In a major sense it is true that NGP is another GEAR.
In the very same sense, and to the same extent, GEAR was another RDP. All of these “rubrics” (RDP, GEAR, NGP) are attached to programmes of state direction under capitalism. All of them are more-or-less “*dirigiste*” (French for “steering”, as opposed to *laissez-faire*, meaning “leave-alone”) and all of them carry a declared intention of increased employment - an intention that we as the SACP support. All of them are programmes of reform under capitalism. The communists do not oppose reform. On the contrary, we insist on reform (*e.g. Rosa Luxemburg, 1900, Reform or Revolution?*) because the struggle for reform, as well as reform itself, strengthens the working class in preparation for its revolutionary confrontation with Capital (*e.g. Marx, 1865, Value, Price and Profit*). What the communists struggle *against* in this regard is reform-*ISM*, which is the belief that reform will suffice to bring the entire working class to a permanently “decent” condition under capitalism. We communists do not believe that such a utopia can be achieved under capitalism. Far from it, and this is the very reason why the communist party is a revolutionary party, and not what is nowadays called a “social-democratic”, or reformist party. The struggle for revolution is also a struggle against reformism, and it is the reason for our existence as a communist party. The SACP in particular is not a party that makes a cult of leadership. Nor does it make a dogma out of any particular “line”. Nor does the SACP rely, like a purely mass organisation must do, entirely on resolutions passed, to the exclusion of further thought and criticism, or to the exclusion of any necessary action. The SACP is a vanguard party and it studies, constantly. It is a scientific party and a rational humanist party. Hence, concerning the NGP, it is not very useful to go backwards and to try to build up, or to pull down, the kudos of particular individuals by virtue of what they may have said about GEAR at different times. Suffice it to say that there was a struggle over GEAR (and before it, a struggle over the RDP), both outside and also within the Party, which was at the same time a struggle for real reforms, *and* a struggle against reformism. The same struggle as took place over GEAR and the RDP lies ahead of us in relation to the NGP. The SACP will want to insist on the reforms, and to resist reformism. Even if realised in all respects, the NGP is not the Promised Land, and again in this regard we might want to look at Marx’s “Value, Price and Profit” for a summing up. We can maybe come back to that, later in this discussion. Now, to the right of us stand the social-democrats, some of them former communists. At the same time, pretending to be on our left, the “twins” of the social democrats (*see Lenin, 1917, The State and Revolution*) can be found furiously posing as “more Catholic than the Pope”. Even the DA takes up “left” poses from time to time, when it suits them to do so. The SACP must in these circumstances steadfastly continue to be what it has so proudly become: a learned vanguard party of revolution. As such we problematise; and in practice we construct unity-in-action. In that spirit – the problematising, but constructive spirit of unity-in-action - I invite all you comrades to engage with the Business Day’s “Editorial Opinion: What is expected of business?” It appeared on that newspaper’s front page, today. I will post it here, shortly. *VC* On 15 February 2011 08:23, Ndlazilwana, Lazola <[email protected]> wrote: > Cdes this is a public forum where every person in particular young > communists share their views and opinions, this comrades must be done > without fear of being purged on structures of the movement but comrades must > engage on what has been raised by a certain comrade. What Cde Floyd has > raised seems to me to be a fact that the SACP did welcome and support Gear > in 1996 then I was not a member of the party I was a member of the ANCYL and > Cosas, but the same SACP potrayed Gear as a Class Project which doesn't > address fundamental challenges of the working class in particular the > poorest of the poor, Cdes we were made to believe that analysis is correct > however who should be the vanguard of the working class if our SACP did > accept and welcome GEAR thanks to archives. Even today many comrades of the > movement are witch-hunted because they are associated with this Project. > Comrades on the 4th Feb 2011 when I was listening to the presentation of the > New Growth Path I wrote on my facebook status that I sse no difference with > Gear. So it is not suprising if we as communists have welcomed uGear in 1996 > why can't adopt Growth Path? I then today plead to comrades to analyse this > as our beloved GS