Back in the struggle days, delineations were political. The regime stood for racism; the white opposition for deracialised capitalism. There were the black consciousness people, the non-racial ANC, the workerists in the unions, and the commies who believed in delaying socialist revolution for a national democratic one. Politics was easy to explain.
But it’s been hard in the past three years to discern any such ideological trends behind the shenanigans around the succession contest.
Yes, it’s not insignificant that the unions don’t like the Mbeki-Manuel-Mboweni economic policies. Likewise, the communists.
They do fancy Jacob Zuma — but this is a person who has given not a single indication that he stands for anything different to the MMM axis. And within the “left”, there’s also an unseemly tiff over the whereabouts of dubious donations. Money, it seems, is stealing a march on historical materialism. Which makes one wonder: Does their position have anything to do with ideological principles?
The ANC Youth League also likes JZ — but this is a formation whose only problem with the government’s economic policy is that its generation wants in on the capitalist spoils hitherto concentrated among the usual suspects in the BEE elite. It’s not like its position is based on any different ideology to Mbeki’s.
What this suggests is that the existing political camps have little to do with principle and ideological perspective. Instead, they have everything to do with aspirations and grievances far narrower than different underlying class or race interests. But if current groupings are then based on opportunistic allegiance, such shifting sands could see relatively easy realignment.
Further, if present politics is effectively detached from ideological differences, then we’re reduced to a less than glamorous spectacle of a squabble among self-interested “pragmatic” elites. It means we can’t look to Marxist analysis to explain today’s politicos — it’s more like Michels’s Iron Law of Oligarchy. Ouch.
one common mistake we are doing is to think that the policies of the country are determine by one, if it has happen in the past surely it was wrong, therefore it is fundementall incorrect to expect JZ to come u with his own economic policies, because it is not his organisation, another thing is that he is not bigger than the organisation, therefore any leader should be lead by what the organisation he is representing expect him to deliver, we also need to take in to cognisence that JZ was once the MEC for finance in KZN before he was appointed the deputy president of the country, therrefore it is just a misleading statement that JZ is not economically clued up, unless we want to say he must be an imposible leader withot consulting the organisation, his economic policies is a matter of the organisation(anc) amandlaaa…….
I have to say that i agree with you Guy, our country is run by an elite – both black and white – to benefit their own interests. I was born in 1987 so almost all of what i learnt of our nations past was in a schooling system whose syllabus was determined by the current regime. And i learnt of the herioc struglles of people in defiance of an oppressive fascist minority but i have to say that today, i see none of that defiance. Our population has become completely depoliticised, it seems as though we no longer feel we have a right to challenge the decisions of our government. Sure we read and write about it but why haven’t we done anything about it? Why are they still in power? A likely factor is simply voter apathy, far too many many people take a backseat in the voting process (which is the only time we have an oppotunity to really influence our country’s poltics). What i feel our country really needs is a new, competent political party that is not defined along racial lines. I believe the only way we will ever see real improvement, at the grassroots level like where i live in the Eastern Cape is if we have an opposition. The ANC has become too comfortable and no longer seem to feel as though they need to act in the interests of the people to retain power. One method i’ve come across to determine if a nation is democratic is to see if more than two political parties have been in power (or that the first party to be voted in is then voted in again after a second party gained authority). This method makes sense to me as it clearly shows that the public has had a direct influnce on who is in power. So if you are correct Guy, and i really think you are, South Africa is in for a pretty grim future. If people had a viable alternative, a party which wasn’t only opposition but something new to believe in surely things would change? It’s like business: if someone is failing to do their job then they should be fired. But it’s futile firing someone if there is no-one to replace them. A strong opposition will lead to competition which i can honestly say i see being a bad thing. Living in a democratic state should mean that we get to decide who decides. As our current president said at the last elections, “The politicians have been doing a lot of talking…it’s now time for the people to speak”
Ummm…small typo, i meant that i can’t see competition being a bad thing. Small mistake, big implication.
On the question of JZ and economic policy, I don’t see any clear ideological difference to the current government. So, you have to ask yourself then – what is the spat about? Power for power’s sake?
On the question of a “grim future” – well, let’s just say it’s grimy! In other words, we’ve forsaken the politics of principle (based on ideology), in favour of a tacky quest for political self-interest. Maybe that just means South Africa has become “normal” – but we’d hoped for better. And I haven’t given up that hope. Yet.
The ideiology isuue.. you are so correct Guy… just add… the SACP for example I used to think they were communists .What i have noticed is that the communists are hiding behind the tripartite alliance.Like a little kid holding on to his mother’s dress from behind while insulting others knowing that no matter what he will always be protected.The question that arises is whether they know deep down in their hearts that the chances of communism working on its own are slim…