[YCLSA Discussion] Re: Fwd: [COSATU Press] COSATU says No to ministers' expensive cars

[Dominic Tweedie]

Rosa Luxemburg, responding in 1900 (in “Reform or Revolution”) to Eduard Bernstein’s 1899 book “Evolutionary Socialism”, wrote that Bernstein had done the world a favour, because not only had he for the first time openly made a virtue of class-collaboration, but he had also said everything that could possibly be said in its favour, which Luxemburg quickly disposed of. Subsequent history has proved Luxemburg correct about Bernstein, the prophet of reformism.   In his “The State and Revolution”, in 1917, Lenin also took Bernstein’s renegade work as a reference point, but in addition remarked that the “opportunists” (that is the reformists; the class-collaborationists; the liberals) are the “twin brothers” of the “anarchists” (that is, the petty-bourgeois ultra-lefts). This, too has always proved to be the case, and is once again shown to be true in South Africa’s new liberal/anarchist “car wars” brouhaha.   Long before Lenin and Luxemburg, Karl Marx had noted that every bourgeois is ready to take up the cry for cheap government, while at the same time wanting to use the state to the maximum for tenders and contracts, and caring nothing for the hypocrisy of shouting for both of these contradictory demands at the same time. That has not changed, either.   All of this can be clearly seen in the “car wars” episode.   Some of our reformists on this forum, and no doubt the reformists in COSATU, as well, think that having legitimised the DA’s liberal argument, and having thereby opened a Pandora’s box, they can seize upon the last remaining pestilence – hope – and thereby wish away the ills that they have unleashed.   But they will not be able to wish these ills away. Instead, this monster is going to grow, and it will overshadow all their other efforts in the bourgeois public realm, including the COSATU Congress as a whole, unless they are exceedingly lucky. And why should the DA let them have that luck?   Our resident anarchist, Claire Ceruti, is also caught in a pact with the liberal DA devil, in exactly way that Lenin predicted for all such anarchists. “Too much!” she scolds, echoing the DA.   Now it only remains for the DA to press the button again, and Ceruti is forced to support them again. Sure enough, the very next day, the DA does just that, and the bourgeois media amplifies the cry. Now there are letters, op-eds, and Zapiro, and dozens of reporters are out looking for new ways to denounce government expenditure of all kinds.   For our reformists and anarchists there is no controllable end to this, comrades. They have made a tacit pact with the devil and they must now go on a devil’s ride to hell.   The right wing is not going to leave this alone. The end of the matter, as Rosa Luxemburg noted, is only one: revolution. Until then, there are two kinds of people in this political world. There are the falsely-moralising liberals and anarchists on the one side, and there are the communists on the other.   As communists we are used to being told to apologise for existing. There has never been a time when we did not have this nonsense thrown at us.   The people who have been most perceptive in this YCLSA discussion are Lucky Masuku and before him, Samson Zondi, who wrote: The Defense for the GS equals the Defense of the Working Class Struggle!   That is correct, and it is vital that the defence of the working class struggle gets into gear now, and does not slacken again at any time between now and Christmas.   May we be victorious again in Polokwane! Down with the opportunists and the anarchists! The struggle continues!   VC     LUCKY MASUKU wrote: Cadres   You see, the manner in which some of us think leaves a lot to be desired, I honestly think that some of us are not either honest or objective when discussing this matter, in the first place you must really ask yourself as to how did this matter link into the media and beyond that wether the were any wrong doing by the department concern in purchasing the car.   beforre you actually give names to our own senior leaders, for you information the minister does not buy any car rather the beaurocrats are the one responsible for that, and this is indeed done in line with the ministerial handbook, I think the department concern has clarified this issue as to the processes that unfolded. it must be noted that the department followed all the procedure in the of the PFMA in terms of ensuring that our communist leader is indeed safe,   The recession did not at any stage thaught us that we must infact compromise the life of our leaders in the interest saving. the life of the state leaders in any countries are being put first hence they are provided with VIP security 24 hrs and their houses are also secured by VIP security, this is the responsibilty of every state in the world. it is strange that our own so called communist would have the problem when a department chooses to ensure that as per the guidelines of the ministerial handbook, its minister is provided with a safe and reliable car, that will ensure that he execute his duties without any technical problem from the vehicle, hence this cars are put a blue light.   You see, the greatest enemy of the National Democratic Revolution is infact our own comrade, this comrade infact do not have any argument with regard to the car, infact they want to raise their own dissatisfaction of the SG being deployed by the ANC to the government and this are people who works day a night and try their best to destroy our own progressive cadres within the movement,   The issue of the SG being deployed in governement its a Party issue and not for this forum, this cadres if they are members of the party and they have a problem with that, they must raise their dissatisfaction to their branches, rather try and deal with character assassination here,   infact this cadres if they are indeed progressive cadres, they should have been discussing as to how best can we support the office of the SG in the COSATU House so as to ensure that the work of the party continues, for their iformation, that office has been thus far stregthen to merely deal with their concern.   while we acknowledge that this is the constitutional matter but as communist, we would one day want to see the SACP leading the South African State, are we saying that when we reach that stage we must have two centred of powers, NO! i do not think so leaders,   infact we were supposed to be proctecting the SG against this tendencies of the special type which has started again, because honestly that is not the SG car rather its  a Government car.   Amandla   --- On Thu, 9/10/09, Mamphekgo,Steve (GPDPR) <steve.mamphe...@gauteng.gov.za> wrote: From: Mamphekgo,Steve (GPDPR) <steve.mamphe...@gauteng.gov.za> Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: Fwd: [COSATU Press] COSATU says No to ministers' expensive cars To: yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com Date: Thursday, September 10, 2009, 12:44 PM Mxo, u r correct mchana. I think our comrades (Cabinet Ministers) must lead by example. There is no excuse for our own trusted comrades to fall into the bourgeoisie tendencies of fancy cars and lavish lifestyles, whilst our people are trapped in abject poverty. Comrades must just swallow their pride and take those cars back. COSATU is correct, whether the DA shares the same views or not, by making a public call for the return of the fancy cars. Comrades shouldn't have, in the first place, behaved in an unbecoming manner that will have most of our people sharing the same views with the reactionaries elements such as the DA. But we just can't condone these actions on the basis that we are afraid of finding ourselves sharing the same views with the DA. We know for the fact that ours, as progressive revolutionaries, is a principled matter we are raising, whilst the opposition is just being opportunistic as usual. But I blame our comrades for having allowed the DA and other reactionary forces space to make noise. Let them take back those cars, finish and klaar. We are not going to be black-mailed into defending the wrongs just because they were committed by our own comrades. As communists we are fighting against societal inequalities, we are fighting for a just world and ensuring that everybody meets his/her basic needs, not luxuries. Let the ministers also do with what is basic to necessitate them to execute their responsibilities. -----Original Message----- From: yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com [mailto:yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mxolisi Mlatha Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:08 AM To: yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: Fwd: [COSATU Press] COSATU says No to ministers' expensive cars Comrades The issue of cars has now become such a big public issue for Ministers. One cannot phathom the indiscretion on the part of some of our comrades who continue to order expensive cars. Let our comrades be brave and return the cars, we need to encourage modest expenditure. Mxolisi --- Sent from UnionMail Service [http://mail.union.org.za] Disclaimer: This message may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secured or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. The Gauteng Provincial Government does not take responsibility for Gauteng Provincial Government users' personal views. 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