Date: 04/06/2003
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: Buthelezi: Meets Australian Minister for Citizenship & Multi-Cultural Affairs
REMARKS BY MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP, MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS, AND PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA, AT THE MEETING WITH THE HONOURABLE MR GARY HARDGRAVE, MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTI-CULTURAL AFFAIRS, Canberra, 4 June
It is a great pleasure for me to meet with the Honourable Minister for Citizenship & Multi-cultural Affairs, the Honourable Gary Hardgrave to foster an intense and longstanding dialogue, which I have maintained for many years with the people and the Government of Australia. This has been a multi-faceted dialogue, which has dealt with both aspects of international politics as well as the comparison of our respective experiences in dealing with domestic issues. In this latter respect the Australian experience relating to multi-cultural affairs is of utmost importance and relevance for the development of South African democracy.
The measure of the extent of multi-culturalism in South Africa is remarkably shown by the fact that our Constitution recognises and entrenches 11 official languages. In addition to linguistic and cultural differences, our population is divided by profound social differences especially along the lines of the urban-rural divides. Urban communities, especially our traditional communities are, in fact, organised along the lines of what is effectively a different model of societal organisation which underpins the plurality of legal systems, customs and traditions which is at play in the organisational structuring of social life in our country. In addition to the divide between urban and rural areas there is obviously an entrenched and concerning divide between rich and poor which, unfortunately, while common in many other countries in the world, in our country continues to mirror ethnic and cultural divides.
The issue of black economic empowerment is firmly on our country's political agenda so as to ensure that over time our society can be normalised, without continuing to reflect the legacy of apartheid which concentrated economic power into the hands of the few who held political power in terms of apartheid's racist and oppressive policies. In order to ensure the long-term stability and viability of our country, it is important that those who have achieved political power may also have a comparative position within the economic structures of our society.
For this reason it will be very important for us to learn about the multi-cultural policies of Australia. As the Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa I only deal in a marginal way with the issue of multi-culturalism even though it is an issue of utmost importance in my political agenda as the Leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, which is one of the political organisations, which participates in the Government of South Africa. In fact, since its inception in 1975, I and my Party have advocated the political philosophy based on federalism and pluralism and have regarded the need of founding our new liberated Republic on extensive constitutional and legal protections which may promote pluralism not only at the political level, but also at the cultural and economic level. I am concerned that within the political matrix of my country there are totalitarian tendencies, which move towards minimising the extent of pluralism and are more inclined to promote what one may wish to define as organicism.
To address the imbalances of the past, what seems to be the prevailing school of thought is that the liberation movement ought to operate through the majority Party, the State and the control of the economy so that from one central power there is a movement of progress which transforms society at all levels. While the intentions of this approach are praiseworthy, I happen not to believe in it because it leads to one central power seeking to control all significant aspects of our economy as well as social and cultural life. I firmly believe that the vibrant forces of a pluralistic, open libertarian society remain the strongest elements which guarantee progress and equality.
As the Minister of Home Affairs I have had the opportunity of translating this approach in the formulation of a new system of migration control which adopts a much more liberal approach towards acquiring foreign skills for our labour market and to promote South Africa's economic growth. This liberal approach has been endorsed by our President, the Honourable Thabo Mbeki and our Cabinet and offers the hope that the liberal policies of a pluralistic vision may finally provide a significant contribution in the shaping of the new South Africa. I firmly believe when diverse people come together it creates within society a positive energy which breaks the barriers of mutual prejudice and cultural limitations and moves progress forward with the forces of innovation and entrepreneurship. South Africa has the ingredients which can make it become a genuinely cosmopolitan country in Africa.
Our strictly speaking African population is divided into many ethnic groups of which the one I belong to, the Zulus, are the most numerous. In addition to African groups we have the largest community of people of Indian extraction outside of India. In addition we have a considerable community of people of Malaysian extraction and a few Oriental communities, including Chinese both from Mainland China and Taiwan. The communities of European extraction range from Portuguese to Greek, from Dutch to English, German and French. In addition, the population of permanent residents and first-generation South Africans is growing, even though we still have not been able to formulate clear statistics to identify its percentage as compared to the whole of our population. The difficulty in our country is that the community of those who are economically active and are in the mainstream of economic activities as consumers or producers is still relatively small, and a small community must provide for a much larger community which is many times greater and which, unfortunately, still remains outside the formal economic cycle.
