The Freedom Charter Lives! The January 8 statement unpacks the ANC's programme for the year ahead Dominic Tweedie, The New Age, Johannesburg, 16 January 2015 The ANC's "January 8th Statement" is officially the party's national executive committee (NEC) statement on the occasion of its anniversary. The year 2015 is the organisation's 103rd anniversary. The tradition is that on this occasion the ANC president delivers a statement. It is not his personal speech, but reflects the mind of the NEC collective. Between national conferences the NEC is the ANC's highest structure. The committee has 86 directly elected members, and approximately thirty ex-officio and co-opted members. It is mandatory that not less than 50% of the [elected] members of the NEC be women. Since 1972, when the ANC was still banned and exiled, the January 8 Statement had always outlined the liberation movement's programme for the current year. >From 1994, when the ANC became a governing party, the January 8 Statement preceded the ANC annual lekgotla gathering, a government lekgotla, and the president's state of the nation address at the opening of Parliament in mid-February. This is followed by ministerial statements, and the whole programme gets reviewed again following the budget speech later in February. The effect is that South Africa's programme for each year is thoroughly explained and discussed by large numbers of political representatives, the government executive, and the general public. In election years like 2014, (and next year), the January 8 statement launches the ANC's manifesto. This year will see a different major event - the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter. With this in mind, the statement's focus has been on the Freedom Charter, which is the backbone of the South African Constitution. The Freedom Charter's Preamble, followed by its ten unforgettable headings, structure the ANC NEC statement throughout. The statement associates the famous opening line - "South Africa belongs to all who live in it" - with the National Development Plan (NDP) adopted during the fourth democratic Parliament, whose aim is: "to realise the ideals of the Freedom Charter" and that South Africa "belongs to all who live in it." By saying that the NDP is the realisation of the Freedom Charter, the NEC statement draws together the agreed national project, the noble, honoured document, and the Constitution. This unity of intention is the major theme of the 2015 January 8 Statement. It combines the Freedom Charter, the SA Constitution, and the NDP, to form a seamless vision of what South Africa is, and where it is going. "The NDP is a call to all South Africans to unite behind a common goal of building a democratic and prosperous country," says the statement; "the NDP is our blueprint for taking this country forward and must guide how we become our own liberators." Then, under the theme "the people shall govern," the statement lists as "tasks of the movement" the building and correct functioning of the ANC branches, and even street committees, so as to "regenerate the ANC at a grassroots level". This is a clearly expressed determination to revive the popular mobilising power of the ANC. Members will welcome it. After each of the Freedom Charter headings, the NEC Statement lists more tasks to be carried out by the movement. Altogether there are 33 substantial items, forming a large, but integrated, agenda ranging from the global to the personal. For example, one reads: "The ANC is calling on our people to participate in the healthy lifestyles campaign and to take responsibility for living longer and healthier lives. "Engage in physical exercise, stop smoking, eat healthier and eliminate the abuse of alcohol and drugs." Here, in brief, are some more of the tasks laid down in the statement: . ANC Members have a duty to defend our Constitution and the laws of our country. . Take an active interest in the development of local economies through encouraging local entrepreneurs. . Encourage and protect the unity of our people, and the revolutionary alliance between the ANC, SACP, COSATU and SANCO. . Be at the forefront of efforts to sustain and improve the quality of education. . De-racialise communities so that a new and more cohesive society can be built. . Celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May and to promote the African Agenda of economic and political integration. Following the Statement, the ANC's National Spokesperson, Zizi Kodwa, announced the convening in coming weeks of Freedom Charter cadres forums as part of unpacking the January 8 message. At its launch in Cape Town on January 10, the massive crowd - already in good spirits following the surprise support for the ANC by the popular Cape Minstrels - responded to President Jacob Zuma's delivery of the statement with enthusiasm. Next, the statement will be taken countrywide to become the ruling party's theme for the year ahead. . Dominic Tweedie is a member of the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee of the South African Communist Party. -- -- 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 received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
