ANC Membership - Part 2 : Is this the beginning of the Quadratite Alliance?

Note to the loyal reader: This is a sequal to Bayanda's ANC Membership - Part 1. He might write Part 3, but we have agreed that I write Part 2.

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The bubble, that has been inflating for some time, have burst. Cde Lekota et al are going to form a new political party in a few weeks (he said 2 to 3 or 4 weeks).

As I a member of the ANCYL and ANC this is the account of what I make of Cde Lekota's announcement today.

Cde Lekota has been a member of the ANC for many years. Serving, recently, as its National Chairperson and deployee to government as Defence Minister. From the this I can safely deduce that he subscribes to the Freedom Charter, the ANC Strategy and Tactics, the RDP and other related documents outlining the policy positions of our movement. The same applies to most of his associates.

[For convenience please allow me to name the new party the National Congress of Africa (NCA)]

How then is the NCA going to be different from the ANC. Cde Lekota et al point the following as reasons for leaving the ANC;

1. Opposition to the purge of dissidents (the recall of premiers and/or RSA President).
2. Opposition to singing of revolutionary songs advocating violence (Umshini wami).
3. Opposition to certain statements by President Malema of the ANCYL ("Kill for Zuma").
4. Opposition to a proposal of a political solution to the State vs JZ case.
5. Opposition to insults/threats hurled at courts and other institutions supporting democracy.
6. On the basis of the above Cde Lekota et al believe the current leadership is leading the ANC further away from its adopted policies and programmes.

Here I do not wish to argue the merits or demerits of these issues. I think these beliefs are so embedded in Lekota et al in the same way that Bayanda believes in Catholic Church. Trying to argue these issues away from them would be a waste of time at this stage (or I could leave it for Part 3).

I believe, besides the matters listed above, Cde Lekota et al agree with all the other ANC policies and programmes.

As I grew in the ANC, I learned about the Tripartite Alliance. I was told that the ANC, SACP, Cosatu and SANCO are all autonomous organisations with different constitutions. I was told that they in an Alliance to defeat the Apartheid regime and transform South Africa into a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.

I was also told that the Freedom Charter is the glue that holds the Alliance together and that any organisation that adopts the Freedom Charter as its guiding document can be accepted in the fold of the Mass Democratic Movement. This is the reason why SASCO, launched on 6 September 1991, is part of the Alliance even though it an autonomous organisation.

Cde Lekota et al's NCA would most probably adopt the Freedom Charter and other ANC documents as a guide to their transformation programme. Unfortunately for them, they do not have the formal support of the ANC Alliance partners even though they may tap in to the likes of Jaras, Dexters and Madishas of this world.

This leads me to believe that the NCA, at its first Convention/Congress, can decide to be part of the Tripartite Alliance thereby extending the alliance to become a Quadritite Alliance. They can either support an Alliance Pact like Cosatu to have a quota in deployments or swell the ranks of the ANC like the SACP in order to get deployment. I know Lekota mumbled something to the effect that they will constest the elections. I think he did not mean that literally. He is not that stupid.

In any case the NCA will have to draft a Manifesto is it wanted to stand alone. Its manifesto will have to claim the successes of the ANC government just like the ANC manifesto will be. The NCA Manifesto will have to promise the same things as the ANC manifesto. The 6 points of difference with the ANC are not enough to draft a parallel manifesto.

The NCA's alliance into the Quadritite Alliance will help it attract more ANC members who might grow disatisfied with certain things over time. When the NCA accumulates enough muscle in about 2044 it can then propose the realignement of the Alliance to have NCA leading the Alliance instead of the ANC, that is if the SACP had not succeeded in doing that by that time.

Article G of the ANCYL constitution which talks about membership, in subsection 6, says;

"6. Dual or multiple membership by individuals shall be welcome provided the policies and programmes of those organisations to which they belong or may wish to belong, are not hostile to those of the ANCYL." (http://www.e-tools.co.za/anc/youth/documents/constitution/constitution2004a.pdf)

My view is that the policies and programmes of NCA are not going to be hostile to those of the ANCYL. I am looking forward to joining this new organisation while maintaing my membership of the ANC. I do not agree with the 6 reasons for Lekota et al departure, but I think I can help them inside their new party to realise their mistake and repent.

I just hope that I won't be refused membership by the new party on the basis of having different views. I hope I won't be purged once I am a member and I express my views in public about us (the new party) not standing for elections but instead become part of the Quadritite Alliance.

Eventually this Quadritite Alliance partner will grow irrelevant as the 6 griveiances get addressed. The new party will eventually fade away and every one, who might be misled/angry for now, will return to be a disciplined member of the ANC. The good side to it is that the ANC would have attracted other voters by then.