Unfortunately, the majority of our people still suffer under the yoke of poverty, unemployment and ignorance because of lack of education, knowledge and exposure. They also have no access to essential services such as electricity, sanitation and health-care. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we pursue a strategy which expands the core of our economy so that we can raise the necessary revenue to fund the massive social programmes, which are necessary to bring the majority of our population within the cycle of development.
Productive and skilled immigrants are one of the factors which can increase our economic bases and enable our country to reach not only the critical mass of skilled people but also the critical mass of consumers and productive economic protagonists, all of which can foster our economic growth into the higher required pace necessary to redress our society's imbalances.
I was pleased that this year's World Competitiveness Report prepared by Harvard University and the World Economic Forum highlights that South Africa is the first amongst the countries analysed in that Report in respect of relative transfers between the rich and the poor. However, for us to maintain this courageous trend it becomes essential that we keep the cake growing, rather than merely slicing off parts of it to address and redress the existing social imbalances and injustices.
I am highlighting these considerations to underscore how, in my opinion, multi-cultural policies are indeed closely tied with the vision one must have on how each country has to grow and prosper. As the Minister in charge of migration control, I am deeply aware that one of the most difficult decisions to be made is in fact how to regulate migration into a country, as that is the type of decision which will permanently affect the makeup of our future population and our country's characteristics. I hold the opinion that it is people which determine the fortunes, wealth or failure of nations. It is their ingenuity, commitment and internal harmony. In the end this difficult chemistry may depend on how multi-cultural issues are handled.
In my experience I have noticed that the greater the amount of components which go into the equation, the easier it seems to deal with the relevant issues. South Africa is unlikely to become a melting pot but we remain a complex salad bowl of different ingredients, the richness of the composition of which will finally determine its success. I can see this in practical examples as we have a variety of religions and ethnic groups living side by side. For instance, we have Muslim groups who strongly identify with the Palestinian cause living side by side and discussing Middle Eastern issues in a civilised manner with Jewish groups who strongly identify with Israel's cause.
I am a great believer in the forces of democracy and the capacity of the features of an open and free society not only to promote progress in any given country but finally to achieve world progress and peace. Therefore, I feel that the issue of multi-culturalism provides the correct perspective to tackle the major issues in the international arena. I am unqualifiedly committed to promote democracy, pluralism and open societies anywhere else in the world and I feel that South Africa has a special duty to do so within its regions. I know that Australia recognises its having a similar mission within its regions. Countries such as ours will achieve more than our neighbours and have the special responsibility of becoming engines of progress, democracy and openness in society even though that is a role which is not often welcomed by our neighbours and by the many despots, tyrants or corrupted and inept governments which, unfortunately, are still plaguing many countries and peoples in the world. For this reason I am particularly pleased to be here today to foster the dialogue between South Africa and Australia in the hope that together our two countries may become engines of progress and freedom in the everlasting battle that each of us must continue to promote to bring mankind forward in its unfinished agenda towards emancipation, liberation, growth and prosperity.
I am humbled by the achievements of Australia which I know are so much ahead of what my country has done so far. However, I consider these achievements without envy or begrudging and surely beyond the unfortunate sense of resentment which characterises the attitude of some of my African colleagues towards more developed countries of western democracy. I recognise Australia being ahead of us in many respects which means that we must get on with our job, learn what we have to learn, move faster and catch up because in today's world there is no time nor space for complaints, justifications or regrets. The world is moving at a very fast pace and the technological divide itself is separating inexorably those who are technologically clued-up and those who are increasingly becoming technologically clueless. This is a problematic factor of multiculturalism which divides not only societies within each country but also the world internationally.
Therefore, I am committed to promoting in my own country a culture of optimism which overcomes the traditional authoritarianism and our tendencies to look backward rather than forward. Forging a new culture is essential to the forging of a new country and it is part and parcel of what we have styled as an African Renaissance. For us, to develop an African Renaissance is also to develop a new culture of progress and optimism within Africa. I hope that even in this respect the co-operation between South Africa and Australia to provide a contribution to bring the African continent in the mainstream of world events so that one day African countries can stand to make their contribution and equal dignity along with all other countries of the world in the making of world history. For this reason, I thank the Australian Government for the opportunity that it has given to me to move forward our dialogue which I hope may continue to remain fruitful, warm and based on friendship and mutual respect.
