ANC abandoned socialist roots while leftists plot new opposition
· Citizen
Canadian-American economist and diplomat John Kenneth Galbraith it was who first formulated the phrase: “Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”
And proponents of both polar ideological opposites still use those sorts of extremes to criticise their enemies.
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For many on the right, even the slightest inkling of policy or law which seeks to benefit a broad mass of people is instantly slammed as “communist” or, perhaps, even “socialist”.
This means that some of the most successful social democracies in Europe, for example, would be classed as “left wing” for their myriad social safety nets.
At the same time, many regard China as communist – perhaps because it is run by the Chinese Communist Party – but it is, in reality, a system of state capitalism, backed by rigid societal control.
In South Africa, many are quick to call the ANC communist or socialist, attributing any failings in our governance to those systems, rather than to the plain insatiable greed and incompetence of ANC cadres.
Even those on the left are calling out the ANC these days for turning its back on its revolutionary socialist roots.
They have a point: read the Freedom Charter and ponder how few of those founding vows have actually come to pass.
So disgruntled and alienated has the left become that it is coalescing around what might become a programme of opposition to the ANC from what they call “progressive forces”.
Never mind that some of the leaders of such forces – we’re looking at you, Julius Malema, Jacob Zuma and sundry trade unionists – live life large in the capitalist way.
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But the lobbying influence of the group of leftists will be considerable, so expect the ANC to float more radical policies, especially as elections loom large.