PETER BRUCE: Two weeks an absurdly short time to decide SA’s political future
The golden rule of coalition talks is to not say a word to the public
If you think the country is in a sort of Twilight Zone after the elections, we are and it’s deliberate. Our political parties are trying to reach agreement among themselves on how to form a government in the next two weeks, which is what the constitution requires. The golden rule of coalition talks is, now that we have all listened to endless waffle from the politicians, to not say a word to the public.
Former DA leader James Selfe, who died tragically young last month, said as much in 2016 after local government elections opened up room for opposition parties in the country’s big metros. “One should tell the public very little while negotiations are on the go,” he tells Jan-Jan Joubert in his excellent book Who Will Rule in 2019? “One has only 14 days to put together a coalition. It is best not to take part in media speculation.”..
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