Liam Jacobs in his own words: ‘Why I flip-flopped from DA to PA and back to the DA’

Liam Jacobs who spectacularly left the DA to join the PA has explained why he has rejoined the DA. Many will ask, “Why come back now?” “You are a flip-flopper”, and so on. Well, the fact is: I should NEVER have left the DA in the first place.

I believed Gayton. I believed the PA promises. I admit, I made a mistake.

Despite this, I am deeply aware of what the DA has done for me. It was the DA who took a young activist from the Northern Cape, developed him in Gauteng, and seated him in the National Assembly at only twenty-three years of age. The DA believed in my potential.

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I wholeheartedly apologise to DA voters, leadership, public reps, activists and staff for causing harm to the party, leaving in such a distasteful manner and for the lack of gratitude I showed towards the DA. I do not expect forgiveness immediately. I understand that trust must be earned again, and I am committed to rebuilding it through my actions.

As the months rolled on during my time at the PA, I saw behind the curtain. I witnessed the culture, the people and the focus of a party that explicitly contravenes my values. I reflected on who I was as a person and what I want to contribute to society.

During this period of reflection, I realised that the DA is the party my values align with. It is the only party that has the track record and capability of uniting the country and actually working for its citizens. Last week’s historic by-election win by the DA of a township ward in Emfuleni, shows that the DA is a party that is not driven by slogans en lekker tye, but by the values and vision of delivering for all South Africans. When Gayton McKenzie offered me a return to Parliament, my values could not allow me to return as a PA MP.

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