I certainly agree with the ideology behind nationalization, however I am skeptical of total nationalization. I believe that politicians and academics who head government spheres are not completely geared to efficiently run enterprises that should make profit, be sustainable and grow. I also do not believe that capitalists who head private entities are geared to be left alone and expected to fulfill the needs of the majority who are the poor in any society. Yes other people might argue that through legislation, governments can ensure that capital tows the line, however we all know that that is just utopia. My opinion therefore is that the best system would be to partner with private entities where government takes up partial ownership/equity. Whether government own 50%+ or 50%- will depend on each scenario. Regards, Tumelo G.
From: Nyiko Floyd Shivambu To: [email protected] Sent: Thu Jul 09 17:56:50 SAST 2009 Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: the NP govt was more socialist than the ANC govt. I agree with Comrade Mxolisi's clarification of both extremes, and convinced that the ANC YLs' call for nationalisation is located within a revolutionary premise. ANC YL President Julius Malema's contribution on why nationalisation said: "Our call for nationalisation of mines is in such a manner where the State will own mineral wealth and mines as a custodian of the entire South African population, and not a custodian of few big-businesses. All South Africans should equitably benefit from State owned and controlled mines and we are not mistaken when we make the call for the nationalisation of Mines. We are vividly aware of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) which retains State control of all mineral rights, but what we are calling for is State ownership and control of both the mineral wealth beneath the soil, and the extraction and production of these mineral resources in Mines thereof".? My interpretation of this assertion is that it affirms the national democratic revolutionary path towards attainment of the Freedom Charter objectives (SACP's minimum political programme). The YL's main reasoning behind the call is that we should without delay, achieve the Freedom Charter aims, but also lay a firm basis for the development of productive forces through beneficiation of mineral wealth and diversification of the economy in a labour-absorptive fashion, which in the immediate addresses our unemployment (and to some extent poverty) crisis. In addition, the State's control and ownership of minerals will bring to a complete halt, what the South African Road to Socialism calls "dependent development", because SA will no longer be solely the producers and exporter of natural resources and importers of finished consumer goods and services. But it also tests the State capacity to technically manage the strategic sectors of the economy, which will be necessary under socia lism.? Whatever discussion we enter into should never loose sight of the reality that Progressive Communists' struggles for a socialist future are not de-linked from the struggles to resolve the national and gender contradictions. The NDR is our route to socialism, meaning in simpler terms that the attainment of NDR objectives (Freedom Charter) lays a firm foundation for an uninterrupted transition to socialism. Our revolution is not an adventure, nor a debating society, but a theoretically and ideologically grounded battle for the emancipation of those who do not won the means of production, the black majority and Africans in particular.? The temptation to dismiss State control of the key means of production will always exist, because comrades are rather paranoid of the realities that characterised other States and governments, and should raise these issues when we discuss the modalities of nationalisation, which will happen.? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
