Comrades,
I am a first time contributor in this forum. On this particular debate
involving ex-President TM, I thought the article by Carl Niehaus in the Star
newspaper of 3 November 2008 and which was entitled "EMPTY CANS MUST NOT
DISTRACT ANC" addressed this matter very well. Read below.
Forward with constructive and frank debating!
Mthimkulu Mashiya
'Empty cans must not distract ANC'
November 03 2008 at 06:18AM
By Carl Niehaus
Nothing is as vicious as a family feud, the saying goes.
At times during the past two weeks I have watched with increasing
incredulity how unpleasant and ugly the divorce between the Shikotas and the
ANC has become.
It is worse for the fact that this whole unseemly affair is devoid of
principle, based as it is on bruised egos and an inability to accept the
ANC's internal democratic processes.
I am a democrat, and I have fought hard and made many sacrifices for our
country to be ruled by a constitution that supports the right of every
citizen to have the freedom of choice and association.
Part of what I and so many cadres in the ANC have fought for is exactly the
right of Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa et al to pack their bags and
move on if they no longer want to be associated with the ANC.
It is their democratic right to have and express opinions, start a new
political party and campaign around the country to get support for it.
We in the ANC may not like what they are doing, but it is a sacred part of
what we fought for.
By the same token, the Shikotas (or whatever they may still decide to call
themselves) have to accept the ANC's right to express its opinion about
their actions.
Surely it tests credulity when they start expressing outrage when ANC
leaders question their claim to be the true custodians of the Freedom
Charter and ask them to substantiate this claim.
It really does not help to start crying foul when it is pointed out that
they do not have a single clear policy position, and that they come to the
nation with empty hands and nothing but seething resentment because they
have democratically been relieved of their previous positions of power
within the ANC.
The howling antics that Lekota displayed at the 702 round-table discussion
last week may attract media attention, but noise is never a substitute for
substance. Once again it is evident that empty cans make the most noise.
The bad habits that Lekota increasingly indulged in while he was chairperson
of the ANC - shouting people down, refusing people the right to speak at
meetings and bulldozing decisions through without allowing proper debate -
led to his removal as chairperson. And they will ultimately become his
undoing in the new party.
I can understand that there is a level of irritation in the ANC that
Lekota's megaphone politics is getting so much media attention, but I don't
think it's a bad thing that the bullying, incompetent Lekota those of us
inside the ANC had to suffer for so long, is now increasingly out there in
the public arena for all to see.
Given enough rope, the "terror" to the ANC will hang himself, and will
become a terror to the new party. Being big on his bruised ego and short on
policies he will, I predict, turn out to be the Achilles' heel of the
vacuous organisation that he and Shilowa are trying to establish.
I am submitting this comment on the day before the start of the national
convention.
It is always dangerous to make predictions about what will happen when one's
predictions will be read after the event with the wisdom of hindsight. But
let me take the risk.
Without the fear of being proved wrong, I know that a lot of noise will
emanate from the Sandton Convention Centre. I am also sure not to be proved
wrong that very little in the form of substantive policies will emerge.
Most likely the venue will be full of people who had been bused in on the
back of all kinds of grievances and perceived ills committed against them by
the ANC.
Because the venue was full, the Shikotas will claim success, and cry foul
when the ANC and critical commentators question the make-up and relevance of
the motley crowd that had been assembled.
It is clear that the politics of expediency - with opposition parties such
as the Democratic Alliance, Independent Democrats and the African Christian
Democratic Party having accepted invitations on no other than basis than
being anti-ANC - will be the order of the day.
Resentment and bitterness may be enough to bring a noisy crowd of "antis"
together, but have never proved to be enough to sustain and provide
substance for a political party. Not in this instance either.
In the same vein, there are elements in the recent letter by Thabo Mbeki to
ANC president Jacob Zuma that seem to be informed more by being miffed and
bitter than by being loyal to the ANC.
