Let me start off by saying that I am not a political analyst or commentator, nor do I have some degree in political science. These are purely my opinions, so naturally I think they’re pretty accurate!
So the Dalai Lama has cancelled his trip to South Africa due to “visa problems”. Despite what many think, this is not some spiteful attempt to be douche bags or a show of power from Zuma and his cronies. This is in fact a shrewd political move to align ourselves closer to China. For those of you who don’t know, basically China hates the Dalai Lama’s guts because years ago he told Chairman Mao that his hat made him look fat... And that is all true, except for the part about the hat. The real reason China doesn’t melt at the sound of the Dalai’s sweet soft voice like the rest of the world does is because, well, they’re assholes. In a nutshell, with the Dalai Lama being the spiritual leader of Tibet, Chinese communists under Chairman Mao invaded Tibet around 60 years ago and basically massacred the population, and until today they torture inhabitants and maintain them in the most abject living conditions. Now bear in mind that these Tibetan people are Buddhists, probably the most peaceful, humble, and nicest people you will ever meet. So in order to be China’s little bitch, one cannot be mates with the Dalai Lama, hence the refusal to grant him a visa to visit our country to attend Archbishop Tutu’s birthday party and deny the country a chance to see a spiritual leader who actually practices what he preaches.
But why China? Why is our government so obsessed with not pissing the Chinese off? Apart from the fact most “Proudly South African” products are actually produced in China, and the obvious current investment China has in South Africa, this is more a strategic move for the future. Due to the ongoing worldwide economic crisis, the balance of power is shifting. Once this is all over, the superpowers of the past (USA, UK, etc.) will no longer be the superpowers of the future. The economic power will move east, specifically to countries like India, and of course, our communist friends in China. Aligning ourselves with them could make South Africa a mini economic superpower in itself. That is all very good and well, but getting too close to China, and the way the ANC has been conducting themselves in the last few years, I can’t help but feel more than a little nervous about this alliance...
Before we forget, China is still a communist country, at least politically anyways, and I’ve always felt that the ANC are a communist party dressed in democrats clothing. Apart from the fact that they screw everyone else over whilst continually lining their own pockets and the fact that they all refer to each other as “comrade”, there are other signs. A few examples of cornerstones of democracy being made a mockery of by the ANC include freedom of speech (Protection of Information Bill), equal voting (constant voter intimidation), equal treatment of all citizens (BEE, men being thrown in jail and charged with criminal assault for NEARLY spilling a drink on the president), nationalization and illegal land reforms (funnily enough even China has ditched nationalization for the most part, tells you something about its effectiveness) and most importantly, the disregard for the constitution (Zuma getting his boy in to the Constitutional Court so he can manipulate decisions... watch this space).
So when one puts this all together, I can’t help but feel that our government has a bit of a hard-on for China, and want to base their governance model on that of China’s... And I’m not sure how comfortable I am with that, in fact, I hate the idea. I don’t care how successful China become, that success only benefits a few under communism, and the have-nots end up having even less. I also do not want to be aligned with a country that so savagely murders innocent people for no other reason than pure hate. Imagine you have a nice piece of land somewhere in sunny SA and next thing some guys rock up and say, “Terribly sorry old chap, but we’re going to brutally kill you now and take your land while our leaders sing about us killing you!” That would be a sad day in this country... Oh wait, what’s this? A newspaper? “Another Brutal Farm Murder”... hmmm, wonder what that’s all about then...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Dear ANC...
To Whom It May Concern:
I have a serious problem with your organization, as well as a large majority of your members. I fear you have all lost total sight of what the ANC is supposed to be, the ANC that Nelson Mandela envisioned. Allow me to elaborate...
Firstly, you guys have got to get off the blame train. Apartheid was a terrible thing, it really was, but it’s long gone. The fact that we still hear about it daily in the press, 17 years on since we became a democracy, shows me that it is the ANC who does not want to let the legacy of apartheid die. Why I don’t know, a new generation is emerging, a generation that knows nothing about apartheid, and instead of equipping them with the self-belief that they can make it, that they can be successful, you are constantly reminding them of the past, and in doing so instilling a sense of belief that they are still oppressed. It was Steve Biko who believed that the apartheid government’s greatest strength was leading your people to believe that they were inferior to the white man. And as such, these people just accepted their circumstances and surroundings. Surely you should be trying to eradicate that and make your people believe that with education, goals, and willpower, anything is possible. Instead, with these constant rants of racism and buck-passing from your officials, you are subconsciously making the poor believe that failure is ok, because you can always blame someone else. Take your life in your own hands and a terrible thing happens: No one to blame but yourself! Imagine every citizen in this country shared that mentality. Imagine the possibilities...
And I’m sure the thinking at this point in this letter is “oh just another white boy scared of losing his privileges”. Well no, I may be white, but I don’t care about race, I care about facts. And the facts are, this country is at a tipping point, and can go either way at this stage. The world’s economy is changing, the superpowers of the past will no longer be the superpowers of the future, there are opportunities for emerging markets to really establish themselves as the new superpowers. Riding off the back of a successful world cup, we have this opportunity. But yet, you allow talk of nationalization? You know that instead of increasing international investment in this country, it is down 46%? Yes, forty-six percent. And why is that? Well, simple really. No one wants to invest in a country where there is even a thought of nationalization. It has not worked anywhere else in the world, even in countries where they had competent people in government. The government gets richer, the poor get poorer... but sadly, many of your voters remain uneducated and will believe whatever you tell them (why was the education budget in the Eastern Cape, an ANC stronghold, cut? Makes you wonder). Who is it that you really care about? The people of South Africa, or the man you see in the mirror every morning inside your multi-million rand home? I stand to be corrected, but the mining industry accounts for around 20% of the country’s economy. Through nationalization, mines will slowly disappear through mismanagement, thousands will lose their jobs, Eskom will run short of raw materials, more people will lose their jobs, electricity will become a luxury item, and the poor will suffer even more. That is just one of example of what I can assure you will happen. Don’t believe me? Have a look at history. This country does not need an economic revolution like some palooka’s (Read: Julius Malema) believe. This country needs proper, and most importantly, selfless governance. There is no quick fix, the only way the poor will become less poor is through job creation, and job creation comes about through international investment.
