On Democracy, Gatekeepers and Wickets...

Financial Curve Balls

I just did some basic arithmetic. It cost the ANC R12,500 per person to host their 4-day Policy Conference at Gallagher Estate in June - pretty cheap compared to corporate events. The ANC pays for accommodation, meals and transport of delegates from various parts of the country.

The conference is funded partly by "generous donations", a token payment by delegates and the ANC’s “progressive business forum” coordinated by Daryl Swanepoel . While outside in the sun, adjacent to the luxury sedans, ordinary rural vendors make do with selling ANC merchandise .

About 5 000 delegates are expected to attend the party's elective conference in Mangaung in December. What caught my attention, was that, when this political party spends money on a get-together, they pay their bills in cash.

The ANC is a political party, who happens to be ruling i.e. Government. On average, when  our government pays service providers - mostly using taxpayers' money (which are arguably the voting citizens of the country who endorse them) - no matter whether you're a large corporate or SME, you only get paid after about 60 days, if that. 

Happiness is...

FutureFact recently found that 76% of LSMs 2-4 and 61% of LSMs 5-6 (the bulk of our population) do not have any friends from other racial groups – a proxy for determining social cohesion and integration. It would seem we're integrating, but alongside each other - not with each other.

My view? Although the Washington post considers happiness risky, it seems to be what the ruling party is after. Although happiness in the developed world is linked to either financial prosperity, enough leisure time or being thin and living long, to each country their own - and especially so, in Africa - where sunshine can draw wider smiles on our faces. 

But if the ANC wants to draw its reference framework around what Colonialism did to bugger things up, its number one starting point would be to determine WHAT WORKED FOR SOUTH AFRICANS pre-Colonialism, and to aspire to return citizens to that state - albeit in a modern context. Right?

What we Still need to Learn

Reviewing the ANC's 4th National Policy Conference recommendations, some of these astounded me. Because of how blatantly they have been ignored (and transgressed) since June 2012 - by the highest cadres of ANC leadership. And by the fact that they are still under discussion (and not seen as common sense non-negotiables since the onset of the ANC's rule over South Africa):

• More urgent steps should be taken to protect the image of the organi­sation and enhance its standing in society by ensuring that urgent action is taken to deal with public officials, leaders and members of the ANC who face damaging allegations of im­proper conduct.
•  In addition, mea­sures should be put in place to prevent abuse of power or office for private gain or factional inter­ests. The ANC can no longer allow prolonged processes that damage its integrity. 
• The ANC veterans and former combatant of MK should be de­ployed in the programme of rolling out the political education cadre­ship development programme. Say, what ?
• The ANC members who are found guilty of wrongdoing in other insti­tutions of society should also be subjected to internal disciplinary processes in line with the ANC Code of Conduct. This will send an unambiguous message in society that the ANC does not tolerate any wrongdoing, including corruption, among its members. 
• Public funding (READ: TAXES) should be expand­ed in order to promote and support democracy. Such funding will be accompanied by full financial ac­countability and transparency by political parties, including regula­tion of private financing of political parties. So if I pay a tax to promote democracy - how do I review how it is applied?
• The ANC should participate in the economy, through various activi­ties such as setting up business to provide goods and services as well as building an investment portfolio. Regulation of party-linked invest­ment vehicles should also be intro­duced to avoid conflict of interest, which will result in compromising the integrity of the movement. How to move towards a communist state with good corporate governance 101...
• All ANC members who earn an in­come should contribute equitably to the movement by paying a levy, according to their ability. This, I guess, on top of PAYE?
  
• Foreign funding should be permit­ted, but must be regulated to avoid abuse and manipulation by exter­nal forces in the political affairs of our country. Show me a country where THAT worked for citizens!
• All financial donations made to the organisation should be deposited into the bank accounting to elimi­nate abuse and that fund raising should be limited to those who are authorised to so. And we only realise this NOW?
• The NEC should to address the problem of high bank charges from FNB, including a possibility to use the Postbank. Now let's see how long their bank fees stay down!