has said in Mafikeng " It is a good habit.........". As of > neo liberal tendencies comrades must not just say the Cde was not suppose to > say that, it is his view and if one differs he or she must engage and prove > to Floyd why he/she disagree of this tendency within SACP. To me comrades > this is a contradiction of what the communist party should it be. > > > > Lazola Ndlazilwana > VWSA NUMSA Deputy Sec > Cell:0835103686 > Tel: 041 994 5543 > Socialism in our lifetime > ------------------------------ > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *[email protected] > *Sent:* Monday, February 14, 2011 6:02 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [YCLSA Discussion] Fw: [CU] Floyd Shivambu > > Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device > ------------------------------ > *From: *[email protected] > *Date: *Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:59:52 +0000 > *To: *<[email protected]> > *ReplyTo: *[email protected] > *Subject: *Re: [CU] Floyd Shivambu > > But cde Floyd, why go as far as saying that the SACP has neo-liberal > tendencies > > Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device > ------------------------------ > *From: *Nyiko Floyd Shivambu <[email protected]> > *Sender: *[email protected] > *Date: *Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:41:17 +0200 > *To: *<[email protected]> > *ReplyTo: *[email protected] > *Cc: *<[email protected]> > *Subject: *Re: [CU] Floyd Shivambu > > Yes. SACP Stattement accessible on > http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?include=docs/pr/1996/pr1406.html > > <http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?include=docs/pr/1996/pr1406.html> SACP > STATEMENT ON THE Growth, Employment and Redistribution Marco-Economic Policy > > 14 June 1996 > > The South African Communist Party welcomes the government's Growth, > Employment and Redistribution Macro-Economic Policy. We fully back the > objectives of this macro-economic strategy and note, in particular, the > following key features: > > Contrary to certain attempts to use the macro-economic debate to shift > government away from its electoral mandate, the strategy announced today > firmly and explicitly situates itself as a framework for the RDP. > > Resisting free market dogmatism, the strategy envisages a key economic role > for the public sector, including in productive investment. > > On the restructuring of state assets, the strategy reaffirms and reinforces > the bilateral (between government and unions) National Framework Agreement > process. > > On labour markets, the new marco-economic-strategy envisages the extension > of a regulated market and it introduces an innovative approach to > flexibility. It rejects laisser-faire market-driven flexibility and instead > call for negotiated regional and sectoral flexibility. > > The most important contribution of the strategy is its consistent endeavour > to integrate different element of policy and, in particular, it provides a > clear frame work within which monetary and interest rate policy must work. > > The SACP, in the context of our tripartite alliance with the ANC and > COSATU, intends to take forward discussions, elaboration and debate on this > path-breaking macro-economic strategy. All the questions of detail and of > implementation require ongoing scrutiny. We have every intention of making > an ongoing and constructive contribution to this process. > > On Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 5:38 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> http://m.facebook.com/floydn?refid=46&ref=pymk >> >> "The SACP welcomed GEAR in 1996. So it should not be a shock it is >> welcoming NGP. Neo-liberal tendencies should be exposed at all times" (Floyd >> Shivambu). Comrades this is what Floyd wrote on his Facebook wall and the >> link gave. >> >> Regards >> Sande >> Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device >> >> -- >> You are subscribed to the "Communist University" e-mail forum. >> The group site is at >> http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Communist-University >> The Communist University blog at http://domza.blogspot.com/ and our >> wikispace web site is at http://amadlandawonye.wikispaces.com/ >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]; or e-mail >> [email protected] >> > > -- > You are subscribed to the "Communist University" e-mail forum. > The group site is at > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Communist-University > The Communist University blog at http://domza.blogspot.com/ and our > wikispace web site is at http://amadlandawonye.wikispaces.com/ > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]; or e-mail > [email protected] > > -- > You are subscribed. 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