Helen Zille's newsletter and statements from their weekend conference re AA, EE and BBEE refers. First of all I am a great admirer of Premier Zille and a supporter of the DA so my critical stance taken here is not taken lightly. I am fully aware that the DA is trying to entice the black vote by its policy statements confirming that the DA will support race based redress, will support racial preference as well as support corrective programmes that actively promote black advancement. To offset this they then say that they however reject quotas. But how is this possible from a practical point of view without systematically reducing whites to second class citizens?
The first problem I have is that no matter which way you call it, AA is not only unconstitutional but when practiced against a minority of 16% of the population, it is quite frankly immoral. In the United States the Afro-American population, who constitute approximately 12% of the population, were supposed to benefit from affirmative action. Yet, despite the fact that the economy could quite easily absorb them, this policy has largely been unsuccessful. Now reverse this and apply a majority of 84% of the population lining up and demanding redress over a small percentage of the population then, quite frankly, old whitey is on a hiding to nothing.
Furthermore the most glaring omission from the policy statement is the question of merit. Imagine say ten jobs becoming available in our Municipality. Each job will have the EE pecking order with the white person last in the pecking order for each job opportunity. If Tony Ehrenreich has his way the they won't even be in the pecking order. It is therefore obvious that there is no chance of the white person getting any of the jobs. Now apply this to education and all other facets of our colour coded lives, then the future for my children and grandchildren in this country is very bleak indeed.
The other underlying problem in its policy statement is that the DA is relying on economic growth and its increased employment possibilities to soften the impact of redress on whites. But it is dismally clear that this ANC led government has neither the will or the ability to grow this country's economy and that the more the pressure develops between them and their supporters the more likely whites will be singled out as the sole reason for the mess this country is in. At the end of the day all you will have is a marginalized white community who will increasingly be closing shop and looking elsewhere for a future in a non-racial society where merit and hard work are rewarded not punished. Also the likely-hood of lunatic fringe elements developing in retaliation to these blatantly racist policies will become even more likely and then God help this sorry country of ours.
It is time that the DA and everyone else realizes that it is not the whites, 20 years after so called ‘democracy' was bestowed on this land, who are responsible for this mess. Corruption on a monumental scale, coupled with incompetent and inexperienced cadres across all spheres of government, the whole scale purge of competent experienced whites from critical positions, poor economic policies, BEE for the favoured few, a failed education system, all have contributed to a failed state which, even by African standards, is nothing short of a catastrophe. Singling out and impoverishing a small minority of the country is not going to solve the problem, in fact it will only serve to exacerbate the problem as more and more whites take their skills and resources elsewhere.
The DA has asked the whites to buy into these ‘not so subtle' race based policies but I think it needs to look at the realities of what the eventual outcome will be for its core support base. Obviously it is a difficult situation for the DA but I think it is time for the blinkers to come off and for the party to challenge the government on valid constitutional grounds where our constitutional rights are clearly stated and not made subject to the whims of a corrupt and incompetent ANC led government. The other reality for the DA is that victory via the ballot box is no guarantee of power in a failed African country. Mugabe has shown the way and Zuma has proved an adept pupil. Circling the wagons and forming a laager may be the only way forward for the palefaces.
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