Response to the new Pope of the 1996 Class Project: Trevor Manuel

I don’t know Trevor Manuel that much, I know him as the then Finance Minister, ANC NEC Member and founding member of UDF. As a Young Red and young person one is absolved by history. As a historical materialist and as per the our 1st Deputy General Secretary , Cde Jeremy Cronin, who knows him for a very long time as a friend that disagreed with him on many things, to me that speaks volumes.

Mr Trevor Manuel is trying so hard to wake the dead from the cemetery. His anti-communists sentiments compel one to responds in the interests of the revolution (see City Press article). When we delivered our message to the SACP Special National Congress we emphasized that the Special Congress is convened when the remnants of the 1996 class project are becoming bold and confident. Just few days after the 3rd SACP Special National Congress he rubbishes the South African Communist Party, which earns him to be a New Pope of the 1996 class project.

Let me before I raise any issue clarify one issue that as communists we don’t fear criticism as we subscribe to constructive criticism. If what people say against us is correct we accept it and correct it .However we can easily differentiate between constructive criticism and destructive criticism. For now the New Pope of the 1996 class project Trevor Manuel critics on the SACP are bogus and baseless.

It is not surprising for ones legacy to be kept alive, but it is a bit ironic if not absurd for one to fight for his or her legacy more than those who supposed to be beneficiaries of such a legacy, and therefore its utmost exponents and proponents, this is a simple common speak.

It would however be a huge mistake to assume that everything is normal and thus free from absurdities, in fact the very capitalist system which exists is inherently riddled with absurdities, and thus survives on monumental absurdities of all times. It is therefore not surprising that the greatest personification of such absurdities in the name of Trevor Manuel schizophrenically speaks about the Party while through his tenure as Minister of Finance is the one who ensured that the very Party which raised crucial working class issues was policy-muzzled.

What do we make of his utterances about the SACP? Are they concerns of a really caring man, a man of peace, justice and equality? Really? Well if we were to answer for ourselves, we were going to be labeled as anti-progress beings who always criticize but, hey, history is there to answer on our behalf, history says ‘under Manuel’s leadership, neo-liberal policies were order of the day which resulted for the workers and the poor to be highly indebted , that alone is trial to the revolution, indisputable? Off course, not. Why all of the sudden is Trevor Manuel so “concerned” about the “role” and the “legitimacy” of the Party?

Trevor Manuel is not alone, he carries the frustration of the entire system of capitalist including liberals and other anti-communists, and hence he becomes the New Pope of the 1996 class project. As history marches forward it renders null and void that which is not consistent with reality and the interests of the majority, as the gospel of neo-liberalism is brutally torn apart its ardent proponents will constantly attempt to rescue, and re-legitimize it under new guises, and Trevor Manuel is the confused New Pope of this “neo-liberal redemptive crusade”, the gospel that contradicts the progressive journey of mankind.

What are the ‘metaphysics’ of the frustration and of the gospel?

The metaphysics of the frustration and of the gospel will show us why the SACP is the target of Manuel’s vitriol. The metaphysics is based on a simple dualistic thought, salvation or damnation, the Party as per Pope Manuel’s assertions, since ‘it is not playing its historic role’ is “damned”, if not “doomed”, and the rest of the political formations unmentioned in the article are “salvaged” . Let me for now congratulate the other progressive political formations for the privilege of being not damned by the New Pope of the 1996 class project. Who knows let me just say congratulations once again for now.

The New Pope of the 1996 class project assumes moral authority over any existing political party, he is not even sitting on a throne, but the throne is in his head, and thus universalizes his moral and political understanding to everyone, policing other formation’s ‘role’ and ‘legitimacy’, parading his ‘judgment’ of the Party as a ‘discursive’ matter, while he does not even show remorse for the many lives he destroyed by his zealous neo-liberal, IMF and World Bank-informed policies in his tenure.

The attempt by the New Pope of the 1996 class project is to discredit those who want to expose his merciless doctrine of “economicide”- simply put death by economics, which he fervently espoused and practiced throughout his tenure, and continues to play in other parts of the world now. Pope Manuel, an ardent neo-liberal thinker, being concerned about the Party is like a cat concerned about the inability of the mice to run, quite ironic, is it not? The ‘concern’ about the Party is a mere public exercise to defocus us from consistently pursuing the noble ideals of a truly free society, free from inequalities, poverty and unemployment, so that capitalism continue unchallenged, the moment it goes unchallenged the Party will be the darling of Pope Manuel, and all ‘arms will yield to the gown’.

Let me assure the New Pope of the 1996 class project, Trevor Manuel that the vanguard of the working class, the South African Communist Party is true to its origins, all the decisions and resolutions it took so far are correct and undisputable as they are in line with its traditions. The Party understands that each moments in the revolution requires a dialectic approach which is not static as it build and cement the unity of the motive forces , as it address immediate challenges facing working class ,as it build capacity for, and momentum towards socialism.

The Party is not for sale, the Party is on the ground, the Party is true to its origins and the Party is growing, that’s the bottom line.

Cde Mluleki Dlelanga is the National Secretary of the YCLSA.

This article first appeared in the Bottomline, the online newsletter of the Young Communist League.