When one is a public figure making public statements (or, if one wants to be pretentious one can call them “pronouncements”), it is probably better first to think before you talk. I am a bit late to come to this, but I was reminded of this fact when I read the hilarious or embarrassing (depending on your point of view) interview Chris Barron did with Black Management Forum’s (BMF) Jimmy Manyi in the Sunday Times on Sunday.
In an address to a BMF conference on the constitution Manyi had questioned whether the media had taken the right to freedom of expression too far. “Why is it” he asked “that the media can have a field day railroading the office of the president [with] impunity?” Quizzed on this rather odd statement bby Barron, the following exchange ensued:
CB: Are you saying the press should not be allowed to criticise the president?
JM: No, not the president, the office of the president. Under the guise of freedom of expression the office of the president is disrespected by the press.
CB: How do you distinguish between the office of the president and the president?
JM: If the media doesn’t know that I will be disappointed.
CB: Can you give me an example of the criticism of the president’s office you’re talking about as distinct from criticism of the president?
JM: If you’re saying the media does not know the difference then it’s another discussion.
CB: So you can’t give me an example?
JM:The office of the president is an institution of democracy.
From the exchange it is clear that Manyi was unable to explain what the distinction was between the office of the President and the President himself (who happens also to be the leader of the majority party in parliament). If I was mischievous I would have suggested to Manyi that the President had two offices: one in the Union Buildings in Pretoria, and one at Tuynhuys in Cape Town, while the President was that rather affable guy with the good singing voice who never refuses to make a decision unless he absolutely has to. but rather wants us to discuss every controversial issue to death until we all fall asleep and so that he can go off to visit one of his wives or mistresses.
But, of course, I would never be that rude.
Strangely enough, Manyi might not have realised it, but he did have a point – although he could not articulate it. One can make a distinction between the office of the President and the incumbent who holds that office – although I suspect this valid distinction is not what Manyi had in mind. Of course, it is rather difficult to explain the difference between the office of the President and the President himself: like pornography one just knows it when one sees it.
Respect for the office of the President would entail showing respect for the President when he or she exercises a ceremonial – hence non-political function. When the President appears at the opening of the Fifa Soccer World Cup™ (I hope someone from Fifa is not reading this Blog because Fifa might take exception with the fact that I am using their trade mark) it would show disrespect for the office of the President not to stand up when the President arrives or to boo the President when he walks onto the field to greet the teams. (Booing Sepp Blatter, is another story, of course: I am definitely in favour of that.)
Regardless of your political affiliations, President Jacob Zuma remains President of all South Africans and when he acts in such a ceremonial capacity we have an ethical duty to respect that – at least for as long as we live in a constitutional democracy. (In my book one has no ethical duty to respect a dictator or a tyrant, so if Robert Mugabe ever visited this part of the world I will be happy to give him the middle finger wave when he inspects our troops.)
Even when the President fulfils a duty that has political ramifications but also has a strong ceremonial aspect, for example, when he or she opens Parliament and delivers the State of the Nation address, I would contend that respect for the office of the President would require that one does not interrupt proceedings or shout down the President when he or she speaks.
But when the President does or says something really stupid or scary (like appointing a liar and a anti-constitutionalists as head of the National Prosecuting Authority, making babies with women he is not married to, or threatens to knock down homsexuals) it is our constitutional right – no duty – to criticise and even to ridicule the man. After all, he is only the leader of a political party who, just for the time being, has the support of the majority of the voters.
I suspect Manyi really does not agree with this view. Now, I would be delighted if he writes to inform us that my distinction is one with which he agrees fully. But if that is the case, he would have to point to those occasions when ordinary South Africans and the media have not respected the office of the President. I can’t recall any such event. Even the Blue Bulls fans (not known for their progressive values) cheer the President when he arrives for the final of the Super 14.
Manyi probably does not like democracy because in a democracy a political leader – whether he is the President or not – is not above criticism and ridicule. Our Constitution declares that whether you are the President or a homeless person you have exactly the same inherent human dignity. This does not mean that you cannot be criticised, ridiculed or made fun of. The inherent human dignity possessed by all cannot be affected by what ordinary voters say about you – you have that dignity regardless of whether you drive in a Porsche or live in a shack and will retain that dignity regardless of whether you are called a gangster or treated like a princess.
In any case, Manyi can rest assured, every time I walk past Tuynhuis I only show the utmost respect for the Office of the President – it is, after all, a magnificent monument to colonialism and I have a healthy fear of colonialists. Whether I whistle a song about gangsters and crooks as I show my respect to that beautiful building? Well, I would rather not say.
I can only agree with your distiction between the president and his office. Just be careful with your healthy fear of colonialists, many see you as a colonialist yourself.
Are the Stormers fans known for their progressive values?
I agree with your distinction Prof. And I am convinced that this is not the distinction that Manyi would like to agree with or want us to conceive in order not to exercise our duty to ridicule his mater JZ when he embarrasses himself and the country. When I saw the interview between him and Barron, knowing what an embarrassment Jimmy Manyi is, I did not expect anything more than a diatribe, the expectation he did not fail to confirm.
Manyi seem to be feeling he did not do much in supporting JZ openly to deserve the DG position he currently under-occupy in the DoL. So even long after Zuma is saved from all the threats to his ambitions of being the president of the ANC and the Republic respectively, as well as threats to languish in jail with de Kock; Manyi is still embarrassingly trying hard and rather stupidly to score cheap political points to engrave his name in the JZ mask.
