Floor-Crossing: No Ethics Involved

As the current Secretary General for the ACDP in the Tshwane region, floor-crossing is of great concern to me. In fact, it should be at the heart of every ethical politician or wanna-be politician.

I know, many think that the very phrase "ethical politician" is an oxymoron! However, that is not the actual fact among all politicians. The reason why so many think that it is an oxymoron, is simply because the news media hardly ever reports on the good many politicians are doing. Look at the issues facing the Minister of Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and former Deputy-President, Jacob Zuma.

Yet, it is possible to have ethical politicians driven by strong moral convictions. The ACDP is involved on this front, making every effort to ensure that its members and POBs act with strong moral convictions. However, every year at this time, some decide to cross the floor to other parties.

Floor-crossing is one of the most unethical political devices that our current government has come up with. Aside from the legalisation of abortion, pornography, homosexual marriage and a host of other evil and immoral laws, this law on floor-crossing has stolen the trust of people all over South Africa, in the political process.

Floor-crossing literally has pulled the carpet from under our political process. The fact is, if floor-crossing as we currently have it continues, it definitely makes a mockery of our elections. Why would people vote for a person of a particular party just to see that person walk over with the people's vote to another party? Why bother voting if you think that some unethical politician will steal your votes and hand them over to another party?

The ACDP has decided that in order to be ethical on all fronts, we will not even allow a person from another party to cross the floor to us! The fact is, if we do not believe that this law is acceptable, we should not participate in it at any level. If a person is willing to leave another party with the seat that was voted for by that person's constituency, then we as the ACDP would not be willing to accept that person and his seat simply because he is proving by his actions to be unethical. The very type of person that we do not want to represent us.

Obviously, there are many reasons why people would want to walk over from one party to another. The point is, a person (POB) who wants to cross the floor should do it right. My own suggestion to anyone who desires to leave the ACDP--I don't deny that there are such people--should do the ethical thing at this point. That would be to resign his position as POB, resign from the party, and then walk over to the other party empty handed.

Why do I think so? A seat held by a POB does not belong to the person, but to the party, and therefore the POB has no right to take with him that which does not belong to him. This will be stealing! As Christians, this does not just go against our own consciences, but it violates the very law of God.

Further, when a Christian, walking away from the ACDP to another party, especially a party that stands diametrically opposed to Christian ethics and the Christian Worldview, now suddenly crosses the line into what would have been termed "enemy ground" before! How can a Christian walk away from a party that stands for everything Godly, turn his back on what he claimed to have believed before and now stand with that which he wholeheartedly disagreed before? Parties that stand for ungodly principles! Has God changed His mind? I do not think so!

Obviously we cannot presume to know what floor-crossers have in their hearts, only they know, and they know that they have to answer to God.

If any ACDP POBs in the Tshwane region decide to defect to other parties, I would sincerely request them to do the Christian thing, and that would be to first resign from the council, and then defect. It would be the right thing to do.