Submitted by Anthea Garman
As a result of chairing 10 Winter School talks (at this point) I’ve started to feel a growing a sense of urgency about being a South African, a citizen and a member of a civil society in need of revival.
Just to give you a sense of what’s being said at this year’s National Arts Festival talking space:
On Friday, Clem Sunter (consummate speaker, scenario planner and future weaver) gave us an insight into his 2006 trip to China to meet Politburo members and the Central Party School. He and colleague Chantell Ilbury took the Chinese leaders through the scenario-planning exercise they use.
While you can consult Sunter’s website for the fascinating responses, what struck me was his closing remarks about this country. Basically, South Africa’s present leadership is squandering the goodwill and standing this country had in the world post-1994. But more than that, he sees us rapidly descending to “failed state” status. This is where we land up perhaps being “poor but peaceful” but certainly without the capacity to give all South Africans a better life. What is needed, concludes Clem, is “inspirational leadership” that:
- understands the international game being played (especially in relation to China, which has declared its particular interests in Africa’s resources);
- motivates everybody (it is critical that we regain the sense of inclusion and that every South African is proud to be one);
- holds those in power accountable and fires the incompetent; and
- fixes the problems and doesn’t endlessly analyse them.
So that was round one.
Second was Ashwin Desai (author of the recent Inside Indenture) reminding us that globalisation in the form of Fifa and the 2010 World Cup just might bite us hard. Fifa will win, but who will lose? (And Desai, an ardent beautiful game fan, is not sure that even the players and the fans will get what they want — see Thandanani Mhlanga’s blog on Desai’s talk.)
Third was Jody Kollapen, chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, taking stock of how little progress we’ve made in internalising human rights, how little progress we’ve made towards that lofty and important goal that “South Africa belongs to all who live here”.
Fourth was Dr Abdulkader Tayob talking in very nuanced and textured ways about the 300 years that the Muslim communities of South Africa have negotiated life here and engaged in various forms of politics, and hearing him carefully push his questioners to think more thoroughly about their black-and-white opinions and to be more willing to understand the complexities of Islamic ideas and thinking.
Fifth was author and journalist Darryl Accone talking about the recent high court ruling that South African-born Chinese now count as “coloured” for the purposes of redress. Accone called the minister of labour’s reaction to this ruling hate speech and said it was extraordinary that a government official could express such ignorant statements in public.
And finally, and sixth on my list, former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein’s damning account of the arms-deal finagle that saw taxpayer money not only going into certain individual’s pockets but also enabling the ANC to hire an American PR machine to help it win the 1999 election.
Feinstein said he wouldn’t be returning to South Africa as a resident (he’s now in London working with the British Serious Fraud Office on arms dealing all over the world) until this mess was investigated, and he didn’t think either Thabo Mbeki or Jacob Zuma had the moral integrity to lead either the ANC or the country. “Is this the party of Luthuli, Tambo and Mandela?” he asked.
Many of these speakers urged those attending the Winter School to become again the civil society we once knew in this country: loud, outspoken, demanding of accountability, direct about our needs and expectations.
So, I conclude, the years of legitimate government have lulled us into a silence. Now that we see around us very significant signs of danger, we know (from past experience) that we — the ordinary citizens — have the power of speech and disagreement and that we should use this power.
I resolve from now on to end my silence. And to assert: I’m a South African, I belong here, this is my government and my country and there are certain things I do not want done in my name. I resolve to talk, to start conversations, to listen, to seek to understand and to do the work to get into and through complexity and complication. But I don’t think this country is being served any longer by those of us just watching events unfold.
Anthea Garman is the Winter School coordinator for the National Arts Festival
Politicians are by default self serving individuals who thrive on power. The only feasible recourse for the average man is through the voting mechanism.
Unfortunately we do not have much credible opposition within our political system, so our politicians do pretty much whatever they want.
The only way to control a politician, is to only vote for the ones who are prepared to represent what you want. Unfortunately this is an ideal democratic scenario. In our country we do not really have the platform to engage with our politicians to this degree. For democracy to work, this principal needs to be in effect.