Having been a member of the ANC for more than 30 years, I am surprised that
Mbeki, who has been a cadre of the ANC for much longer, seems to think that
the ANC has to ask him about whether he will be available to campaign for
the party for next year's elections.
It has always been my understanding that it is the privilege of every member
of the ANC to do so. Even more so for someone such as Mbeki, whose whole
life has been spent in the ANC, and who had the privilege to serve in the
highest office of state because of having been deployed there by the ANC.
Nowhere in the history and the culture of this ANC have I encountered that
when a particular deployment comes to an end, this means you no longer have
the duty to work for and promote the aims and objectives of the
organisation.
To put it simply, this responsibility comes by virtue of being an ANC
member, and no one should have to be asked or begged to do so.
I was also rather taken aback by his warnings about "the highly noxious
phenomenon of the 'cult of personality'", and the "bureaucratic parasitic
tendency leading to the abuse of state power for self-enrichment".
I can be forgiven for thinking Mbeki made these remarks to describe some of
the worst - and increasingly dominant - characteristics of his tenure as
president.
Obviously, such concerns are valid, and it should be appreciated that they
are raised as issues that should be on the new ANC leadership's agenda, so
that these tendencies can be prevented from becoming entrenched.
I started off by referring to the viciousness of family feuds. When families
split up, the weakest and most vulnerable always suffer the most.
The tragedy of the current conflict is that people who should know better
about why the ANC family is so critical for securing a better life for all
our people - especially the poor - are trying to break up that family not
because they have any better plans on how to serve the people, but because
of personal ambition and bruised egos.
History, and the people of South Africa, will judge them harshly for this
betrayal.
The ANC family - including its alliance partners - must not allow ourselves
to be distracted.
We must stay the course within the clear parameters of our hard-won
democratic constitution.
. Dr Carl Niehaus was a political prisoner for eight-and-a-half years. He
is a former ANC MP and ambassador to the Netherlands. Currently he is deputy
chairperson of the Robben Island Museum Council, and executive director of a
Joburg-based consulting and investment company.
o This article was originally published on page 12 of The Star on
November 03, 2008
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of MISHACK KGWETE
Sent: 06 November 2008 05:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: An Open response to the letter by Thabo
Mbeki
i am sorry my respected leader that i still battle with ur informed
high valued response however i feel i need to clarify this genious
response of ures leader.
Cde TSHEGO I never said that the NEC never sked or should ask CDE TM
to campaign i simply said that there's no need for the NEC TO ask any
leader of the movement to campaign.leaders should just do it they
should know that it's part and parcell of their organizational duty as
members of the organization leader. Do we still exepect lekota to do
election work for the ANC if he's still a member yes although that
would be difficult seeing that he has his work cut out for him by his
convention.do we have to ask cde TM who declared himself a member of
ANC to campaign certainly not its organizational norm and cde TM is no
stranger to this norm,he's no exception.He is expected to carry
oraganizational work untill such a time that he declares himself unfit
to be a member and that my leader is the bottom line.No one should and
no one will ask if CDE TM will be available he will simply be
deployhed if dat suits the NEC and he will work or alternatively he
will reject it and the NEC shall see what to make of his rejection.yes
offcourse he does however needs to be infomred of the decision to
campaign once its being made.my qustion which you my leader fails to
answe horribly is that" does the organization have to ask for
permission from members who join it voluntarily if it could use
volunteers.do we have to ask for volunteers' permission if they could
or can volunteer or not?coz that my infomed leader to me doesn't make
sense.
hope you capture me clearly before u respond my leader.
by the way the ANC is the only organization that can interpert and
bring forth freedom charter principles and as we engage i can only
hope that you are busy doing branch work so we can increase our 2/3
majority.
forward with 90% majority for the ANC FORWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VIVA ANC VIVA!!!!!!!VIVA SACP VIVA!!!!!!!!VIVA COSATU VIVA!!!!!!!!
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