Red is for Lekota et al's concern. Green is for my response.
1. "For instance, those who express views that are contrary to popular opinion in meetings and conferences of the organisation are later hounded out and purged from organisation and state structures. This is contrary to the ANC's democratic culture." (Lekota letter)
It is not easy to respond to this shallow statement without being shallow. It would be better if Mr Lekota had provided examples of those people. I can assume that he refers to Eastern and Western Cape Premier plus the country's former President. Even on this assumption, it is not clear which contrary view did they express to warrant the hounding and purging.
A sober analysis of the individual cases of recall/redeployment will reveal that Lekota's allegations (if my assumption is correct that he refers to them) are unfounded. All comrades who have been recalled have been given reasons why. I can't comment on Shilowa's resignation.
Until Lekota substantiates this allegation it remains complicated to respond rationally to it.
Bayanda Mzoneli has explained at length in his blog on the ANC tolerates differing views.
2. Sectoral and individual interests other than those flowing from the people's interests expressed in the Freedom Charter are elevated to levels of national priority. Thus we are expected to show up at criminal court cases or carry shoulder high individuals convicted of crimes unrelated to the demands in the Freedom Charter. (Lekota letter)
In most instances, comrades support each other out of common brotherhood and sisterhood plus sheer friendship. For some comrades, comradeship goes beyond politics. This does not mean taking something away from politics. It is voluntary for comrades to attend other comrade's funerals, weddings, birthday parties, court appearances and many other non-political activities. This does not in any way belittle the pursuit of the Freedom Charter. It is not true that there is an expectation that people should show up at court cases, it is purely voluntart and mainly based on the individual's belief. For example I believed Cde Jacob Zuma to be innocent during his rape case, so I showed up at court to support him and eventually the court acquited him. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this. Maybe Lekota need to improve this allegation as well in order for it to grow legs.
Instead of instilling respect for institutions of democracy, our leaders issue threats that if judicial proceedings do not result in outcomes they prefer, the country will be brought to a standstill. (Lekota letter)
The ANC have instilled respect in all institutions of democracy. It is a lie that those institutions are disrespected. Nothing have been done, IN PRACTICE, to disrespect the courts. This is despite the court having found against Cde Zuma in the case of 'search and seizures' and the country is not in standstill.
However leaders have a right to participate in the public discourse even if it includes the Executive, Legislature or Judiciary. None of the institutions of democracy are immune from public scrutiny. If one of the institutions of democract was to be exempt from criticism or scrutiny, it would be the end of democracy. Or if leaders were to be prohibited from participating in the public discourse just because it involves a certain institution of democracy, it would infringe on the leaders' democratic rights.
3. Lately, the leadership has taken a direct and unadulterated departure from the Freedom Charter by calling for a political solution in the matter of the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions vs the President of the ANC. What happened to "There shall be equality before the law?". Or are we now to have political solutions to every citizen's criminal case? (Lekota letter)
Nothing happened to "equality before the law". The ANC still pursues it as oultlined in the Freedom Charter. A political soultion was suggested by some leaders after concluding that the case is political. Justice Nicholshon confirmed that the case had political elements. Indeed people are equal before the law. Hence no one should be investigated and be approximately prosecuted on a perpertual basis based on political reasons. Equality means a political problem should have a political solution and a legal problem should be solved by the law. I need not remind Mr Lekota about Justice Herbert Msimang's judgement on the same case. So there is no contradiction there. The leadership has not departed from the Freedom Charter.
4. Blatant threats to kill for certain individuals if desires other than their own are not satisfied are made with impunity. When democracy-supporting institutions intervene to stop such delinquent behaviour, more of our leaders come out in loud support for threats to kill. (Lekota letter)
Cde Malema and Cde Vavi explained, individually, the context in which they made those remarks. People who perceive their statements, even when taken literally, fail to realise that human life is equal. These comrades declared that they are ready to die for their beliefs. It is myopic of Mr Lekota to be selective in recalling what they said. Immediately when their readiness to die is acknolwdged, it logically brings forth the context of their statement.
The context was the expression of the passion and commitement which they have in defence of their beliefs. People should therefore not be prohibited from expressing their passion. Cde Malema later excused his language, saying he understood that it was open to various interpretations. Mr Lekota should not celebrate such petty points and pretend that they are adequate for her to leave a party he has led for many years to lead a new one. He did not leave when someone said "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" even though that was more explicit and directed to a particular group.
