@Mzukisi "A mark of an educated (hu)man is to entertain a thought without necessarily accepting it", so noted Aristotle. This quote is my point of brief entry to this debate because it means that while I entertain and understand Commissar Mzukisi's view (captured below) and the angle from which he is coming from but I disagree on some of the issues that he has raised. However, I do agree with him to a very limited level. Cde Mzukusi correctly contends, hence I agree with him, that "...it is crucial that all members of the ANC defend our Secretary General because that would be tantamount to defending the ANC!". The main reason that makes me to agree with this assertion is that the attack to any revolution ordinarily comes in a form of gimmicks aimed at attacking its leadership. In other words, attacking individual and/or collective leaders of the revolution amounts to attacking the revolution itself. However, this does not mechanically reduces the importance of inner-party democracy which includes self-criticism and constructive criticism. The above equally does not mean that - in pursuit of a 'genuine' revolutionary responsibility to defend leaders and the revolution- we must then think that leaders are immune from human errors like publicly scolding or should I say barking back at other comrades. And worse under the official cap of the very same office (see media statement released on behalf of the ANC SG) that ought to transcend beyond cheap ego and emotions thus being exemplary in order to unite the organization. It also does not invalidate the CC (compliment and contradict where necessary)approach as employed by the YL and other progressive structures. It also does not give comrades a right to accuse other leaders of the very same of aspiring or conspiring "... to ascend to the top echelons of resources". To say the least, this line of reasoning reminds me of the "holier than thou attitude" employed by the force that was defeated in Polokwane in that that force was also accusing the other force (the so-called genuine ANCist) of wanting to "ascend to the top echelons of resources". But what was funny and ironic is that they (the defeated force) were accusing others of the game that they know best. Perhaps they wanted to keep the capitalist based spoils only to themselves. So in sense it was or still is the question "...these jealousies..." other than defending anything. And comrades must no fool us. As for the warning from comrade Deputy President, comrades please we need to be honest with ourselves here before we try to be honest to the debate itself. Comrades, I do not even remember when but I know that school visits had always been part of necessary programs piloted by many progressive structures. Some of us have and continue to lead different progressive formations at a branch level hence can certainly confirm that school visits have always been conducted and yielded many positive outcomes. Here I speak of identifying a variety of challenges that village/rural schools in particular faces. I speak of preventing principals who always want to undermine no school fee principle. I speak of preventing some teachers from chasing children simply because they dropped out the previous year because of things like pregnancy etc. I speak of branch interventions, after these visits, of trying to write letters after letters and phone calls and after phones to relevant authorities in order to address problems identified during these very same school visits that today, we are told- to our surprise- must not be attended to simply because Malema visited some schools. Is the hate or should I say pure jealousy for Malema to intense that motive behind school visits becomes irrelevant? Are we, from now on, saying school visits must be conducted after school hours where both teachers and learners want to go home and prepare for the next day? If not, what are we exactly saying dear principled and r evolutionary conscious comrades? Is Malema the issue or something else is going which we do not know yet? Is it only the ANC SG that must be defended? If not, why do we think what we are doing is not also a direct attack to the twin-tasks 'struggle' as advocated by YL and its leadership? If yes, is the issue about the SG office or the individual (which can come and go any time when branches see fit) who happens to also be the Party Chair? (which, by the way, I do not have a problem). By the way, I agree that teachers must teach and learners must be in class but it would be a formalist thought to expect that this would be followed like ten commandments. By the way, we are in a revolution here not some formal and straight line that must be adhered to even if that means the outcomes might be more perfect were we to take a tactical detour. And I am sure comrades knows this better than myself. While we have principle that we must be firm on but concrete practicality might require some flexibility for the greater good. Finally, let me try to conclude by saying that there is no one who is more revolutionary than the other. After all, what could seem, sound or be seen to be more revolutionary has more capacity to be- and time always tells- counter-revolutionary. So please comrades lets stop lambasting one another and trying to create stories about people with ambitions because that has a potential of projecting ourselves as people who are threatened that the room with spoils is too small hence let me label those as too ambitious so that I be perceived as a less ambitious comrade. If you are not ambitious what are you? After all, we are all have ambitions of seeing or have three interrelated contradictions being resolved and in a process our skills and services will be utilized. So what's wrong with that? Leave Killerman Malema alone comrades please and you are too political conscious to debate about isms than Killerman. I pause T.S. Zondi YL branch Sec
