The root of the trouble
J O Y C E H A R R I S
" p o l i t i c s " is defined as "The science and art of government, the science dealing with the form, organisation and administration of a state or part of one — that branch of moral philosophy dealing with the state or social organism as a whole." A political party is therefore presumably a group of people sharing a common view about the science and art of government with reference to a particular slate or part of one, having re- gard to the state or social organism as a whole.
I t is an interesting exercise to examine t h e S o u t h African political scene in the context of t h e above definition, a n d t h e first a n d most s t r i k i n g conclusion is t h a t it does n o t fit.
Neither t h e Nationalist P a r t y , nor its official opposition, the United P a r l y , conforms t o t h e concept of a group of people s h a r i n g a c o m m o n view a b o u t t h e science and art of government h a v i n g regard to t h e state or social organism as a w h o l e . Only t h e Progressive Party con- tains t h e r e q u i r e d ingredients.
T h e fundamental reason for t h i s u n o r t h o d o x political set-up is to be f o u n d in t h e roots of t h e Nationalist P a r t y , its development, its growth and its acquisition of power. It did not start off as a political party at all — i n t h e accepted sense of t h e t e r m . Rather did it have its beginnings in the determination of a limited group of people — a race of people — to re- t a i n their i d e n t i t y , their language and t h e i r in- dependence. T h e appeal of t h e party has al- ways been an emotional one, a call to the blood, a n emphasis on t h e exclusiveness of [lie Afri-
kaner people — their language, their culture, their traditional way of life. T h e Afrikaner people felt threatened, so they erected their defences a n d retreated into their " l a a g e r " . They were in no way concerned with t h e form,
organisation a n d administration of a state or part of one, but only with t h e i r own survival, and with the acquisition of power in order to ensure t h a t survival. T h e m o r a l philosophy of dealing with t h e state or social organism as a whole had relevance only in terms of how best t o secure t h e i r o w n interests.
I t has been South Africa's tragedy t h a t a p a r t y should have come to power which was not a political party in t h e t r u e sense of t h e t e r m , but a party based on race, its member- s h i p motivated by t h e fact of belonging to a particular people or ethnic stock. T h e science
and art of government did not enter into their calculations except insofar as they themselves were affected b y government.
However when, t o t h e i r own surprise, they nctually c a m e to power in 1948, they found themselves faced with a l l t h e p r o b l e m s im- plicit in governing. But the leopard could not change its spots. T h i s was a party based on race, a n d it proceeded to govern according to race. T h i s was a party whose fundamental purpose was t h e survival of the Afrikaner people, and it proceeded to govern the whole c o u n t r y in terms of t h e survival of t h e Afri-
kaner people.
Inevitably it has h a d to widen its horizons, for it found itself responsible for t h e country as a whole. Inevitably t h e years have given it experience in t h e mechanics of government.
But its original premise h a s never altered. It was formed in t h e interests of t h e Afrikaner people, it attracted support and it grew in the interests of t h e Afrikaner people, it came to power in t h e interests of t h e Afrikaner people, and it has never ceased to govern in the inter- ests of t h e Afrikaner people.
Its whole policy of divide and rule, of Apartheid, of Separate Development, of segre- gation in t h e schools and Christian National Education, of Influx Control and Efflux En-
forcement, of G r o u p Areas and Black Spot Removals, of physical planning, b o r d e r in- dustries, decentralisation, t h e slow t h r o t t l i n g of t h e largely English-speaking Witwatersrand a n d t h e strangulation of t h e economy, t h e growing arrogance and authoritarianism and harsh silencing of criticism --- all stem incluct- ably from its own beginnings.
Never has its concept of t h e art of govern- ment been extended to incorporate t h e inter- ests of t h e social organism as a whole, except insofar as its h a n d has been forced b y world
Tlw Black Sash, June, 1972 24 Die Swart Serp, Junie 1972
o p i n i o n , by expedience and by t h e need to fulfil its responsibilities of governing, and always h a v e its own interests been p a r a m o u n t .
T h e Nationalist P a r t y has never pretended to be anything b u t a party of Afrikaner national- ists, t h o u g h expediency h a s on occasion forced from it an unwilling invitation to English- speaking South Africans to j o i n its r a n k s —
on its own terms, naturally. It has been t r u e to itself a n d its own ideals. I t h a s h a d t h e support of a majority of white S o u t h Africans,
for ihe Afrikaner people are in t h e majority, a n d i>n that basis has subjected all t h e people of S o u t h Africa t o t h e realisation of i t s p u r -
pose, w h i c h was not t h a t o£ a political party b u t of a racial group.
