newspapers think is newsworthy *1.

Take the Jacob Zuma story as an example. Does the editor of the newspaper and the ANC national executive committee think that we the people of South Africa are still interested in Zuma, his court case (sorry, court cases) and the infighting more than a year on? Or is it two years?

We, the citizens of South Africa, want action and delivery, not grandstanding for personal gain and attention.

We, the people, know the government is a servant to the people, we are not servants to the government.

We are passionately South African and wish to contribute daily to the growth and prosperity of our nation for the benefit of all of our citizens. How can we do this when our government and the newspaper propaganda machine think the most important newsworthy item is the infighting of our most powerful political party?

I for one would rather see headlines like: Reduction in crime achieved in past six months due to citizen and police drive to wipe out crime; GDP of South Africa is 12% and outstrips the growth of China in 2006; South African road users are the safest in the world; South Africa votes for a gun- free land; South African children safest in the world; South Africa creates more successful entrepreneurs than any other country during 2006; South Africa, police and control borders; Illegal immigrants and drug lords are deported (In Malaysia "Dadah is Death" druglords beware); South African children recapture the streets and are free to be children without some misinformed individual who believes he can be rid of Aids by harming our country's children and future; Police and civil servants are paid and honoured properly for their service to South Africa; South Africa gets tough on criminals and corruption; and Three strikes and you're out *2, as first done by former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. (This is a reference to how Mayor Giuliani cleaned up New York by "dealing" with common offenders).


I believe the above headlines would be newsworthy and would truly make South Africa greater than it already is. We have forgotten about rampant crime, lack of respect for human life, corruption *3 and the naked rape of natural resource to the highest bidder.

The arms deal and Travelgate are back page news items *3. I am so annoyed with this daily national garbage. The world is laughing at us. *4

A government spokesperson said: "The Dubai trip's cost (at our expense) is a drop in the ocean." Mr government official, people are dying of hunger, poverty, Aids and violent crime. I suggest the drop in the ocean could be better used.

I once read that a true leader is one who surrounds himself with people who complement the skills he lacks. A true leader is one who is willing to ask questions about problems that are not easily solved.

Join me in asking our government if we sing from the same song sheet about our social and economic problems, and together let us see if the government takes seriously the voice of its citizens.


David Leslie
Northriding

With acknowledgements to David Leslie and Cape Argus.


*1       Is fishing for corrupt men by the Fourth Estate (and others) really such an ignoble quest such as this correspondent seems to suggest?


*2      I thought that Three Strikes and You're Out was a State of California initiative and that Mayor Giuliani's initiative was Zero Tolerance.

Nevertheless, other than having a somewhat loose grip on facts and reality, this correspondent has very noble wishes.

However, how can we possibly achieve any of these wishes when the nation's entire character is being undermined by the cancer of corruption (President Thabo Mbeki's words, not mine)?


*3      The arms deal and Travelgate are corruption and worthy of being front page and not back page news items.

Indeed, most news items about the arms deal and Travelgate are about fighting corruption.


*4      The world is not laughing at us for exposing and fighting corruption, mostly they are quite impressed.

What they probably are laughing about is that when the country's president is implicated in corruption nothing gets done about it and when the German investigators start investigating the bribers, the National Prosecuting Authority is not interested in investigating the bribees.

Shame.