"The call of the former NP MP and DA member, Nick Koornhof, that Afrikaners should not isolate themselves politically by joining other political parties such as the FF Plus but should rather become members of parties such as Cope, is ill-advised an naïve", Dr. Corné Mulder, Chief Whip of the Freedom Front Plus said (see article).
"Just as "Coke Light" is still Coke, Mr. Lekota's party is still the ANC. If Mr. Lekota had had the choice to keep the name ANC for his new party, he would have done it. Cope is in essence the new "ANC Light" because Lekota has not deviated from any of the principles of the ANC of which he had until recently been a prominent member", was the opinion of Dr. Mulder.
"The heart of the ANC's policy is the Freedom Charter. Lekota is now claiming that Cope is the true protector of the Freedom Charter, rather than the ANC. The policies of Cope have still not been made known and until Cope has revealed and implemented its policies, Lekota and his new party remains the ANC Light. Mr. Koornhof is therefore trying to get Afrikaners to join the ANC Light", Dr. Mulder said.
In the new South Africa, the real opposition can be nothing other than a party of whom both the leadership and the supporters are black. This is what Cope is striving for and Koornhof should realize this and be honest about it before he urges Afrikaners to become part of the new ANC Light.
"It is an accepted fact that the Afrikaners and other minorities can not achieve their objectives in isolation. It is however not necessary for Afrikaners and other minorities to give up their own identities to protect their rights and achieve their ideals. Groups can achieve their objectives through sensible cooperation with each other. This is why it is not necessary for Afrikaners to join the ANC or the ANC Light", Dr. Mulder added.
"The FF Plus has repeatedly proven that the party and its supporters do not exist and function in isolation. We however achieve our goals without being swallowed up by other parties who do not have our interests at heart. The FF Plus has also never given up its own identity or principles just to become part of a larger opposition party which opposes the ANC. Through coalitions with other opposition parties and also on our own steam, the FF Plus has achieved much more for the Afrikaner and other minority groups, than what the case had been if we were to become part of an ANC Light party who's principles do not differ from the ANC's", Mulder said.
Statement issued by Dr Corné Mulder, Freedom Front Chief Whip, November 26 2008