Issued by Ministry of Home Affairs
4 June 2003
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
Title: Buthelezi: Meets Australian Minister for Citizenship & Multi-Cultural Affairs
REMARKS BY MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP, MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS, AND PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA, AT THE MEETING WITH THE HONOURABLE MR GARY HARDGRAVE, MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTI-CULTURAL AFFAIRS, Canberra, 4 June
It is a great pleasure for me to meet with the Honourable Minister for Citizenship & Multi-cultural Affairs, the Honourable Gary Hardgrave to foster an intense and longstanding dialogue, which I have maintained for many years with the people and the Government of Australia. This has been a multi-faceted dialogue, which has dealt with both aspects of international politics as well as the comparison of our respective experiences in dealing with domestic issues. In this latter respect the Australian experience relating to multi-cultural affairs is of utmost importance and relevance for the development of South African democracy.
The measure of the extent of multi-culturalism in South Africa is remarkably shown by the fact that our Constitution recognises and entrenches 11 official languages. In addition to linguistic and cultural differences, our population is divided by profound social differences especially along the lines of the urban-rural divides. Urban communities, especially our traditional communities are, in fact, organised along the lines of what is effectively a different model of societal organisation which underpins the plurality of legal systems, customs and traditions which is at play in the organisational structuring of social life in our country. In addition to the divide between urban and rural areas there is obviously an entrenched and concerning divide between rich and poor which, unfortunately, while common in many other countries in the world, in our country continues to mirror ethnic and cultural divides.
The issue of black economic empowerment is firmly on our country's political agenda so as to ensure that over time our society can be normalised, without continuing to reflect the legacy of apartheid which concentrated economic power into the hands of the few who held political power in terms of apartheid's racist and oppressive policies. In order to ensure the long-term stability and viability of our country, it is important that those who have achieved political power may also have a comparative position within the economic structures of our society.
For this reason it will be very important for us to learn about the multi-cultural policies of Australia. As the Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa I only deal in a marginal way with the issue of multi-culturalism even though it is an issue of utmost importance in my political agenda as the Leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, which is one of the political organisations, which participates in the Government of South Africa. In fact, since its inception in 1975, I and my Party have advocated the political philosophy based on federalism and pluralism and have regarded the need of founding our new liberated Republic on extensive constitutional and legal protections which may promote pluralism not only at the political level, but also at the cultural and economic level. I am concerned that within the political matrix of my country there are totalitarian tendencies, which move towards minimising the extent of pluralism and are more inclined to promote what one may wish to define as organicism.
To address the imbalances of the past, what seems to be the prevailing school of thought is that the liberation movement ought to operate through the majority Party, the State and the control of the economy so that from one central power there is a movement of progress which transforms society at all levels. While the intentions of this approach are praiseworthy, I happen not to believe in it because it leads to one central power seeking to control all significant aspects of our economy as well as social and cultural life. I firmly believe that the vibrant forces of a pluralistic, open libertarian society remain the strongest elements which guarantee progress and equality.
As the Minister of Home Affairs I have had the opportunity of translating this approach in the formulation of a new system of migration control which adopts a much more liberal approach towards acquiring foreign skills for our labour market and to promote South Africa's economic growth. This liberal approach has been endorsed by our President, the Honourable Thabo Mbeki and our Cabinet and offers the hope that the liberal policies of a pluralistic vision may finally provide a significant contribution in the shaping of the new South Africa. I firmly believe when diverse people come together it creates within society a positive energy which breaks the barriers of mutual prejudice and cultural limitations and moves progress forward with the forces of innovation and entrepreneurship. South Africa has the ingredients which can make it become a genuinely cosmopolitan country in Africa.
