The South African moderate-liberal parliamentarian argues that South Africa can continue economic stagnation under the leftist ANC, or move toward economic growth with her center-left Democratic Alliance party: "While the party of liberation did many things right in the first decade, it seems that, for most, wealth and power has just been exchanged by one group for another. I know we are not unique in this regard in the developing world.
The DA is responding to this crisis in the knowledge that there is little merit in endlessly asking ‘what went wrong?' There are enough academics and sociologists doing that. The question is where do we go from here?
Drawing on liberal values of freedom and self-reliance, the DA is developing a new vision of, what has been described, as the ‘servant state'.
You cannot promote inclusive institutions and individual liberty, the mainstays of liberalism, without changing the economic rules of the game; one in which presently most South Africans feel that the rules are cruelly rigged against them."
MP Mazibuko continues her commentary about South Africa's future: "The solutions, contained in our plan, prioritise promoting private-sector investment, and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. As the rest of the world has done, we must introduce greater flexibility in the labour market to give many people the opportunity to work.
We need to stimulate productivity in South Africa's labour-intensive sectors such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture by eradicating policy uncertainty. We have one of the richest endowments of minerals and energy, and yet, since 2009, we have not received any major direct investment in mining to speak of.
We want to bringing to life ‘dead capital' through enhanced black economic empowerment programmes, so that millions more people can becomes shareholders in companies.
We need just and fair land reform and title deed reform, because land ownership is one of the best ways to access capital.
And we need to create a social security system that gives people a hand up, not a hand out. Liberals know that society has a responsibility to take care of its most vulnerable, but not to lock people into a cycle of dependency.
Our plan will cut the tax and regulatory burdens inhibiting new business growth, and contains bold reforms to clamp down on corruption.
And it will conduct impact assessments of all new laws and regulations with a view to prioritising growth.
It can, and must be done."
Lindiwe Mazibuko: "South Africa Has A Choice Between Two Economic Futures"
