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18 November 2013 Opening Remarks by the COSATU President Comrade Sidumo Dlamini at the 2013 November Central Executive Committee Meeting (Excerpt) With regard to macroeconomic policy the [Alliance] Summit said that "we must take forward, and give concrete meaning, to the Mangaung Resolution that we must "strive for macro-economic balances that support industrialisation, are biased towards job creation . bolster the growth of domestic industrial capacity and in making policy tradeoffs will select those that favour productive sectors of the economy." The Summit went further to set up a task team which was instructed to address itself to this mandate as a matter of priority. Can COSATU in its current state in a position to exploit these possibilities and maximise them for fundamental transformation. Can we work with the SACP to put forward a properly reached proposal on macro-economic policy which may even be considered to the replace the current rejected economic chapter of the National Development Plan? Can we even in the context of our differences say but these are our priorities and work towards finding solutions and alternatives which can put our real class enemies on a back foot? The answer to these burning questions of our times is found on the media statements when we insult each other, the answer is found in the insults that are hurled by some groupings in every gathering against the COSATU president and the plans underway to remove some NOBs because they are seen as standing on the way towards the achievement of some undefined objectives which has nothing to do with the burning questions of our revolution. Drums of War Drums of war are being beaten throughout the night mobilising comrades to war , financial resources have been mobilised for this war, we are told, journalist are being approached with envelopes, given stories to paint this or that leader to plant a seed of doubt to these leaders and to put into question their credibility . There is commitment to a war to remove some individuals who have been defined as enemies because they sit in the ANC NEC and in the SACP Central Committee. When you ask as how could the comrades who have acted in accordance with our political strategy be seen as enemies to a point of seeking to remove them, the answer is that they must be removed! This NOB collective is being threatened that it will be removed; they are being insulted for doing the work for which they were elected. Attempts are being made to deepen divisions amongst the members of the NOB collective So everyone moves to protect his or her space and counter battles get waged in the night and in the open day light in marches when the office of the president of COSATU gets dragged down in the mud because the person currently occupying that office dares to stand up and defended the constitution and the integrity of the policies of COSATU. No the most immediate task which must be undertaken is not to confront finance capital and the monopoly capital as our principal enemy; it is not to table alternatives macro - economic policies. Instead the most immediate task is for comrades to maintain their so called "names" build over the years through sacrifices. So this becomes a new struggle to which resources are deployed to wage war against this or that comrade who is tarnishing their egos when everyone fears them , how dare can he or she not fear us like the rest who fear us. Our organisations are being dragged into battles to protect egos of individual comrades. In the course of the CEC I will present a report on our preparations towards the Special Congress and I have already seen a letter addressed to me but sent to all including staff members and affiliates and its central message is that there is an intention to get a new convenor to prepare towards the Special Congress. It is as if the Special Congress will deliver Socialism and the President is standing on the way to Socialism! When I present the report the CEC will have to make its own mind about it. Comrades, as the NOB collective we are concern about how the organisation is being held into ransom about executing its own policies. Let COSATU implement its own policies free from any pressure to accommodate and bend our laws to suit individuals. Some in this NOB collective have now developed a thick skin against insults being hurled at us and those who sit in hotels and burn the midnight oil setting up groupings that must come to meetings and in marches to hurl insults and destroy property must change their strategy. If the intention is to remove us, please know that we are here to stay and we will complete our term of office! NUMSA Comrades we are equally concern that when we see possibilities opening up in many fronts making it less difficult for us to advance a Socialist agenda; we hear unions such as NUMSA contemplating a possibility of moving out of COSATU and moving out of the Alliance. We are concern about this because we have always understood advancing a class struggle within the context of an international and domestic balance of forces where capitalism is dominant will require resilience and a political stamina which does not include retreating out of our political strategy to contest for the political space within and outside of the Alliance. We are trying to understand as to why is NUMSA coming up with these proposals when we have just been in the 5th Central Committee and later in our 11th National Congress where these matters wee comprehensively considered. Even before NUMSA went public about what these considerations we have been observing a conduct from our union which was beginning to give signal the union is independent from any resolutions and decisions taken by the federation and will only support those which favour them. So when the union made a public announcement about what it was contemplating , including soughing a mandate whether it should remain or continue to be in COSATU and to be in the Alliance, this could not be divorced from its public posture which appeared to be that of replacing its role to that of a federation. We have seen how of late NUMSA has adopted a conduct of saying to hell with the CEC decisions, if the union fails to have its views supported in the constitutional structures they simply make a media statement and directly negate the federations position and policies and where they agree with a position black mail everyone as not being willing to implement those decisions and this is done in the open, in media statements and in press conferences. It is even difficult not to place the call for a Special Congress within this context of an intention to drive the federation away from its course to a path that suits the agenda of NUMSA as a singular union. So the most immediate response is that NUMSA's approach is wrong and that the union is using its status as a majority union wrongly. To think that at the verge of an election campaign and in the context of the current domestic and international balance of forces there can be an acceptance of a right about turn on political strategy is ideologically flawed, adventurous and un-strategic. But as the NOBs collective we also remain with a view that NUMSA must be given a chance to explain itself in the CEC or in any of our constitutional bodies. We want to engage NUMSA here in this boardroom and not to expose each other in the glare of the media and our class adversaries. -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . 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