5. Wearing of Zulu Boy T-Shirts and/or implied condoning of tribalism. (Lekota Media Briefing)
The ANC denounces tribalism and all other forms of discrimination. The T-Shirts are a product of the tribalist e-mails that circulated within the ANC leaders (now known as 'hoax emails'). These e-mails contained extremely tribalists remarks which refered to Cde JZ as a 'Zulu Boy'. Some members elected to cite these e-mails in expressing their support for Cde JZ. The ANC cannot ban citation or reference, that would be undemocratic. In fact such reference have grown to be used even in other channels including social networking websites.
If Lekota had taken the time to ask any of the ANC members who were those T-Shirts whether they were for tribalism he would have got the answer. ANC members understand the ANC. They are not in anyway promoting tribalism by wearing those T-Shirts.
6. Singing of revolutionary songs, in particular the song "Awuleth' umshini wami". (Lekota Media briefing)
It is very petty of Mr Lekota to raise this as a concern. There are many revolutionary songs that continue to be sang long after the policy positions they were advocating have passed. Singing of revolutionary songs in not neatly labelled with expiry dates that refer to each epoch. ANC members sing many songs randomly. If Mr Lekota had attended a funeral of any of the MK veterans he would have had the song "Thina bafana bomkhonto sizimisele uku....", he knows how the song continues (ask a friend if you don't know).
I would love to listen to the epoch specific songs that his new party will sing, if it will ever sing. They will have to develop a hymn book that will be updated occassionally to ensure the members only sing approved songs.
7. Practice of democracy and putsch of former President Mbeki. (Shilowa media briefing)
The practice of deployment and redeployment in the ANC and the Alliance is very old. It is strange that when it applies to former President Mbeki, Mr Shilowa finds it neccesary that the constitution should be amended to allow for directly elected leaders.
Mr Shilowa was part of the Polokwane Conference. This conference had a lengthy document on the electoral system and more on the sphere of government, I wonder if he was as enthusiastic about change in the discussions in his branch as he is today. Maybe he would have proposed changes to the constitution in another clause about the maximum terms had the Polokwane Conference elections turned out another way.
Mr Shilowa remarks at his media briefing were surpringly of a very liberal democracy. It is not clear whether he has always haboured those views or they are newly thought following certain events.
This concludes my responses to Lekota et al. I am going to label these as Part One just in case there are follow-up questions or there are other points that emerge which I may have left out by accidental omission.
It is not easy to respond to this shallow statement without being shallow. It would be better if Mr Lekota had provided examples of those people. I can assume that he refers to Eastern and Western Cape Premier plus the country's former President. Even on this assumption, it is not clear which contrary view did they express to warrant the hounding and purging.
A sober analysis of the individual cases of recall/redeployment will reveal that Lekota's allegations (if my assumption is correct that he refers to them) are unfounded. All comrades who have been recalled have been given reasons why. I can't comment on Shilowa's resignation.
Until Lekota substantiates this allegation it remains complicated to respond rationally to it.
Bayanda Mzoneli has explained at length in his blog on the ANC tolerates differing views.
2. Sectoral and individual interests other than those flowing from the people's interests expressed in the Freedom Charter are elevated to levels of national priority. Thus we are expected to show up at criminal court cases or carry shoulder high individuals convicted of crimes unrelated to the demands in the Freedom Charter. (Lekota letter)
In most instances, comrades support each other out of common brotherhood and sisterhood plus sheer friendship. For some comrades, comradeship goes beyond politics. This does not mean taking something away from politics. It is voluntary for comrades to attend other comrade's funerals, weddings, birthday parties, court appearances and many other non-political activities. This does not in any way belittle the pursuit of the Freedom Charter. It is not true that there is an expectation that people should show up at court cases, it is purely voluntart and mainly based on the individual's belief. For example I believed Cde Jacob Zuma to be innocent during his rape case, so I showed up at court to support him and eventually the court acquited him. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this. Maybe Lekota need to improve this allegation as well in order for it to grow legs.
Instead of instilling respect for institutions of democracy, our leaders issue threats that if judicial proceedings do not result in outcomes they prefer, the country will be brought to a standstill. (Lekota letter)
The ANC have instilled respect in all institutions of democracy. It is a lie that those institutions are disrespected. Nothing have been done, IN PRACTICE, to disrespect the courts. This is despite the court having found against Cde Zuma in the case of 'search and seizures' and the country is not in standstill.
