Organic Humanity Movement manifesto — it wants to scrap politics as we know it

All about…

• The Organic Humanity Movement abbreviates as OHM, the Sanskrit symbol of self within, the I, or an ohm is a measure of electrical resistance. (You have to love that – Ed.) Founder Lauren Evanthia Bernardo says the political system in South Africa, party-based and distant, is not fit for purpose;


• “And with self-preservation as the guiding principle… nothing positive can be achieved for the people of South Africa or the country itself”;


• Should OHM get into Parliament, its aim is to overhaul the system completely. (You have to love that more – Ed.)

Party proposals

• OHM says parties in Parliament engage in partisan warfare and lose sight of the people;


• “We transition to a system where independent candidates apply with the IEC to run for public office at all levels of government”;


• With the system being run by independent candidates elected from the 52 municipal districts, it proposes people voting for people from their geographical area, who live where they represent people. (Wouldn’t that be lovely? – Ed.)

Revise the ballot system

• The OHM says the ballot should be replaced, where you vote for a number of representatives by order of preference – the mock ballot in its manifesto has eight candidates, and you mark up in order of preference, eliminating the weakest ones;


• The presidential ballot would be done in the same way. Those who do not become president then form part of a presidential advisory council.

Governance

• Voters should be able to remove a representative from public office (except the President) if they are negligent in their duties. The IEC would oversee this removal process;


• The OHM, should it one day form a government, says the principles of self-governance, family governance and community governance would inform its work;


• Most power will be devolved, so the national government will take care of only three areas: infrastructure and resources, the justice system and national defence;


• Local government will take care of everything else.

Other electoral or structural changes

• OHM would do away with several Chapter 9 institutions that protect the Constitution;


• It will maintain the IEC and will introduce the Commission for the Preservation of Liberty and Humanity, and the Watchdog for International Threats.

What’s good?

• These are fabulous ideas and we find them quite appealing because, come on, can you even name your local MP and what they have done for you lately? (This may be just me in Gauteng, and Johannesburg specifically, where the answer is f*** all – so forgive my cynicism if you have an active MP – Ed.)

Reality check

• OHM is new and not widely known, and its radical ideas will take years if not decades to seed. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.