Colonialism of a "special type"

After agreeing among themselves that significant progress has been achieved, our ruling party goes on to blame "the structural legacy of apartheid colonialism and patriarchy" for unemployment, poverty and inequality.

In reviewing the last 18 years, they unequivocally confirm that 1994 was the decisive departure point from a colonial system spanning over three centuries. According to the ANC, current National Democratic Transformation successes include:

a. democratic, non-racial and non-sexist political order; (I guess calling an opposition deployment the Madam's tea lady is OK, then)
b. democratic rights for all citizens and the establishment of vibrant institutions;
c. Constitution that promotes consistent equality and encompasses first, second and third generation rights; (what are third generation rights - anyone?...)
d. basic needs programmes (housing, roads, access to electricity, sanitation, water);
e. integration of security forces and improving access to the criminal justice system;
f. empowering women and transforming gender relations;
g. access to health care;
h. social wage and social policy to alleviate poverty;
i. developing human resources through education and skills;
j. economic transformation for growth and job creation after decades of stagnation;
k. participatory democracy; and
l. a better Africa and world.
 
OK... very well then. But right after this, the document switches tack to blame Colonialism of a Special Type (including patriarchy) for ALL OF THE FOLLOWING failures to deliver the above-stated "successes" to the people (not just a well-connected few):

• The colonial, racist and sexist structure and character of our economy;
•  the spatial and gender patterns of development and underdevelopment;
•  the social, human resources and infrastructure backlogs.

[INTERLUDE]

Would it surprise the crafters of this fine (albeit devoid of a SUB-EDITOR) document to take into account that these very same inequalities existed in the countries that these "colonialists" more often than not fled from 300 years ago? 

My predecessors fled religious persecution in France (see an Irish account if you need more), and again to Argentina during the Second Anglo-Boer War. I have in my possession a typed-up account by my great-great grandmother (at the age of 94) of her time in St Helena and conditions leading to the family's forced flight to Argentina, because the British forces kept destroying their Free State farm. Coincidentally, these were the people who stood up against absolute government, believing individuals could establish their own salvation - not the state.

I'd go as far as to say, the main benefactors of 'South Africa' were the Dutch East India Company (not surprisingly, also London-based today) and British Empire, and their 'cadres' - not so much the settlers...

It may benefit the authors to take into account that these social ills were first spawned in the first city-states of Mesopotamia - "the cradle of civilisation" back in 3100BC - to spread across the global village as we know it today. And look at Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey today...

CURTAIN DRAW

 

The ANC policy document goes further to say that:

"The constraints during the first 18 years of a negotiated settlement meant that we were not always able to introduce the required changes in order to rapidly eradicate this legacy. Whilst we made progress in transforming the state in terms of its representativity, orientation and its role, we continue to have challenges of state capacity, the orientation of the public service and our capacity to effectively implement our policies, thus impacting on our ability to decisively effect broader social and economic transformation."

WOW. Am I to understand that:

• ...the rule of the ANC today is still a "negotiated settlement" with "colonialism of a special type" secretly pulling the strings (purse or other)?
• ...although our current Government has TRIPLED IN NUMBERS from what it was pre-1994, they do not have capacity to implement THEIR OWN adopted policies?

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black (no pun intended).
Now we actually get to the part that inspired me to set everything else aside in order to write this heart-felt blog posting:

Still under the heading The Persistent Legacy of Colonialism of a Special Type (including patriarchy), our ruling party blames colonialism for:

1. "New expressions of corruption and greed, which not only result in the wastage of public resources, but also undermine confidence of our people in government and in our movement."

2. The challenge of the unity and cohesion of the ANC and the Alliance, impacting not only on its ability to mobilise and organise the motive forces in transformation, and therefore on the pace of transformation. 

If I look back at what would have made my predecessors happy 300 years ago (as they certainly weren't happy at the time), it would have been AUTONOMY FROM AN OVER-BEARING STATE. I believe the same desire still stands. 

And so, I rest my (brief) case.