Howard Barrell replies
I have difficulty in viewing Parks Mankahlana’s article on my review of Thabo Mbeki’s first year as president as the response of a reasonable person.
What criticisms my review contained fell comfortably within the norms of political commentary and debate. The review hardly warranted a response beyond recognition of it as one of a number of plausible views on the president’s performance. But, in Mankahlana’s view, these criticisms evince a “deep personal hatred” of Mbeki within me and, he says (following a conversation he had with one unnamed editor), a conviction among “most white editors” that Mbeki has no right to be president of South Africa. Mankahlana’s evident belief that criticism of Mbeki must stem from some kind of malice or racism is bizarre. It ill suits someone who is supposed to possess the judgement to speak on behalf of a head of state.
For purposes of the record, I should probably respond to several of Mankahlana’s charges, however absurd they may appear to me to be.
I have no hatred of Mbeki. I had dealings with him quite regularly while in exile with the ANC in the 1980s. From this and other observations, I have formed an opinion of him. Let me repeat what I have written and said publicly about him before now: he is not, in my view, the kind of person who inspires affection; he has astonishing intellectual gifts and often very sophisticated political instincts; and he has the potential to be a greater president even than his predecessor. Professionally, my attitude towards him is the same as that towards any politician: it is characterised by scepticism. It is an attitude with which I am comfortable and which Mail & Guardian readers have come to expect from me. I am not aware of any professional, moral or political obligation on me or any other journalist to like any politician, however exalted and whatever his or her views.
One result of this attitude – shared by a number of my colleagues – is that I quite frequently come under attack from officials and supporters of the ruling party and its allies. Invariably, an attack will take one, or both, of two forms. The first is a personalised attack on me, in which malice of motive is attributed to me. The second is an attack not on what the offending article said but, rather, on something it did not say. The intellectual, political and sometimes also the moral poverty of these attacks has often been astonishing; the overweening seriousness with which the politicians or officials concerned treat themselves quite amazing; and the humourlessness that is evident something we should all be worried about.
Neither the M&G nor I have retreated into any white laager – nor will we allow others to place us there. Our coverage of Zimbabwe has been anything but white-centric or Afro-pessimist. Our coverage of South Africa is informed by a concern for all our people.
The M&G and its political staff will continue to report on the presidency, like the rest of the political community, without fear and without favour. Mr Mankahlana – and others in the presidency – had better get used to it.