Since a South African election is distant and Donald Trump is President, this is the ideal time to scrutinize those who hold local and global power.
What is obvious is that deceit and untruth is intrinsic to politics.
The declaration “America First” by President Trump defined his vision. Building walls and isolationist policies is pure dishonesty from a man who made money from migrant labor and globalization.
Locally, the TV channel ANN7 regularly accuse Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan, a Communist Party leader of hypocrisy because of his private interest in the major banks in South Africa.
We now live in a world where those who explain communist thoughts, are in reality “closet capitalists” and those who benefited from globalization are “coming out” as raging nationalists?
Equally, we have the EFF leaders who regularly criticize the morality of ANC leaders. When ANC leaders are caught cheating it is regarded as worthy of recrimination in the media. When an EFF provincial leader does the same it is considered by the EFF as a private matter?
We now live in a world where so-called Communist China is fighting for globalization, free trade and an end to tariff wars. Ironically the USA the historic beacon of capitalism is determined to minimize globalization and lead tariffs wars and remake the world in the image of “America first”.
What is obvious is that there are no such ideologies such as communism and capitalism only people who use others to make money and then change the rules of the game when it suits them.
What those in power fail to understand is that God is watching the games they play and he will harshly judge those who abuse the trust of ordinary people. What matter is not what we say but what we do and the benefit that ensue from our actions for the less fortunate.
While those who have power may fool some of the people, some of the time they cannot fool all of us all of the time. In the end they will pay severely as God knows what is hidden inside every soul.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress