Harry Truman, who was sworn in as the US’s 33rd president on April 12, 1945, and had to deal with the aftermath of World War II, had this to say about his career choices: “My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”
The then-deputy president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, said: “At times, parliamentary debates bear no difference from those of a beer hall.”
What then could be the role of the Principles of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (Uncepa) and statistical evidence in this rather murky world of politics that have the same difference as a whorehouse or a beerhall?
To this end, the article by Yacoob Abba Omar (Business Day, March 27), titled, “Melange of manifestos, but no easy walk to economic freedom”, is timely. It says political parties make lofty promises
