Populism appeals to desperate politicians, charges Mcebisi Jonas
Former finance minister says the likelihood of ‘crazy policy choices’ are slim, but warns of the threat of growing populism
Former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas said the "likelihood of crazy policy choices are slim". Jonas, who was removed as finance minister in the midnight Cabinet reshuffle, was the keynote speaker at the Directors Event in Sandton on Friday. The ANC’s policy conference will take place at the end of June, and final decisions will be taken in December during its national conference. Jonas’s comments come after calls for a shift in economic policy. He warned that populism could create mistrust, and possibly lead to disinvestment as well as a skills migration. Growing populism was one of the threats he identified, along with the downgrade, that needed to be addressed. He said there was something fundamentally unconstitutional about populism, and that it distracted from what should be addressed. He said populism offered "absolute freedom to the bullshitter to say whatever the audience will enjoy hearing". It thus appeals to "desperate politicians", of which, he said, SA had a few. ...
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