DA to submit Bill preventing floor-crossing

[andres101]

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national&articleid=268980

The opposition Democratic Alliance will on Tuesday submit a private member's Bill in Parliament that seeks to amend the Constitution so as to disallow public representatives from becoming a member of another party while retaining their seats -- so-called "floor-crossing", according to DA head Tony Leon.

About time someone did something about this! Lets hope they get the support they need.

 

[bwana]

Agh - let them cross - its cheaper than calling

Just kidding - As far as I know when you vote in SA you're voting as much for the party as you are for the individual. Floor crossing in a sense would be akin to misleading the voters.

 

[BTTB]

"Floor crossing has alienated voters"

Without a doubt.
Made a mockery of our constitution.
Whose idea was this in the first place?
Van Schalkwyk springs to mind?

We are submitting the draft Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Fifteenth Amendment Bill because it has become clear that the original intention of floor crossing – to weaken the hold of party bosses over public representatives – has been perverted by the ANC’s version of it.

 

[Bona Botse]

HA! wasnt it the DA that poposed this whole floor crossing thing in the first place? talk about one coming back to bite u in the arse...

 

[stoke]

Just get that damn bill passed .. i don't care who started it it's immoral wrong and a mockery of my vote.

 

[ettubrute]

Shucks! What a day! This is the third (or fourth?) time I completely agree with stoke...

 

[neio]

The DA asked for the law when they wanted to incorporate the NNP.

 

[stoke]

/me refuses to do any more posting incase ettu is ruined for life ...

 

[JStrike]

Floor crossing has it's merits.

For example, people who voted ID in the last elections expected certain things from their party/councilors. Now that many of the ID voters are unhappy with the descisions the ID has taken, it is basically the councilors duty to find a new home for the voters he/she represents (And hopefully this new home closer represents what the people wanted)

Of course, this open to abuse and floor crossing is often a self serving thing for the councilor. Certain precautions are in place, such as having to take 10% of the party support with you. (This helps to indicate that the party is no longer representing what it should)

Be that as it may, I think the better of the two evils is to get rid of floor crossing until a better solution is found

 

[ettubrute]

Floor crossing would have merits, if we voted for the individuals themselves, and they would go back to their voters to ask where to go to...

 

[JStrike]

ettubrute : Yep. A participatory democracy would be pretty awsome

 

[ettubrute]

...and since we don't have it, floor crossing was the worst bill ever drafted!