However leaders have a right to participate in the public discourse even if it includes the Executive, Legislature or Judiciary. None of the institutions of democracy are immune from public scrutiny. If one of the institutions of democract was to be exempt from criticism or scrutiny, it would be the end of democracy. Or if leaders were to be prohibited from participating in the public discourse just because it involves a certain institution of democracy, it would infringe on the leaders' democratic rights.
3. Lately, the leadership has taken a direct and unadulterated departure from the Freedom Charter by calling for a political solution in the matter of the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions vs the President of the ANC. What happened to "There shall be equality before the law?". Or are we now to have political solutions to every citizen's criminal case? (Lekota letter)
Nothing happened to "equality before the law". The ANC still pursues it as oultlined in the Freedom Charter. A political soultion was suggested by some leaders after concluding that the case is political. Justice Nicholshon confirmed that the case had political elements. Indeed people are equal before the law. Hence no one should be investigated and be approximately prosecuted on a perpertual basis based on political reasons. Equality means a political problem should have a political solution and a legal problem should be solved by the law. I need not remind Mr Lekota about Justice Herbert Msimang's judgement on the same case. So there is no contradiction there. The leadership has not departed from the Freedom Charter.
4. Blatant threats to kill for certain individuals if desires other than their own are not satisfied are made with impunity. When democracy-supporting institutions intervene to stop such delinquent behaviour, more of our leaders come out in loud support for threats to kill. (Lekota letter)
Cde Malema and Cde Vavi explained, individually, the context in which they made those remarks. People who perceive their statements, even when taken literally, fail to realise that human life is equal. These comrades declared that they are ready to die for their beliefs. It is myopic of Mr Lekota to be selective in recalling what they said. Immediately when their readiness to die is acknolwdged, it logically brings forth the context of their statement.
The context was the expression of the passion and commitement which they have in defence of their beliefs. People should therefore not be prohibited from expressing their passion. Cde Malema later excused his language, saying he understood that it was open to various interpretations. Mr Lekota should not celebrate such petty points and pretend that they are adequate for her to leave a party he has led for many years to lead a new one. He did not leave when someone said "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" even though that was more explicit and directed to a particular group.
5. Wearing of Zulu Boy T-Shirts and/or implied condoning of tribalism. (Lekota Media Briefing)
The ANC denounces tribalism and all other forms of discrimination. The T-Shirts are a product of the tribalist e-mails that circulated within the ANC leaders (now known as 'hoax emails'). These e-mails contained extremely tribalists remarks which refered to Cde JZ as a 'Zulu Boy'. Some members elected to cite these e-mails in expressing their support for Cde JZ. The ANC cannot ban citation or reference, that would be undemocratic. In fact such reference have grown to be used even in other channels including social networking websites.
If Lekota had taken the time to ask any of the ANC members who were those T-Shirts whether they were for tribalism he would have got the answer. ANC members understand the ANC. They are not in anyway promoting tribalism by wearing those T-Shirts.
6. Singing of revolutionary songs, in particular the song "Awuleth' umshini wami". (Lekota Media briefing)
It is very petty of Mr Lekota to raise this as a concern. There are many revolutionary songs that continue to be sang long after the policy positions they were advocating have passed. Singing of revolutionary songs in not neatly labelled with expiry dates that refer to each epoch. ANC members sing many songs randomly. If Mr Lekota had attended a funeral of any of the MK veterans he would have had the song "Thina bafana bomkhonto sizimisele uku....", he knows how the song continues (ask a friend if you don't know).
I would love to listen to the epoch specific songs that his new party will sing, if it will ever sing. They will have to develop a hymn book that will be updated occassionally to ensure the members only sing approved songs.
7. Practice of democracy and putsch of former President Mbeki. (Shilowa media briefing)
The practice of deployment and redeployment in the ANC and the Alliance is very old. It is strange that when it applies to former President Mbeki, Mr Shilowa finds it neccesary that the constitution should be amended to allow for directly elected leaders.
Mr Shilowa was part of the Polokwane Conference. This conference had a lengthy document on the electoral system and more on the sphere of government, I wonder if he was as enthusiastic about change in the discussions in his branch as he is today. Maybe he would have proposed changes to the constitution in another clause about the maximum terms had the Polokwane Conference elections turned out another way.
Mr Shilowa remarks at his media briefing were surpringly of a very liberal democracy. It is not clear whether he has always haboured those views or they are newly thought following certain events.
This concludes my responses to Lekota et al. I am going to label these as Part One just in case there are follow-up questions or there are other points that emerge which I may have left out by accidental omission.
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