Wednesday, 17 May 2006
SACP Statement on the Official launch and Public Release on Central Committee Discussion Documents on the relationship of the SACP to state power
The SACP is pleased to release publicly and officially the Central Committee discussion document on the relationship between the SACP to state power and its possible future electoral options.
The document contained herein, which is in two parts, forms the basis for discussions both inside and outside the SACP on the relationship of the SACP to state power in a democratic South Africa. These documents are official Central Committee Discussion Documents, but they do not constitute the official views of the SACP
Amongst the issues that our Special National Congress (SNC) discussed in July 2005 in Durban was the question of whether the SACP should contest elections in its own right. Much as there was very fruitful and informative debate and discussions, the matter was not concluded by the SNC. That SNC took a resolution that the Central Committee must a establish a commission (hereafter referred to as ?the Commission?) to investigate the SACP?s relationship to state power in the current period and into the future, including the question of whether the SACP should consider contesting elections in its own right.
In discussing this SNC resolution, the Central Committee felt that the best way to guide and conduct this debate must be through a structured discussion document, and this is what this special edition of Bua Komanisi contains. This document has been developed and approved by the Central Committee to facilitate such a discussion.
The Central Committee further decided that the Commission must be headed by the General Secretary of the SACP with members of the Politburo as members of that Commission.
This document is in two parts. Part I generally deals with the historical evolution of the relationship between the SACP and the ANC over the decades, and aspects of the state of that relationship currently. The major propositions made in Part I of the document is that prior to 1990 there was a shared strategic assumption between the SACP and ANC, and the alliance as a whole about the fact that our struggle will have to proceed towards a socialist outcome, as captured on pages 5-7 of the document.
Whilst both formations had always accepted that the ANC is a not a socialist organisation, nevertheless our struggle was never about replacing the white elite with a black elite in an environment of ongoing capitalist accumulation.
Arising out of the above the main conclusion that the document makes is that since 1990 there has been a rupture in this shared strategic assumption, thus two possible, and conflicting, ?paths? emerging within the broader liberation movement on the way forward, especially since 1994 (p. 7). The basic choice facing the movement was whether we should pursue the goals of the democratic revolution through a capitalist path, or through the shared strategic vision of pre-1990, that of renewal and revitalisation of socialism, albeit under difficult conditions after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This rupture in our shared assumptions even began to reflect itself through arguments by some within our movement that the national democratic revolution had always implied a capitalist route.
Part II of the document continues to make the observations that the adoption of GEAR in 1996 completed rupture in this shared strategic assumption, with the ANC in government now pursuing capitalist-driven growth and the stabilisation of capitalist profitability as the means through which to address the developmental challenges facing South Africa. This, according to the document, was as a result that a particular class project had become dominant in the movement. Therefore the current trajectory of BEE for instance is a reflection of the dominance of this particular project in government and in our movement.
The document continues to make propositions around the kind of state we have built since 1994. It argues that the state has largely been shaped through three different phases in the evolution of a ?technocratically? driven project, with a strong presidential centre:
macro-economic policy as the assumed central public sector driver of growth (1996-9),
privatisation as the key catalyser of growth public sector infrastructural investment to ?lower the cost of doing business? ? state capitalism - as the key catalyser (2002 to the present).
The document argues that this path is in a crisis precisely because the economic path has not been able to achieve the objectives of creating employment and poverty eradication (pp. 24-25).
Part of the objectives of this project has been to attempt to ?modernise? the ANC, through attempts to transform it into a centre left electoral party, instead of strengthening its character as a mass mobilising movement.
The document also draws attention to some of the problems surrounding the emerging black capitalist class. In particular it notes that the emerging sections of black capital are excessively compradorist and parasitic (p.25)
A related issue raised by the document is that the tensions that had arisen in the alliance especially between 1996 and 2002 can largely be explained in terms of the emergence and consolidation of these economic perspectives and programmes in the movement and in government.
The document further poses the question of whether the manner in which the alliance is currently structured is possibly not outdated? The manner in which the alliance is structured reflect an earlier period of shared strategic assumptions, and perhaps does not adequately take into account the new realities, especially ascendancy into state power. This has posed awkward challenges for the SACP, which in fact partly accounts for the reasons why the issue of the possibility of the SACP contesting elections on its own has arisen. These awkward challenges include:
Inadequate accountability of SACP leaders and cadres deployed in government
Marginalisation of the SACP and COSATU on key economic policy decisions
The extent to which the SACP can continue to make an impact in a multi-party democracy without contesting elections
The SACP therefore invites all our structures, the allies, the broad democratic movement and indeed all those interested in these questions to actively participate in this debate, without fear or favour.
We also wish to use this press briefing to announce that the SACP will be holding its regular Central Committee meeting this weekend. Key matters for discussion include our international strategy, reprioritisation of our 2006 programme of actions, challenges arising out of the local government elections, including the situation in Khutsong and the Cape Metro, as well as reflecting on recent ANC NEC decisions regarding the establishment of an ANC Task Team surrounding the e-mails.
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson
Tel: 011 339 3621
Mobile: 082 226 1802
malesela@sacp.org.za