T h e Official Opposition h a s reacted accord- ingly. I t has found itself in t h e u n h a p p y situ- ation of having to fight emotionally-based legislation with reason — of having to fight
racism with politics — of h a v i n g to fight a call to the blood with the science of govern- m e n t — and it has succumbed to t h e unequal struggle. I t has h a d t o watch t h e growing
r a n k s of t h e ruling party — t h r o u g h n a t u r a l increase, t h r o u g h " V o l k " identification, t h r o u g h in-group consolidation encouraged by out-group fear such as t h e much-vaunted
"Swart Gcvaar" — a n d it has h a d to watch its own r a n k s dwindling. Small wonder, then, t h a t it has tried t o emulate t h e Nationalists, to be m o r e " p a t r i o t i c " , m o r e aware of t h e " w h i t e m a n ' s b u r d e n " , m o r e ready t o co-operate on what is euphemistically termed "state security"
w h i c h in reality is Nationalist P a r t y security.
Small wonder that it h a s tried to be all things to all men in a frantic attempt to attract more support from an electorate which t h e Nation- alist P a r t y h a s brainwashed into believing that it is t h e State, t h a t criticism of t h e Govern- ment is u n p a t r i o t i c and even treasonable, that black people a r e dangerous, are "superfluous appendages", a r e inferior, are expendable. If race attitudes have been so rewarding to t h e Nationalist P a r t y , why then should t h e United Parly not t r y t o c l i m b o n t o t h e b a n d w a g o n ?
Because the United Party itself embraces too wide a spectrum of political o p i n i o n , because its members do not really share a c o m m o n view about t h e science a n d art of government, be- cause its political obectives are too ill-defined, because its m e m b e r s have become infected with Nationalist-induced fears and prejudices, and because it has been in the exceedingly dif- ficult situation of h a v i n g to fight emotion with
a reasoned policy which it h a s never succeeded i n establishing even t o its own satisfaction, it h a s not stood a chance. I t has been expedient a n d equivocal, it has compromised itself, it is 'against' m o r e than it is *for\ I t m a y conform m o r e to t h e requirements of a political party than does t h e Nationalist P a r t y , but it falls far short of t h e ideal.
T h e Progressive Party was formed b y United P a r t y m e m b e r s who tired of its constant ex- pediency a n d equivocation, and it set out t o establish for itself a body of principles which
would meet t h e c o m m o n view of its members a b o u t t h e science a n d a r t of Govcrment with reference to t h e total S o u t h African scene. I t ought to have appealed t o a wide cross-section of the general public in terms of its policies a n d its ethical principles — t h e fundamental one b e i n g the anti-racial one of " M e r i t — not C o l o u r " — but in fact this appeal h a s failed to crystallize t o any meaningful degree. I t h a s
not been able to meet t h e challenge of ram- pant racism. T h e result h a s been t h a t m a n y of its m e m b e r s now feel t h a t it ought to com- promise s o m e of its principles i n order t o gain m o r e support, and it remains to be seen whe- t h e r principle will prevail. In t h e m e a n w h i l e it is being subjected to t h e game frustrations and difficulties as those which have confron- ted t h e United Party and caused it to become ineffective.
T h e Liberal Party, t h e only party which was n o t prepared to compromise in any way, was forced out of existence, so t h e Progressive P a r t y is faced w i t h a n u n h a p p y choice.
T h i s , t h e n , is t h e political scene i n S o u t h Africa, t h e outcome, directly and indirectly, of t h e racially-orientated Nationalist Party to which a majority of white South Africans be- l o n g . Racism, with its attendant ills of pre- j u d i c e , hate a n d fear, is t h e disease which is eating into t h e body politic -— a virulent in- fection exceedingly difficult t o eradicate. I t has spread to t h e United Party, t h e defences of the Progressive Party are b e i n g assailed, and black nationalist movements arc manifesting
themselves with all t h e trappings of black power. Politics in South Africa is not t h e art and science of government with reference to t h e social organism as a whole, b u t a con- centrated endeavour directed at dividing t h e social organism into its m a n y constituent racial components, labelling t h e m , separating them, discriminating between t h e m .
Until t h i s process can somehow be revers-
The Black Sask, June, 1972 2 5 Die Swart Serp, Junie 197S
