Mxm ooSive siyoze sisedabini sisilwa umzabalalazo batsho ukusixele nge-degree zabo. SMH
With regards to the article by cde Friedman (who I think bar far is the better political analyst in SA), I absolutely agree with his views here and these are the views we have been long sharing with Khoza's supporters who think power in our society of resides in Luthuli House and in Union Buildings. As communist we know this conception is nothing but a dilussion of a special type. Congrats cde Madala Aphiwe On Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 9:50 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > All the best, best comrade!!! > Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you! > ------------------------------ > *From: *VC <[email protected]> > *Sender: *[email protected] > *Date: *Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:33:38 +0200 > *To: *<[email protected]> > *ReplyTo: *[email protected] > *Subject: *[YCLSA Discussion] Reason, not ranting, will get us talking > again: Friedman > > > [image: Business Day] > > > *Reason, not ranting, will get us talking again* > ** ** > ** ** > *Steven Friedman, Business Day, Johannesburg, 18 April 2012 * > ** ** > BUSINESS has an obvious right to be heard. Does it not also have an > obligation to listen? Right now, anyone who wants to avoid being labelled a > stooge is required to denounce the government and the African National > Congress (ANC) for their response to Nedbank chairman Reuel Khoza. This may > say more about the way in which hysteria and groupthink now substitutes for > debate than it does about the ANC or Khoza.**** > ** ** > The standard version in polite society holds that Khoza expressed valid > concerns about the constitution and was met with a torrent of abuse from > the government and the ANC. That is at most partly true. Yes, Khoza has a > right to express concerns about the constitution. And yes, the government > and the ANC responses have ducked the issue. But the righteous indignation > ignores something — the fact that Khoza did not stick to the issues > himself: he complained of a "strange breed of leaders" and that "our > political leadership’s moral quotient is degenerating". The "play the ball, > not the man" brigade insist Khoza was raising issues of principle and was > met with personal slurs. But the slurs began with him. If calling people a > "strange breed" and implying they are morally degenerate is not personal, > what is? Of course, Khoza is entitled to call political leaders strange and > immoral if he wants to — but then neither he nor anyone else should be > surprised when personal attacks provoke an equally personal response. He > and his many supporters would surely be tempted to respond personally if > anyone publicly called them strange and degenerate — why then is it a > national scandal if the government and the ANC respond as anyone else > would? If you think the government should play the ball rather than the > person, then it is a good idea to do the same yourself.**** > ** ** > So why is the entire debate seemingly blind to the fact that Khoza’s > statement started the mud-slinging and that it is no surprise that > thin-skinned politicians threw some mud back? Why is it assumed that people > in the government have no right to react angrily when they feel they are > being insulted?**** > ** ** > Part of the answer is that the national debate is now dominated by voices > that ensure that anyone who might have anything vaguely positive to say > about the government or the governing party is denounced as a hack — or > labelled "politically correct" (which has become another way of saying "not > bigoted"). Certainly, the government and the ANC do a great deal that > richly deserves criticism. But an outsider looking at much of our debate > would quickly conclude that we are living in a cross between North Korea > and Somalia — a casual look at daily life here shows that we are not. It > should be possible to recognise that some things here are going well > without becoming a government hack. But it no longer seems possible to do > that and also to avoid being insulted by what US economist Paul Krugman > calls the "Serious People" — those who police a consensus based not on > reality but on the logic of the herd.**** > ** ** > This groupthink is supported and justified by an assumption so widespread > that it is never questioned — that only the ANC and the government hold > power in this country. And so anyone who attacks the government is assumed > to be "speaking truth to power" on behalf of the powerless.**** > ** ** > The reality is rather different. Business leaders wield power. So do > professionals — including, of course, professional journalists. So when > Khoza attacks the government, the powerless are not speaking to the > power-holders — one power-holder is speaking to another. And private > power-holders need to be held to account to the same standards that we > apply to those who hold public office. If government leaders have a duty > not to stoop to personal attack, then so do the chairmen of the boards of > banks.**** > ** ** > The Khoza incident is not isolated. The reason our national debate has > become so skewed is that it has become the norm to assume that any private > power-holder who speaks out on a public issue is beyond reproach, while any > government leader is assumed to be a scoundrel. This lets private > power-holders off the hook. It also makes rational debate on government > actions impossible. If the government is yelled at whatever it does, why > should it do anything to accommodate its critics?**** > ** ** > The problem is not that the feelings of politicians might be hurt. They > can look after themselves — and they do need to handle criticism better > than they do. It is that we no longer have a debate in which vigorous > criticism is part of a serious attempt to communicate and find common > ground.**** > ** ** > We all suffer as long as we remain stuck in a rut in which hurling abuse > to the applause of the like-minded has become a substitute for rational > dialogue. If we want to begin talking to each other again, we need reason > rather than ranting — and a recognition that the rules that rightly apply > to public power should apply to private power-holders too.**** > ** ** > > - Friedman is director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy. > > ** ** > *From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=169846* > * * > * * > * * > > -- > 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. > 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] . > -- "It is our aspiration and our aim that everyone should become socially conscious and effective; but to achieve this end, it is necessary to provide all with the means of life and for development". -- 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] .
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