Desmond Tutu ‘will no longer vote for ANC’ –the party that brought Nelson Mandela to power

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/10/desmond-tutu-will-no-longer-vote-for-anc-the-party-that-brought-nelson-mandela-to-power/




Desmond Tutu will not vote for South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, which brought Nelson Mandela to power exactly 19 years ago, the Nobel Peace laureate said in an article published Friday.

Massive poverty, inequality and falling standards have cost the ANC the retired archbishop’s support, he said in an opinion piece carried by the Mail & Guardian.

“I have over the years voted for the ANC, but I would very sadly not be able to vote for them after the way things have gone,” the 81-year-old wrote.

“The ANC was very good at leading us in the struggle to be free from oppression,” Tutu said of the party which won the first all-race elections.

[pampango]

1. Always interesting to read how new democracies adapt to the challenges of governing.

Of course, some not-so-new democracies have similar problems.

“The ANC was very good at leading us in the struggle to be free from oppression,” Tutu said of the party which won the first all-race elections. “But it doesn’t seem to me now that a freedom-fighting unit can easily make the transition to becoming a political party,” added Tutu, who was discharged from hospital last week following treatment for an infection.

Under apartheid, Tutu campaigned against white minority (about 20% of the population) rule and was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.

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2. indeed. nt