ANC commits grave offences against debate

JAMES MYBURGH

Sunday Independent April 29 2001

John Stuart Mill wrote that the gravest offences against reasoned debate are "to argue sophistically, to suppress facts or arguments, to misstate the elements of the case, or misrepresent the opposite opinion"; the worst offence of all though "is to stigmatise those who hold contrary opinions as bad and immoral men."

Dumisani Makhaye ("Democratic centralism is not totalitarianism", The Sunday Independent, April 22) manages to commit all these offences in one short article. Nonetheless, his defence of democratic centralism is useful for unlike Kader Asmal Makhaye really is a true believer, and while he does his best to dissemble, his assumptions tend to show through.

The ANC of President Thabo Mbeki is an organisation in which the "centralism" increasingly conflicts with and overrides the "democratic". Deprived of any real say over their public representatives (or over party policy) and mesmerised by the patronage wielded by the leadership, the party faithful have little opportunity (and even less incentive) to try to hold that leadership to account.

Makhaye claims that the conflation of democratic centralism and deployment committees is "fantastic". He argues that the ANC's "deployment committees" are little more than employment advisory and guidance agencies for party members.

These claims are belied by the internal party documents motivating for the establishment of such committees, and indeed by the policy itself. The governance commission, which drafted the resolution on cadre policy, stated that deployment committees were necessary to ensure that cadres remained "informed by, and accountable to, the party".

The resolution itself states that the "decisions of the organisation (on deployment) are final and a breach of this policy shall constitute a serious offence".

The truth is, such committees are essential for the proper functioning of democratic centralism for they are the practical method by which the party ensures that members "defend and implement" the decisions of the leadership.

Makhaye claims that the committees are tasked with "finding individuals who were broadly loyal to democracy and the constitution". The obvious question is, is such a committee, with its unfortunate aims and historical antecedents, really the appropriate body for determining loyalty to a liberal democratic constitution? The fact that, as Roger Scruton points out, "democratic centralism is strictly incompatible with any separation of powers" suggests not.

Makhaye's article is indicative of a party which is unwilling to declare its real aims and unable to accept the bona fides of its opponents. The task of the ANC ideologue is not to refute the opponent's argument on its merits, but to uncover the hidden motivation or the larger conspiracy

Cape Town