His words stayed with me long afterward and I started a conversation in my head. This is how my writing process starts. I have internal discourse and ask a million questions. All the time.
A government for the people. by the people. In South Africa today we certainly have that. Like all things in life it is not perfect and we have our challenges, but no one can deny that in this 16 years of democratisation, we have come a long way.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) have certainly delivered on their promise to lead the oppressed masses out of slavery to the promised land. Or have they?
Added to the above question there are a few other critical questions we need to ask ourselves as a nation. And let us be honest and frank. On this platform we will not stiffle discourse.
- Have we sold out the ideals of the revolution?
- Are the economic policies of the current administration and the ruling ANC progresive enough to push a developmental and real empowerment agenda?
- Do we have progressive leadership in the ANC that understand and are really interested in a pro-poor agenda?
- Does the ANC still ascribe to a non-racial agenda?
- Does the ANC have on its current executive national structures (NEC &NWC) a leadership that has the political will to enact real change to the lives of the people of South Africa?
- Could the national leadership care what happens in the Western Cape?
- Does COSATU & the SACP have a real voice in the alliance and will they be able to push a leftist agenda to the benefit of the poor?
- Are there really seperation of powers within the tier of the executive?
- Is South Africa becoming a one party state and what effect will this have on a healthy democracy?
- Are the critical/progressive thinkers being silenced within the ruling party?
- Is the rift between rich and poor widening and what impact will this have on the country as a whole?
- Are we allowing a culture of entitlement and patronage at the expense of true economic empowerment?
- How long will we be able to continue on this trajectory, before the centers gives way?
Hard questions but critical ones. The act of revolutionary politics and the business of governance are two diffrent realities. These paradigms are on a collission course in this country and I for one do not know whether we will be able to prevent it.
Perhaps like most things in life what is happening now and what will happen in the future should be. It is the nature of this beast to eat its children. We have seen it happen to so many other African countries post liberation. As South Africans we have always dolled ourselves up and thought ourselves different from the rest of Africa. In fact we pride ourselves that we are not like our neighbours. The sad reality is that we have been showing the symptoms of backsliding for the longest time.
We have told white lies and we have spinned. And we started to believe or own hype.
But before I continue let me state out right, that I am not an Afro Pessimist. I believe in my country and in the continent. I fully comprehend the historical and socio-economic context pre and post colonisation and the legacy that we still have to deal with so many years later...
But please this is no excuse to become like our former colonisers and oppressors.
I asked those criltical questions earlier on because I want people to engage with it. To look at their current disposition and ask, just how far have we come? And where is it that we are headed to with the current leadership holding the political torch for the poor.
While we have empowered millions with our social grant system and created substantial amounts of jobs through the expanded public works programme, something just isn't right.
And here I keep on thinking about a culture of sustainabality. It seems outside of the social grant system, there is no real workable strategy in place to create longer term employment for our people. There are talks on the table about an industrial development programme, but it is just that at the moment.
We know and understand that we had to make hard decisions in terms of the economic policy direction in the early 90's and that this has had an impact on where we find ourselves today, but we did so knwoingly to protect white capital and the rising black elite. So in the name of fiscal prudence and economic growth to attract direct foreign investment, we sold out. But we had to, because the economy we inherited was far from perfect.
It is said that with the recession we lost a total of more than a million jobs, but the powers that be in their wisdom still predicted economic growth. Maybe for the super rich or the rising black wabenzi...But certainly not for the poorest of the poor.
We still have increased levels of gross economic inequality in our society. And all the current leadership can do, is by expensive cars, splurs money on mansions, hotels and accessories. Set them and their family members up in businesess and rape the public sector coffers. Negotiate deals and appear fleetingly to the poor when they need their votes. And every so often have a gathering and hand out food and a tshirt.
This is the current government for the people by the people.
But yet 66% of this nation voted the ANC back into power, with the hope that the Post polokwane savior Jacob Zuma will push the people's agenda. And I was one of those that voted for the ANC.
Certainly he says all the right things. But one gets the idea that he is always punching from the back foot. I am not interested at this time to get involved in a moral debate around our president. Critical as that might be, it has its place in another blog-episode.
The writing is on the walls across the country. We have had sustained service delivery protests across this country for the longest time now. People are growing increasingly impatient with the non delivery of services and election promises. This is the reality. We are sitting on a time bomb as far xenophobic attacks are concerned, with foreing nationals being the most vunerable when these attacks take place.
When have no moral compass when it comes to populist political leadership. Civil Society are treated like the enemey, when this democracy should be embracing these civic structures that are seeking to find a voice in our society.
We have have moved so far from the ideals of the National Democratic Revolution. I often listen in utter disbelieve when I listen to the current leadership giving inputs on issues that affect the lives of our people. The sad reality is that as it is with most orginsations the ANC is not perfect, it has never been. The oldest revolutionary movement on this continent has it flaws.
But I worry when the progressive voices are silenced and you witness the Stalinst purge post Polokwane and no one says anything.
I worry when the left in the alliance are moving to the centre simply in my opinion to pay patronage.
I worry when I see no clear "new" leaders moving to the forefront other than what we have in the ANC at the moment.
I worry when this ANC that I love so much is threatening my basic civil liberties.
I worry when the Malemas' of this world are given the plaftform to do as the wish at the cost of national reconcilliation.
I worry when I see an ugly retrogressive africanist agenda rearing it head and no one is saying anything about it.
I worry for Che who is ten and I worry for the ideals of democracy...
Just a few simple thoughts to get the debate going...
Peace & Love
GAH
(P.S) I still believe in the ideals of the Freedom Charter and what the ANC was born out of. I still believe it is the only organsation that can set my people free. I just don't think that it can achieve that with the current leadership.
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