left
Howard Barrell and Barry Streek
The New National Party’s lurch to the left is causing rumbles among its old-guard MPs and could lead to a break-up of its coalition with the Democratic Party in the Western Cape.
It could also result in closer co- operation with the African National Congress on a national level, following a bosberaad of its extended national caucus last weekend.
The failure of the NNP’s Western Cape leadership to reach agreement with the DP over a candidate for a municipal by- election in the Monte Vista area in Cape Town has also caused ructions.
This is thought to have undermined Premier Gerald Morkel and the more conservative wing of the party in the province and in Parliament. Morkel’s undisguised rival for the Western Cape leadership of the party, Peter Marais, would not be drawn this week on whether he would challenge Morkel at the NNP’s provincial congress next month in Kraaifontein, but party circles are abuzz with speculation that he will stand.
Certainly, the left-wing lurch last weekend at its West Coast bosberaad was in line with the Marais approach of greater co- operation with the ANC.
Marais told the Mail & Guardian this week that he and party leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk held the same views of where the NNP should be and he was “very, very happy” with the caucus decision.
“The NNP can only be a relevant force if it positions itself among the poor and destitute. It must roll up its sleeves and use its experience to undo the mess it did to millions of African and coloured people under the National Party government.
“We must provide services to the people who were destroyed through apartheid. We must move away from pure capitalism and endorse socialist principles and the state to help those who are destitute and poor whether they are blacks or coloureds.
“We must stop just giving fishing quotas to coloured people. We must stop just supporting the rich farmers and forgetting about the farmworkers. We must look at the plight of the workers as well.”
Marais said that if people did not support this new role, “then they must feel free to leave the NNP. If it does not adopt the new vision, I should think the NNP will not see another election.
“If this means we move away from certain opposition parties, then so be it. It is the right position to take.”
In its statement after the bosberaad, the party said “the NNP has positioned itself at the centre of South African politics” and that “the NNP’s policy must fully reflect this position”. Although endorsed by its extended caucus and the executive of its federal council, the full federal council has still to give the change its stamp of approval.
In ANC circles in the Western Cape there is a mood of expectancy ahead of the NNP provincial congress that Marais will make a successful challenge for the leadership and lead his party into a realignment with the ANC.
However, support for Marais in the province has been overestimated in the past, such as when Morkel defeated him for the provincial leadership, and it is quite probable that this will occur again. Morkel has the support of the party’s old guard, including former officials.
Senior DP sources do not rule out a concerted attempt by Marais and Van Schalkwyk to move the NNP from its alignment with the DP to a closer working relationship with the ANC. But they point out that the NNP has also been calling for closer co-operation with opposition parties ahead of the municipal elections.
“They are flip-flopping all over the place after their major setback in the general election,” one DP MP said.