DA's Steenhuisen admits being in govt harder in reality than it appears from opposition benches
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said that the first four months after last year’s elections that led to the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) were the most difficult of his political career.
FILE: Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, chairperson of the National Agricultural Marketing Council, Angelo Peterson and NAMC CEO Simphiwe Ngqangweni at a media briefing at Parliament on misinformation by business forum, Sakeliga. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger / Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said that the first four months after last year’s elections that led to the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) were the most difficult of his political career.
While he’s yet to decide whether he will run for another three-year term as leader of his party at next year’s national conference, for now, Steenhuisen has been focused on getting to grips with the demands of being in government.
Looking back, Steenhuisen conceded that the job of being in government was much harder in reality than it once appeared from the opposition benches.
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For years, the DA has fashioned itself as a government-in-waiting, as its leaders champed at the bit to be let into the halls of power.
But Steenhuisen said that he and his party’s ministers were not fully prepared for the dysfunction they would encounter once on the inside.
"It’s been a real job to try and untangle a lot of this, try and smooth it out, and to get it working, and then obviously also making sure that we are retaining our presence in Parliament and ensuring that our party has got a coherent message to our voters."
Steenhuisen believes the majority of the DA's supporters are happy with the party’s performance in government and it bodes well for its electoral prospects in next year’s local government elections.
"I think if the majority of the DA’s voters, and certainly the polling shows that, are happy we're in the GNU, they want us to stay in the GNU, but they also want us to hold the line on principles, and that's why the VAT issue was so important."
Steenhuisen had high praise for the DA's six government ministers and deputies, saying they’d shown a vigour in key portfolios that had for a long time been lacking in government.