>>> Makatse Mzukisi <[email protected]> 1/28/2010 4:05 PM >>> The recent wave against the Secretary General of the ANC, comrade Gwede Mantashe, is a serious threat to the stability of the ANC. It is crucial that all members of the ANC defend our Secretary General because that would be tantamount to defending the ANC! We cannot keep silent when we know that those who hoped to ascend to the top echelons of resources during the Zuma administration, are now frustrated because comrade Nobhala has tightened screws and they want him out. The truth is that among those who called for leadership change in Polokwane, there were those who had hoped that once that leadership was gone, it was to be their turn at the spoils of power. However, they used a certain rhetoric that was to count against them because many of us took it seriously the call that we must fight corruption with every sinew of our able bodies. That the ANC must prioritise the poor and the working people as the most vulnerable sections of our society was (and still is) for many of us a line of march. Comrade SG represents the aspirations of many of the poor and working masses of our population. This anger towards him is an attempt to deflect the ANC from its historic mission of creating a better life for all, particularly for the poor and the working masses of this country. This wave of resource-hungry comrades has also converged with that of those whose political ambitions threaten to tear the ANC into pieces. This convergence has been laid bare during the course of last week. The defiance of the political authority of the SG office and that of the ANC by a NEC member like Tokyo Sexwale over his report; the visit to Kgutsong School by Julius Malema and his comments afterwards on the warning by the Deputy President of the ANC and the country, comrade Kgalema Mothlanthe, was not a coincidence but a signal that comrades are prepared to do anything to get their *share* and fulfill their ambitions. It must be a wake-up call to all of us ordinary members of the ANC that evil thrives where good men and women do nothing. The ANC needs its members to defend it during this period towards our centenary in 2012. That conference in 2012 will either ruin the ANC because of these uncontrollable ambitions; or unite all of us because as ordinary members of the ANC we would have refused to be led by those whose interests are inimical to those of the ANC. And because we would have stood up and said: Hands Off Our Secretary General! Mzukisi Makatse From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Thabiso Radebe Sent: 28 January 2010 11:24 AM To: Cassey Madikgetla; Pogisho Seokamo; [email protected] Subject: Fwd: [YCLSA Discussion] Article from Sowetan Maybe we must after all agree, here we are dealing with a paranoia. For how long , how many times . I still don't buy the clumsy excuses of us having to allow Youth Leagues members or its leaders to go on confrontational course with its own ANC senior leadership. To crown it all even ignoring comradely advices given by our Mass Democratic Movement structures. Malema suffers from accumulation of bubble wealth after effects, His capitalist handlers keep so busy in return for his cooption into a patronage driven politics. Innocent and unsuspecting loyal ANC members with thier cult for power by hook or crook . In anyway ANC YL legacy will remain in tact once democratic process have sought out the Bully Vague Malema Animal Farm syndrome. With all due respect this ill-discipline practice has been unnecessarily tolerated and incorrectly allowed to go too far. This must come to an end . For sanity to prevail all sober and visionary ANC- YL members themselves have to recall this rascal. The constitution makes a provision to remedy such conditions of unbearable destructive mode, for me the organizational cohesion ,strength to provide necessary leadership should be exchanged for anything not even insults. All structures starting with provinces must wake up and save ANC YL from degenerating any further. This move has absolutely nothing to do with factional tendencies but a principled matter if we really value the undisputed political contributions made by previous ANC YL leadership collectives .The MALEMA generation must be reminded that they are no different from thier predecessors they seem to have consciously taken a destructive tone, with so very less positive things to be remembered for. Malema disrespecting youth league members by running the organizations affairs like unguided missile this is cheap politicking with falls notion to capture cheap political fame. His forever in the media for wrong reasons . We expect ANC YL that's responsibility in the effort of being good custodians, I am not advocating macro management but we need sound leadership to walk and talk youth development not this sensationalism act .How far is the Malema- NEC collective in implementing the Mangaung/ Bloemfontein conference resolutions ? What the basis of ANC YL structures current Program of Action ? Stop pursuing politics of opposition this no different from the cope or da of this world who just go on rampage abusing our hard fought democracy . ANC elected leaders deserve to given all due respect no matter how we may differ with thier views .. But light of this reality might all be equally be guilty for doing nothing to stop anarchy that being entrenched within our structures ANC YL being used as launching pad . Comrades history is going to punish us very harsh for succumbing to this type of battering politicking a reminiscent of the PAC COPE rebellions. There is nothing revolutionary about Malema drama but only scandalous. But we are also faced with the big challenge of going beyond Malema sage to establish how many of other Malemas out ther e misrepresenting ANC internal democratic space for members to express thier views . What informs this persistence culture of arrogant defiance on the part of Malema? ALUTA CONTINUA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>> <[email protected]> 2010/01/28 09:20 AM >>> From: Sandile Ngcobo Comments: I wonder how does these visits benefits scholars, and uplift the culture of learning and teaching; or its another publicity stunt. I understand only; The Right To Learn Campaign. Keep Malema out of the schools - Kgalema DEPUTY President Kgalema Motlanthe yesterday sent a message to school principals to lock out ANC Youth League president Julius Malema. Click here to go to the article ( http://www.sowetan.co.za/article.aspx?id=1108641 ) -- 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] . -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. 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