I thought the man would have learned a lesson from his stupid comments on BEE policies last year when criticized cope’s position in the same but bit his tongue when Kgalema repeated cope’s position in the same matter. Before he was (re-)elected president of BMF he saw conflict in a government official occupying the same position but all of a sudden, his double hats as a senior government official and a BMF president at the same time raise no conflict. He foolishly slammed the phone when Tshepiso Makwetla quizzed him in this subject.
Now, in order to win JZ’s favour he trying to sing African culture he knows nothing about in order to intimidate the media and everyone from criticizing the man who needs no one’s criticism to embarrass himself, country, government, party and his family.
I wonder what kind of black business people allow themselves to be led by this man. He is no different from Jerry Vilakazi of BUSA. Everything wrong in his book automatically becomes right when it comes to Zuma in particular. These guys simple have no backbones. I wonder what their families think about them or how they explain this obvious stupidity to their families and children.
dear Xitlonyi
hehehe, he probably deploys the same wisdom (when he explains this to his family and children) that he used when he was head PR honcho of Tiger, and they got caught fixing the price of breads. Have you noticed how the absence of a spine leads to a remarkable improvement in abilities to defend the indefensible, or explain the unexplainable? It just means that the mouth is now simply directed directly from the wallet, since there’s no spine in between to regulate. And you know where most men like to keep their wallets…. Confusion almost guaranteed.
thanx xitlonyi for reminding us of “hlala kwa ba fileyo” i mean cope, the problem is not the presidency, but the hate (created by breakaway faction of the ANC) on the president.we all know that zuma i.e never said that taking a shower after unprotected sex cure aids, but the media wrote it in such a way that everybody believes that.we know the story of generally corrupt relationship was sundaytimes creation. and it is easy to see that the alleged millions exposed by ANCYL in the bank account of our popular newspaper editor,is a sum of brown envelopes given to him to report leaked info by previous ANC (nec), SCORPION. media did take a side on political fiasco before polokwane and they continue today with selective reporting .
yep yep
Pierre – Don’t come here with your WHITE tendency.
What you do not quite grasp is that the notion that the person of our leader may be ceaselessly criticized, censured, disparaged, scorned and mocked is a COLONIALIST LIBERAL imposition. You must accept, as a guest on this continent, that a leader is treated with RESPECT. His dignity must be sustained in a manner consistent with the value of UBUNTU – which, incidentally, is written into your own Constitution!
Mike, please tell why we have to respect JZ? I do respect the office, but I refer to the man now.
The office of the Presidency is one thing, as you have well described. The man, the President, is another, and we do know him for what he is. But how can we expect those of questionable intent to recognize the difference. And really, Manyi is a joke, right, one of those who thinks he knows it all and yet doesn’t. In a Mafia situation, how would we describe his role? The man has no honor for starters.
I’ve decided Prof that simply complaining about the absurdity within the pseudo Democracy that SA is becoming, I would rather start to offer alternatives, solutions, if that is not too brazen of me.
Perhaps I can start with Simelane who is without question even more dangerous than malema, effectively sterilizing justice in SA. Now this solution takes courage of a high order. Refuse his dictates! Accept the consequences.
Yes! Simply refuse! Chaos is the balance of law, thus law is the balance of chaos. We have the chaos, so where are the warriors for law? I believe we are in a struggle of life or death, the life or death of a prosperous, Democratic, healthy South Africa. Anyone care to disagree?
Perhaps i should have said: “Refuse his dictates… fight the consequences.”
phumlani, can you perhaps let us know what is the difference between “generally corrupt relationship” and a corrupt relationship based on a “mutually beneficial symbiosis”? The latter was used by the High Court in the Shaik case to describe the relationship between the crook Shaik and Jacob Zuma, the former was used by the prosecutor in that case (but not the judge). What is NOT in dispute is that (i) Zuma received a lot of money from Shaik (ii) Zuma did many favours for Shaik after receiving that money; (iii) Zuma did everything that money and good lawyers could buy to ensure that he never had to explain (i) and (ii) above. These facts are not a creation of the Sunday Times. Anyone who has read the law reports would know that they are true.
Mikhail Dworkin Fassbinder says:
May 8, 2010 at 9:13 am
Hey Dworky,
“Pierre – Don’t come here with your WHITE tendency”.
Don’t talk rubbish man, you blerry agent, bastard.
Insulting Pierre where he works.
This is a revolutionary blog.
Eish!
In the meanwhile, maybe (hopefully) the respected and respectable Office of our President will take some time to explain why the bodies that have been set up by successive ANC led administrations, which have successfully and relentlessly confronted crime and criminals, are apparently being decimated.
More so that the ANC’s Polokwane resolutions and its election manifesto are heavily weighted towards anti-crime and anti-corruption.
There has to be “method in the madness” – let’s hope we are accorded sufficient reciprocal respect to get some kind of explanation.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20100511184616587C203207
Thanks for letting us know that a budget is something that must be accompanied by a plan. How I wish you should have said that 13 years ago
after running this country with nothing but a budget.
Ours is a story of missed opportunities and overated egos.
http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Manuel-vows-to-stand-his-ground-20100512
Oops!
“Just months after she was nearly evicted from her plush Durban home, South Africa’s first lady Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma is in the dark, with no lights or water.
That’s because neither she, nor the president or their benefactors, have paid the utilities bills. Nor is it the first time that they have defaulted.
According to the latest information available to The Mercury, the eThekwini municipality is owed a total of R9 564.87. …”
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20100519045958504C787413