Unfortunately the global trend has been away from this. So what we really need is to examine the institution of democracy itself in its current form, because obviously it is no longer working successfully. Democracy as we know it is no longer an effective means to represent the will of the people. We need Democracy 2, where people can instantaneously vote electronically on ALL issues, and matters relating to the governance.
The wool has been pulled over our eyes. In a true democracy, the country belongs to the citizens, and the elected officials are there to enforce the will of the people. The so called democracy that has been imposed upon us today, has ‘leaders’ imposing on us whatever they want in the name of national interest and security.
A new revolution is brewing in the undercurrents of social awareness. The new struggle will be between this new awareness and the global fascism that is beginning to rear its ugly head everywhere, including in South Africa (read about the current ANCYL conference on M&G).
Freedom of speech is our most important personal “asset” and we should all use it to ensure that our reasonable views become a sustained part of the public debate.
1. Clem Sunter – or we could end up in a warzone like Zim;
2. Ashwin Desai – see Fifa’s “Plan B” to host 2010;
3. Kollapen/”South Africa belongs to all who live here”” – Really” Explain BEE/AA please.
4. Dr Abdulkader Tayob – how much have the communities in question integrated with broader society? Have they denounced violence as a means to an end, e.g. the intifada?
5. Darryl Accone – if you ain’t black, it would appear that you ain’t welcome;
6. Andrew Feinstein – gone, along with many like him. He should be reminded that white commentators safely ensconced in the “1st World” are not allowed to comment on “African” matters.
“[B]ecome again the civil society we once knew ”
Sorry, civil society is fractured, marginalised, non-representative, ignored and, dare I say it, “racist” if it dares criticize the “leaders”.
The ANC was a liberation movement to be proud of. Now its name is all that remains – in the hands of a bunch of thugs.
VOTE THEM OUT!
If Zimbabwe can do it – so can we!
Anthea – You simply state the obvious. We know that there is a critical lack of leadership in the country, we know that 1994 goodwill is being squandered. What do you suggest we do about it aside from “stand up and be a citizen”? It’s all good and well throwing patriotic cliches around, but essentially that amounts to nothing, no better than a dog chasing it’s tale. Suggest a concrete action plan for resolving our issues and then you will be doing something constructive about the state of the country.
Lyndall – Zimbabwe did squat – Mad Bob is still waving his sceptre.
Who would we vote for? The pathetic little wet ends of an opposition? there is no one left to vote for. My DA vote is not a vote FOR the opposition, but rather a vote AGAINST the ANC.
Who in this country has a political platform based on solid policies? micky Mouse, thats who. And the Tooth Fairy.
The ANC has a voter base based on personality, not policy, the DA only has one policy – disagree with everything ANC, and as for the rest, all I know about the IFP is that it has a policy of long speeches, the ID is one woman, a dog and a fax machine (In my opinion neither Independent nor Democratic), the FF+ would be funny if they were not so sad, and the rest a bunch of also-rans and never-were’s.
Give me somone to vote for, please!!!
Great analysis, and great sentiments – thank you Anthea Garman.
For a suggested solution to some of the problems raised, please have a look at my new posting called “Mzansi fo sho” on http://sketchesbyboz37.blogspot.com/
Gerry
Vote for an opposition party – ANY one. ALL their policies are more democratic than the ANC, and they are in agreement on all the main issues – Scorpions, crime, trnasparency, accountability etc etc.
What bugs me most is the ANC claim that 70% of the people voted for them. 36% of the people did not vote last election. Only 64% of the population voted. That means that the ANC got 70% of 64% of the vote. IF everyone would vote and vote with their conscience we might get an opposition co-elition government, not another Zanu-PF which the ANC is fast becoming.
The 2009 election will be our last chance.
Evaporation of goodwill post 1994? I’m on an extended trip abroad & have been purchasing the Irish Times daily. The Zim issue and Mbeki’s part has been well aired, the letters page has provided the ANC with an ongoing roasting. The free world is aghast – Goodwill has been truly vaporised.
The post anti apartheid free world campaigners of old are aghast at what the ANC government has come to stand for!
@ ThembaB – I totally concur . Why is it that citizens are always called “to take a stance?” Does anybody actually truly believe the government listens to its citizens?
Anthea – sorry to burst your bubble, but ordinary citizens like us that want the country to succeed are meaningless to the government. Do you really believe they care about what we want?