The African National Congress did not wish to enforce an ”unnatural unity” on its diverse movement, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
”But at the same time none of us should act in a manner that undermines the decisions we have collectively taken here,” he said in the closing statement of the ANC’s national policy conference in Kempton Park.
The conference, a major preparatory meeting for the ANC’s 51st national conference in December, started on Friday with President Thabo Mbeki saying the party should consider its response to having been defined by the rightwing and the ultra-left as the common enemy. The rightwing included the Democratic Alliance with its neo-liberal policies, he said.
While not labelling any specific grouping as ultra-left, Mbeki said this faction was accusing the ANC of having abandoned the working people.
On Sunday ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe said there was an ultra-left element within the ranks of the ANC. He accused the faction of oversimplifying matters like privatisation and joblessness.
These were two of the major issues for the national strike the Congress of SA Trade Unions is planning for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The ANC, Cosatu and SA Communist Party comprise the tripartite alliance.
Motlanthe told reporters there were major policy differences between the ANC and Cosatu which they needed to discuss.
Outlining some of the policy conference resolutions on Monday, Zuma said the core of the forces committed to fundamental change was the tripartite alliance plus the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco), which the ANC would continue to build and consolidate.
”The ANC, as a disciplined force of the left, pursuing the interests of the poor, should continue with its principled ideological struggle against neo-liberalism and ultra-leftism,” he said to applause.
Zuma said the ANC had been able to unite its people for national liberation.
”We have been very sensitive to questions of unity… Building and maintaining unity requires us to learn from our history and apply the lessons to the manner in which we relate to one another as comrades, to the manner in which we engage with our alliance partners and to the way in which we interact with the broader set of progressive forces in our country.”
Nobody — whether speaking as an individual or as a representative of a branch, province or alliance partner — had been prevented from expressing his or her viewpoint at the conference, he said.
”…all ideas were aired and consensus was reached, even on the most difficult issues. This applies even to the resolution on the economy on which public perceptions do not accord with the character of our debates, within the ANC and within the alliance.”
Tackling poverty and unemployment was the consistent thread that ran through conference resolutions, Zuma said.
Government at all levels was urged to embark on programmes combining short-term measures for immediate relief with longer-term interventions to enable people to earn an income. The conference called for a major extension of community-based public works programmes using labour-intensive methods.
The meeting reaffirmed ANC policy on the restructuring of state-owned assets in a manner enhancing the developmental capacity of the state, Zuma said.
”Conference also identified the need to give priority to job retention, job creation and social plans in the process of restructuring.”
On inflation, the conference resolved that monetary policy should be used in a flexible manner, consistent with the broad aims and objectives of ANC policy.
”Our draft resolution calls for maintaining our approach on inflation targeting, while ensuring that such targets are consistent with our overall economic objectives.”
The conference was in favour of retaining the current electoral system of proportional representation because of its inclusivity and nation-building features, Zuma said.
”However, we are also strongly recommending that the ANC actively review the constituency work of our public representatives to enhance accountability to communities.”
In a resolution adopted just before Mbeki’s closing remarks, the ANC urged the president to make representations to his peers, especially Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, to prevent the execution of Nigerian woman Amina Lawal for adultery under shariah law.
”The ANC condemns all violations of human rights, including the imposition of cruel and inhumane punishment under the guise of traditional or religious laws or practices,” said the resolution, proposed by Speaker of the National Assembly Frene Ginwala.
Mbeki said the ANC’s decisions would determine the future of South Africa for a long time.
”The masses expect us to take good decisions. They expect us to also act on those decisions and to act in a manner that changes their lives for the better.” – Sapa