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I Admit it: I Now Sound Like Every Other Seasoned Politician

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Have you noticed how our politicians always have a better plan than their opposition? How you noticed how politicians spend inordinate amounts of time bashing each other, scoring points and pointing out the wrong and the divisive? How you noticed how a politicians narrative always begins with what is wrong with ‘the other side’ and concludes with how his/her side is the right one to vote for?

And, yes, I am going to be just like seasoned politicians and say that they are wrong in the direction that they are taking Nelson Mandela Bay.

BUT

Unlike opposition politicians I am going to come out and say that my ‘vitriol’ is directed at the ENTIRE Circle of Chaos in which we find ourselves – every man jack belonging to a national political party is ‘in my sights’ so to say.

Local politicians will tell you that the only reason why the city of Nelson Mandela Bay does not work is because they do not have a clear mandate, they do not have an overwhelming majority or their alliance cannot agree.

Stop and think about one of the main reasons why a political alliance is counter productive – Centralised control! Every proposal made locally has to be passed Nationally and then filtered back. In our world we need local leaders who are able to make local decisions that affect local people quickly and effectively.

The groundswell of opinion that we should take politics out of municipal government is growing.

Our local politicians have delusions of grandeur and are failing to fulfill a simple mandate:

  1. Service Delivery
  2. Ear to the Ground
  3. Instill Pride
  4. Make decisions based solely on what is good for the entire city in the long term
  5. Vote for proposals based on City concerns and not of party political dictates
  6. Support an opposition politician with a good idea
  7. Defend the City
  8. Care.

We are all adults capable of making adult decisions. We know what is good and what is bad. We do not need people that we voted into positions of leadership to tell us how wrong another political party is. We need the people we voted into power to get on with their jobs of making us proud of our City and, along the way, prosperity will follow!

Ward 7 Independent Councillor

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.