Defacing political posters is an act of political immaturity

AS USUAL, in all our election campaigns, poster defacing has become a cynical ritual.

Posters are a vital part of election campaigns.

They represent candidates at their best and disseminate key statements of their manifestos in the public domain. In this media-centric age of the internet, newspapers, television, and social networking, election posters are a significant form of communication in political campaigns.

They are strategically placed to promote candidates and convince voters. The Electoral Act contains an Electoral Code of Conduct aimed at promoting “conditions that are conducive to free and fair elections” and that create a climate of tolerance, free political campaigning, and open public debate.

A cornerstone of democracy is that citizens are willing to tolerate the expression of political opinions different to their own.

Why is it so hard for rival politicians to withstand each other’s presence in the spirit of tolerance, as required in a democratic society?

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa in section 19 (1) (b)-(c) provides that: “Every citizen is free to make political choices, which include the right to participate in the activities of or recruit members for, a political party, and to campaign for a political party or cause.”

The stealthy attacks on leaders in high-profile positions is tantamount to character assassination. It is a particularly repugnant tactic and has been extensively deployed throughout our history.

Unfounded allegations are levelled to discredit public figures in a hysteric election atmosphere. Slander, distortion, fabrication and sophistry are the tools of the trade.

Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, believed that the bigger the lie, the more convincing it will be.

Machiavelli taught that the ends justify the means. Both “principles” are applied in character assassination. The barrage of false accusations during heated election campaigns is libellous and can cause damage that no retraction can erase.

Fabricating lies is not just a disease of our era, but it is a cancerous syndrome that has eaten, plundered and ravaged the entire South African body politic.

Our politics should not be turned into contests for the determination of who can insult the most, lie the most, scandalise the most, malign the most.

If the spirit of the primacy of common good were to animate all our politicians, we would not be witnessing posters being defaced, character assassinations, slander and malice in our political campaigns, which leave the public dismayed and disheartened.

Defacing political posters is an act of extreme political immaturity and a graphic display of extreme intolerance.