Dream Indaba

At the end of a series of exchanges on the SA Debate network, in late August 2003, I put the question: What can be done, in any constructive sense, about the serious malaise in ANC policy, and ANC leadership? I said I would do another, a final note, outlining the dream that I have been having. It went something like this...The ANC executive, SG Kgalema Motlanthe, Treasurer Mendi Msimang and others, with other tripartite alliance leaders, call a huge indaba, a big, big bosberaad of all the leadership, including senior stalwarts...Invite the likes of Cyril Ramaphosa, Tokyo Sexwale, Matthews Phosa ...Ask them to leave any (justifiably) resentful and (understandably) bruised political egos at the door, along with their inflated business personas, so their charisma, great ability and energy can be redirected to help a revival of the national political project rather than a corporate/enrichment project.Bring in the mobilising and analytical powers of those such as Jay Naidoo, and Pallo Jordan who should have adopted a forceful backbench role some time ago and led a number of other concerned MPs now lurking, to shout the odds publicly but from within the ruling party, to give Parliament more meaning.Ask the likes of Ronnie Kasrils, Kader Asmal, Mohamed Valli Moosa, and others to come ready to make critical, informative inputs, rather than loyal ones, so the meeting can benefit from their experience as hard-working ministers.Remind those such as Charles Ncgakula, Jeff Radebe and Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi when they arrive, to speak out and contribute as socialists with an understanding of how the world works, to energise the triple alliance, support the likes of Cosatu SG Zwelinzima Vavi in expressing the growing concerns of the people, not murmur in the background, playing wet nurse to ruling circles, managing their capitalistic forays to look plausible.As they walk in to lend their weight to the meeting, give Jacob Zuma and Mac Maharaj a small round of applause, for the epic roles they played at crucial times in the run-up to majority rule.Make sure the indaba call reaches the more dedicated leadership out there, in Kimberley, in Vryburg, in many parts, some of whom are the ANC's finest.Thoroughly frisk for hidden agendas, anyone driving up in luxury 4x4s and stepping out in Gucci shoes.Show the trade union leadership to seats where they can most easily be listened to.Invite Trevor Manuel, Alec Irwin and Tito Mboweni on sufferance. Capable and hard-working as they may be, they must do a forfeit: stand up at the first session and admit that they've been having the people on, in pretending to be skilled and successful as fiscal and economic managers on the electorate's behalf; that it was all done by smoke and mirrors lent to them by Brenthurst, NYSE, the IMF and the World Bank.And the slightest sign from any one of them that they believe the media grease about how wonderful they are -- they get kicked out, straight into the bush, and made to walk home.Have the Presidency preside -- with the team using its intelligence and managing powers not to manipulate and mediocratise, not running paranoiac and scared, but ready to wean itself from the corporates and lead from the front, with vision and in a spirit of open consultation with the best and the brightest that South Africa has to offer, including themselves, bringing in their experience in running the country in these early years.All this, so that the agenda of the liberation movement, the people's party, can be re-energised, and hammered into a draft policy and programme that is at least social democratic, and a genuinely non-aligned foreign policy, hand in hand with a fair-market policy that can help weld Africa, region by region, and in alliance with third world countries, into a force for other power and trading blocs to reckon with, within the UN network.The proceedings, every word, are video-recorded by the best of producers, but remain unpublished, until the draft from the leadership is ready, and is put to middle level cadres, to branch committees, and to members.So there we are – I will dream on.Tony Hall