Thanks , Cde Thabo , this part of discussion will help a lot of Cde's that might be confused at the moment , the ANC have the write protect its property from this class of 1996. They never had a proper plan to form this kopa. Its simply out of being power hungry by this class.
Lets mobilise and win the elections next year better than before. by Sphaka - Dawnpark ________________________________ From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 3:25:16 AM Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: WHY are we so fixated with Congress of the People Cde Masego! Without necessarily patronising you, I welcome you introduction in your piece about "What in a name" and also wish to assure you that majority of us subscribing to this forum will help to better comprehend political developments both locally and internationally by using historical reference: The origin of the congress of the People is best captured in a book written by Ismail Vadi in titled " CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE FREEDOM CHARTER CAMPAIGN" In this book he comfirms the intellectual ownership of the name Congress of the people to the ANC by defining it this way; "The idea of the Congress of the People had been mooted on several occasions within the ANC, but it was Professor Z. K. Matthews, President of the ANC, Cape, who officially proposed such an event at the Provincial Conference of the ANC (Cape) held in Cradock on 15 August 1953. Matthews, inspired by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, was the first to publicly suggest die convocation of a national gathering of the people of South Africa with the objective of drafting a Charter of Freedom. In reviewing the "political situation" at the Conference, Matthews listed the numerous racial, discriminatory and repressive laws enacted by the Nationalist government and declared that the "present state of affairs in South Africa shows signs of an ever deepening crisis in race relations between various groups represented here." He pointed out that various groups, in reaction to the electoral victory of the National Party in me 1953 general election and the growing political crisis, were considering the idea of a national convention. He motivated that the ANC, as the premier African political organisation, should seize the initiative and provide a direct lead in the matter. Matthews asserted: "I wonder whether the time has not come for the ANC to consider the question of convening a National Convention, a Congress of the People, representing all the people of this country irrespective of race or colour to draw up a Freedom Charter for the democratic South Africa of the future. Once the principle of the establishment of such a Congress of the People was accepted, the details of its implementation could be worked out either by the national executive or by an ad hoc committee with that special duty". The matter was duly discussed at the Cradock Conference and the following resolution was finally adopted: "That this conference notes with interest the remarks of the president on the need for the establishment at the instance of the ANC and under its leadership, of the Congress of the People in South Africa, to draw up a Freedom Charter or constitution embodying a vision of a future South Africa, as we in Congress see it.... Such a conference would serve to unite all the democratic forces in South Africa among all races into a front against the dangers of fascism; and would enable the ANC to demonstrate in a practical manner its policy for the solution of the problems of the country". Between the Cradock Conference and the Annual Conference of the ANC in December 1953, it was the National Action Council, which had coordinated the Defiance Campaign that defined in broad outline the nature of the campaign for the Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter Who is delusional here Cde Masego. I have said before that Shikota is suffering from indentity crisis and pose no threat to the ANC despite our the current leadership inherited challenges from Cde Thabo Mbeki term. Yes the Congress of the People and Freedom Charter belongs to the people, just like MK, ANCYL and ANCWL but all are inttelectual properties of the ANC. Unfortunately it was not necessary to register the name, but history is very friendly to locate this historical events and its product within the ANC Historical heritage. How do we then allow dissidents to usurp the ANC historically documented heritage for their own selfish end. Further one of the volunteers during this defiance campaign the late Cde Frances Baard in his book MY SPIRIT IS NOT BANNED gives the following testimony of what happened during the congress of the people: "There were such a lot of things happening at that time, and some very good things too. In 1955 a very great thing happened. We organised the Congress of the People at Kliptown. Ooh! What a wonderful thing was there! All over the country people organised to come to that congress, and all the groups worked together to organise and make it truly national, so that everyone was represented there. Everyone was invited to come. Even SACTU (South African Congress of Trade Unions) sent delegates too, though they weren't a member of the Congress Alliance yet. SACTU only joined the Congress Alliance later. At that time it was only the ANC, the Coloured Congress, the Indian Congress and the Congress of Democrats." The ANC as part of claiming its historical heritage did not only spearhead the organisation of this august meeting but it was its own brain child: In his book The Congress of the people and the freedon charter Ismail Vadi further testified that "The Campaign for the Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter, like the organisational changes envisaged in the ANC's M-Plan, were a specific response to the changing objective reality. At one level it was spurred on by the intensification of repression and a "reconceptualisation" of the state. At another it grew out of a redefinition of strategy by the Congresses. What is significant is that the Congresses increasingly defined the South African state as a "fascist state". This did not simply reflect a change of slogan, but a coherent re-analysis of politic reality" In his introduction he explain that "The COP campaign was more than just a campaign for a programmatic document, as has been presented in the literature on the topic. On the one hand, it symbolised the closing of a phase in the national liberation struggle. On the other hand, it opened a new phase revealing a major realignment of political forces in the resistance movement. The Congress Alliance that was forged in the course of the COP campaign emerged as a nationally coordinated, multiracial (non-racial) movement, armed with a more sophisticated analysis of the political conjuncture and a more refined strategy based on the concept of the united front, so as to advance the struggle for the realisation of the goals enshrined in the Freedom Charter. In a sense, the campaign was a unique and creative effort at political and organisational consolidation and building unity among the different forces for national liberation, viz., the ANC, SAIC SACOD, SACTU, FSAW and the reconstituted SACP. For the first time, the interests and weight of these varied forces-notwithstanding the ideological and organisational differences and variations — were brought together in a distinctive way." Cde Masego it was a sharp response to the challenges that confronted the organisation at the time. Further in his address in his Presidential address to the Conference of the Cape ANC in 1953 Professor Z. K. Matthews captured the essence of this process (significantly at the same time that he mooted the idea of the Congress of the People) when he remarked: "But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. One phase of the struggle has come and gone, but contrary to popular belief in some quarters, the struggle is by no means at an end. Depending upon surrounding circumstances, the struggle may assume one form at one period and another at a different period, but as long as our main objectives have not been fully achieved, how can there be an end to the struggle?" In its attempts to tackle the subjective weaknesses of the organisation the ANC responded with a two-pronged initiative. The first was the 'M-Plan', an organisational design aimed at the development of political structures and leadership at street level. The second, which is of concern to this project, viz., the Campaign for the Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter, which aimed to clarify and codify the long-term objectives, policies and principles of the Congress forces operative in the 1950, and, indeed, even presently. This was a unique, creative, non-reactive campaign to tackle new challenges that emerged out of a substantially altered objective, political, economic and social reality and to correct internal inadequacies. Its distinctive feature, however, was that rather than this process occurring in the upper echelons of the organisations and 'above the heads of the masses', like the English Chartist Movement, it attempted to elicit mass popular participation, revitalise strategic initiative on the part of the ANC and laid the political foundation for the Congress Alliance. Now you see Cde Masego there is too much in a name in protection of our Historical heritage. This book can be electronically accessed at: http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/library-resources/online%20books/vadi-ismail/index.htm Hope I have shed some light on why the ANC is protecting its heritage. yours Comradely Thabo Poka Lekhu Proud and discipline member of the ANC under the humble leadership of Cde Jacob Zuma and collective. 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