Termites in the walls of Jericho : the Labour Party and "parallel development", 1966-1980

Abstract

Afrikaans

Termiete in die mure van Jerigo : die Arbeidersparty en "parallelle ontwikkeling" , 1966-1980 Die besluit van die ('kleurling') Arbeidersparty in 1983 om aan die Regering se nuwe grondwetlike bedeling deel te neem, is amper algemeen as volslae heulery afgekeur. Hierdie veroordeling was miskien sowel voorbarig as onregverdig indien in aanmerking geneem word dat die Arbeiders 'n sleutelrol gespeel het in die ontwrigting vroeër van die opgehefte Verteenwoordigende Kleurlingraad. Deur aan die Kleurlingraad deel te neem, het die Arbeiders bewys dat met die regte taktiek 'n segregasieinstelling gebruik kon word om segregasie te ondermyn. Die Kleurlingraad, wat voorsien was as 'n instelling om 'kleurlinge' permanent met hul uitskakeling uit die magsentrum te versoen, is nooit toegelaat om sy werk vlot te verrig nie en het inderdaad 'n groot reklameramp vir die Nasionale Partyregering geword. Dit is net soveel aan die Arbeiders se ontegemoetkomende rol as aan die fundamentele gebreke van die instelling toe te skrywe. Die 1983-grondwet het inderdaad veel meer ruimte as die Kleurlingraad geskep vir die 'Trojaanse perd'-strategie wat die Arbeiders gedurende die sewentigerjare suksesvol gebruik het. Om hierdie rede sou dit redelik gewees het om die voordeel van die twyfel aan die Arbeiders te gegee het waar hulle gekies het om ook daaraan deel te neem.

English

The decision of the ('coloured') Labour Party in 1983 to take part in the Government's new constitutional dispensation was almost universally condemned as an act of outright collaboration. This judgement was perhaps both premature and unfair given the party's key role in sabotaging the then recently-defunct Coloured Persons' Representative Council (C.P.R.C.). By taking part on the C.P.R.C., Labour members had demonstrated that, given the correct tactics, a segregatory institution could be used to undermine segregation. The C.P.R.C., conceived as an institution that would permanently reconcile coloured people to their exclusion from the centre of power, was never allowed to run smoothly and in fact became a major public relations disaster for the Nationalist Government. This was due as much to the Labour Party's non-co-operative role as to the fundamental shortcomings of the institution. The 1983 constitution in fact provided far greater scope than the C.P .R.C. for the 'Trojan Horse' strategies employed successfully by the Labour Party during the 1970s. Consequently, Labour members could reasonably have been given the benefit of the doubt when choosing to take part in it as well.