Ban workers unions. They cost the economy millions, even billions, every year through their stupid and unreasonable demands. Look at the way they encourage their members to behave, it’s savage and disgusting, and they use their democratic right to strike as an excuse to act that way. I like to have a dig at the English as much as anyone, but seriously? Take the plank out of your own eye before... well, you know the rest.
And lastly, corruption. Come now, we all know how bad it is. We all know just about every ANC official is or has been involved in corruption at some point. Imagine how many more millions of Rands to feed the poor would be available. Eradicate it, and eradicate the twats who call for nationalization but gain millions through corrupt privatization of governmental departments. The time is now, it is on you. This country could become a superpower, but it could just as easily become another Zimbabwe unless serious responsibility starts being shown. It doesn’t help blaming the past or talking about what needs to change. “I must do something” always solves more problems than “something must be done”.
Responsibility responsibility responsibility. Own it. That’s what we as a nation are asking for. If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Lead them by example, lead us all by example. As a nation whose future hangs in the balance, it’s our only hope...
I have a serious problem with your organization, as well as a large majority of your members. I fear you have all lost total sight of what the ANC is supposed to be, the ANC that Nelson Mandela envisioned. Allow me to elaborate...
Firstly, you guys have got to get off the blame train. Apartheid was a terrible thing, it really was, but it’s long gone. The fact that we still hear about it daily in the press, 17 years on since we became a democracy, shows me that it is the ANC who does not want to let the legacy of apartheid die. Why I don’t know, a new generation is emerging, a generation that knows nothing about apartheid, and instead of equipping them with the self-belief that they can make it, that they can be successful, you are constantly reminding them of the past, and in doing so instilling a sense of belief that they are still oppressed. It was Steve Biko who believed that the apartheid government’s greatest strength was leading your people to believe that they were inferior to the white man. And as such, these people just accepted their circumstances and surroundings. Surely you should be trying to eradicate that and make your people believe that with education, goals, and willpower, anything is possible. Instead, with these constant rants of racism and buck-passing from your officials, you are subconsciously making the poor believe that failure is ok, because you can always blame someone else. Take your life in your own hands and a terrible thing happens: No one to blame but yourself! Imagine every citizen in this country shared that mentality. Imagine the possibilities...
And I’m sure the thinking at this point in this letter is “oh just another white boy scared of losing his privileges”. Well no, I may be white, but I don’t care about race, I care about facts. And the facts are, this country is at a tipping point, and can go either way at this stage. The world’s economy is changing, the superpowers of the past will no longer be the superpowers of the future, there are opportunities for emerging markets to really establish themselves as the new superpowers. Riding off the back of a successful world cup, we have this opportunity. But yet, you allow talk of nationalization? You know that instead of increasing international investment in this country, it is down 46%? Yes, forty-six percent. And why is that? Well, simple really. No one wants to invest in a country where there is even a thought of nationalization. It has not worked anywhere else in the world, even in countries where they had competent people in government. The government gets richer, the poor get poorer... but sadly, many of your voters remain uneducated and will believe whatever you tell them (why was the education budget in the Eastern Cape, an ANC stronghold, cut? Makes you wonder). Who is it that you really care about? The people of South Africa, or the man you see in the mirror every morning inside your multi-million rand home? I stand to be corrected, but the mining industry accounts for around 20% of the country’s economy. Through nationalization, mines will slowly disappear through mismanagement, thousands will lose their jobs, Eskom will run short of raw materials, more people will lose their jobs, electricity will become a luxury item, and the poor will suffer even more. That is just one of example of what I can assure you will happen. Don’t believe me? Have a look at history. This country does not need an economic revolution like some palooka’s (Read: Julius Malema) believe. This country needs proper, and most importantly, selfless governance. There is no quick fix, the only way the poor will become less poor is through job creation, and job creation comes about through international investment.
Ban workers unions. They cost the economy millions, even billions, every year through their stupid and unreasonable demands. Look at the way they encourage their members to behave, it’s savage and disgusting, and they use their democratic right to strike as an excuse to act that way. I like to have a dig at the English as much as anyone, but seriously? Take the plank out of your own eye before... well, you know the rest.
And lastly, corruption. Come now, we all know how bad it is. We all know just about every ANC official is or has been involved in corruption at some point. Imagine how many more millions of Rands to feed the poor would be available. Eradicate it, and eradicate the twats who call for nationalization but gain millions through corrupt privatization of governmental departments. The time is now, it is on you. This country could become a superpower, but it could just as easily become another Zimbabwe unless serious responsibility starts being shown. It doesn’t help blaming the past or talking about what needs to change. “I must do something” always solves more problems than “something must be done”.
Responsibility responsibility responsibility. Own it. That’s what we as a nation are asking for. If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Lead them by example, lead us all by example. As a nation whose future hangs in the balance, it’s our only hope...
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