Floor-Crossing

One of my pet hates is floor crossing. It is that time of the year when public representatives for various political parties can cross over to another party, should the political landscape change or the principles of a particular party become fundamentally compromised, for whatever reason, use of incentives - such as the promise of higher salaries and senior positions - to coerce and manipulate the system to undermine smaller parties.

Larger parties have been able to withstand the ANC’s rigorous drive to lure party members, and the consequences for smaller parties have doomed them to extinction. Most of the smaller parties have had their numbers dramatically cut but the opportunity for individual members of parliament to create their own party and a lot of solo parties that do not have a constituency, fail to perform in Parliament yet still receive substantial financial support from the South African taxpayer.

The ANC’s justification for floor crossing is perhaps justified by President Mbeki who, in his weekly newsletter ANC Today, quoted from the report, which stated:

“The basic argument for this approach (in favour of a qualified freedom to ‘cross the floor’), is that during the term of the legislature there can be significant shifts in public opinion which do not warrant fresh elections, but which have to be represented in the legislature. By allowing groups of MPs to ‘cross the floor’ these shifts of opinion may be reflected in the legislature. Also, genuine differences of interpretation on what mandate the electorate gave a party, and how to implement it, can lead to splits in the party, and this should be allowed expression by way of ‘crossing the floor’. The ability to cross the floor also curtails the power of the ‘party bosses’ and makes for a more vibrant political atmosphere. In short, greater democracy and representivity is made possible through a qualified freedom to ‘cross the floor’”.

The ANC’s stance on the floor crossing issue is one of mild acceptance because changes in public opinion – in between elections – should be reflected in the various legislatures and that floor crossing acts as a measure and an incentive for parties to maintain internal democratic governance.

This about face within the ruling party which was, for years, opposed to floor-crossing. Only when it was seen to serve a very particular party political purpose. IMHO - Floor-crossing leads to political corruption and bribery.