Cdes,
I find the views espoused by cde Siphiwe below highly problematic. "The SACP must overthrow the ANC if its ideals are to be realised"??? Come on cadre, I suggest you read the current national congress discussion document on "Building working class hegemony on the terrain of a national democratic struggle" if you have not read it already. Joe Slovo on "the SA working class and the NDR" also addresses this matter succinctly. _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Siphiwe Mbatha Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 8:28 AM To: SACP Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Re: Fwd: [YCL Press Release] STATEMENT OF THE YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SA ON BILLY MASETLHA Dear Comrades I read the Mail & Guardian on October 9, 2009 and felt trepidation. I read the avalanche of scorn, which, as herd, came from this forum, and discussed the matter with friends, diverse friends, both political and apolitical in their outlook of things. Afterwards, I assesed the political and economic terrain as is, now, in our country, and I succinctly realised the hegemony of populism. Billy Masethla is a member of the ANC, and not of the SACP, and I do not know his adherence as a worker, whether he belongs to Cosatu or not. However, his assertions must be viewed from his perspective. As an ANC leader, he has an innate obligation to defend its objectives. The ANC has, and remains the steward of mass-wide national liberation. It is accommodative in its nature. It is a sanctuary of all political hues, including communism, and non-exclusive. It, then, attracts even Africanist-purist who choose not to join the ultra-right. Liberals, by proxy of its policy, are welcome in the ANC, as well. ANC is the Parliament of the people. Outside it, there are enemies of its goals. Oliver Tambo suggested, and embraced the United Front (UF), remember. The situation was turbulant. He had to act,tacitly. Of importance, he took the bull by its horns. Failure to take proactive action, then, would have been destructive for the ANC, for all, and this remains crucial, including the PAC in exile. His Mission in Exile rested, and sustained itself in the conviction of unity. Unfortunately, the UF became a failed project. Ultimately, the ANC survived through pursuasive dialogue, dissent, and accommodation. The CPSA, and in the long-term the SACP, offered life, bread and butter to the ANC. Russia provided resources to the ANC on the premise of the SACP pursuasion. Umkhonto weSizwe could not function without this. The Scandanavian countries came to the play a while later, and they offered non-military support. ANC civilian cadres depended on this. Combatants sourced their livelihood from the efforts of the SACP through Russians intervention. Tambo was able to extract resources from all directions, the West and the East, and Africa. Particularly, Africa favoured the PAC, and injected funds to its coffers. They were sceptical about the ANC as the vanguard of the struggle in South Africa. PAC commanded leadership, in their view for the South African course. The labour brokerage matter rests on precarious ground. South Africa has a burgeoning unemployment rate, and unemployed people are dangerous, and I say this with respect. Their patience is thin, for a lack of a better diction. The ANC promised, on its Manifesto for the last elections, half a million jobs. It is a feat that must be realised. However, at present, the likelihood to bring such a project to fruition, remains illussory, like a mirage, and this does not suggest pessimism, but pragmatism, given the current economic climate. Billy, I think, thinks from a political perspective, that the Alliance partners have an intention to ursurp the ANC, and that is the objective, anyway. He is correct. Without such an undertaking the status quo will sustain itself. We need to admit that he is right because this is the goal. The misson is to ovetake, and imbibe the ANC in order to achieve the ultimate goal of socialism, and by extension, communism. Rather than dismiss his averments, we must embrace them, and re-inforce our position. There is nothing wrong to reiterate your intention, and the SACP remains the only guardian, and champion of this position, unless it is hypocritical. The SACP must overthrow the ANC if its ideals are to be realised. Like it or not. Yes, the Alliance partners of the ANC, hence its leaders, are, and remain influencial in the ANC ie Nzimande and Mantashe, includind Patel. They have a strategic, rather than tactical view of the future. They think in long-term, and not short-term. Surprisingly, they dispose of the same strain, and character germane to Trevor Manuel, and his Green Paper. And this is a matter for a different forum. But, whether we like it or not, they think alike, or similar. Billy has said something that others fear to utter, and the SACP should not cower, but rise to the occassion, and state it explicitly clear: Billy is correct, we want power. for without it, the objective cannot be realised. This is not divisive, but constructive in every way. Progressively, the SACP should learn to assert its aims, and shun clandestine measures. It may not be opportune, now. But in a long run, and this may take years, the SACP must take stock of its aims: ursurp of political power. Anyway, political organisations do not exist for its own sake. They live for an undertaking, and this goal is to rule. Let the SACP rule. Amandla _____ Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:49:00 +0200 Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Fwd: [YCL Press Release] STATEMENT OF THE YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SA ON BILLY MASETLHA From: [email protected] To: [email protected] As Requested by Senzo Dlamini STATEMENT OF THE YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SA ON BILLY MASETLHA 11 October 2009 The Young Communist League of South Africa (uFasimba) notes with contempt and extreme disappointment the comments attributed to ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Billy Masetlha in the Mail and Guardian, 9 October 2009. We view Masetlha's statements as taking us back to the pre-Polokwane Conference attitude of seeking to mobilise ANC members and leaders against communists and trade-union leaders in the ANC. The statement is equally against the letter and spirit of the ANC leadership that seeks to rebuild a strong Alliance. It is hypocritical for Masetlha to suggest that the Alliance was only necessary when there were problems within the ANC, and that leaders such as Blade Nzimande and Zwelinzima Vavi where only necessary to defeat the 1996 class project. What is even worse is for Masetlha to threaten dissent against the president of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, at the next Conference if he (Zuma) does not act against Nzimande and others. Contrary to Masetlha's fantasies and misdiagnosis about why Polokwane happened, change had to come in the leadership of the ANC precisely because of the divisive nature of the then President of the ANC when it came to the Alliance. We want to emphasise that issues such as banning Labour Brokers, dissolution of the SABC Board and other allegations against the SACP and COSATU are in fact part of the ANC Resolutions and some of them where in the ANC Election Manifesto; unless if Masetlha is suggesting that the ANC should renege from the promises it made to the electorate and not implement its Manifesto. We are also worried that Masetlha chose to unleash a salvo against the office bearers of the SACP, Gwede Mantashe, Phumolo Masualle and Nzimande. Isolating these leaders because of their membership and leadership of the SACP and accusing them of being influential in the ANC is very consistent and reminds with the same reasons that Terror Lekota gave when he was issuing divorce papers. How sad that there is such a coincidence, but equally, how revealing. We hope that Masetlha will regain his sobriety and temperance; reconsider his divisive statements and apologise to all the leaders that he had targeted, or face rebuke by the ANC. Issued by the YCLSA Head Office For more information contact Gugu Ndima (076 783 1516) National spokesperson </html --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