Our strictly speaking African population is divided into many ethnic groups of which the one I belong to, the Zulus, are the most numerous. In addition to African groups we have the largest community of people of Indian extraction outside of India. In addition we have a considerable community of people of Malaysian extraction and a few Oriental communities, including Chinese both from Mainland China and Taiwan. The communities of European extraction range from Portuguese to Greek, from Dutch to English, German and French. In addition, the population of permanent residents and first-generation South Africans is growing, even though we still have not been able to formulate clear statistics to identify its percentage as compared to the whole of our population. The difficulty in our country is that the community of those who are economically active and are in the mainstream of economic activities as consumers or producers is still relatively small, and a small community must provide for a much larger community which is many times greater and which, unfortunately, still remains outside the formal economic cycle.
Unfortunately, the majority of our people still suffer under the yoke of poverty, unemployment and ignorance because of lack of education, knowledge and exposure. They also have no access to essential services such as electricity, sanitation and health-care. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we pursue a strategy which expands the core of our economy so that we can raise the necessary revenue to fund the massive social programmes, which are necessary to bring the majority of our population within the cycle of development.
Productive and skilled immigrants are one of the factors which can increase our economic bases and enable our country to reach not only the critical mass of skilled people but also the critical mass of consumers and productive economic protagonists, all of which can foster our economic growth into the higher required pace necessary to redress our society's imbalances.
I was pleased that this year's World Competitiveness Report prepared by Harvard University and the World Economic Forum highlights that South Africa is the first amongst the countries analysed in that Report in respect of relative transfers between the rich and the poor. However, for us to maintain this courageous trend it becomes essential that we keep the cake growing, rather than merely slicing off parts of it to address and redress the existing social imbalances and injustices.
I am highlighting these considerations to underscore how, in my opinion, multi-cultural policies are indeed closely tied with the vision one must have on how each country has to grow and prosper. As the Minister in charge of migration control, I am deeply aware that one of the most difficult decisions to be made is in fact how to regulate migration into a country, as that is the type of decision which will permanently affect the makeup of our future population and our country's characteristics. I hold the opinion that it is people which determine the fortunes, wealth or failure of nations. It is their ingenuity, commitment and internal harmony. In the end this difficult chemistry may depend on how multi-cultural issues are handled.
In my experience I have noticed that the greater the amount of components which go into the equation, the easier it seems to deal with the relevant issues. South Africa is unlikely to become a melting pot but we remain a complex salad bowl of different ingredients, the richness of the composition of which will finally determine its success. I can see this in practical examples as we have a variety of religions and ethnic groups living side by side. For instance, we have Muslim groups who strongly identify with the Palestinian cause living side by side and discussing Middle Eastern issues in a civilised manner with Jewish groups who strongly identify with Israel's cause.
I am a great believer in the forces of democracy and the capacity of the features of an open and free society not only to promote progress in any given country but finally to achieve world progress and peace. Therefore, I feel that the issue of multi-culturalism provides the correct perspective to tackle the major issues in the international arena. I am unqualifiedly committed to promote democracy, pluralism and open societies anywhere else in the world and I feel that South Africa has a special duty to do so within its regions. I know that Australia recognises its having a similar mission within its regions. Countries such as ours will achieve more than our neighbours and have the special responsibility of becoming engines of progress, democracy and openness in society even though that is a role which is not often welcomed by our neighbours and by the many despots, tyrants or corrupted and inept governments which, unfortunately, are still plaguing many countries and peoples in the world. For this reason I am particularly pleased to be here today to foster the dialogue between South Africa and Australia in the hope that together our two countries may become engines of progress and freedom in the everlasting battle that each of us must continue to promote to bring mankind forward in its unfinished agenda towards emancipation, liberation, growth and prosperity.
I am humbled by the achievements of Australia which I know are so much ahead of what my country has done so far. However, I consider these achievements without envy or begrudging and surely beyond the unfortunate sense of resentment which characterises the attitude of some of my African colleagues towards more developed countries of western democracy. I recognise Australia being ahead of us in many respects which means that we must get on with our job, learn what we have to learn, move faster and catch up because in today's world there is no time nor space for complaints, justifications or regrets. The world is moving at a very fast pace and the technological divide itself is separating inexorably those who are technologically clued-up and those who are increasingly becoming technologically clueless. This is a problematic factor of multiculturalism which divides not only societies within each country but also the world internationally.
Therefore, I am committed to promoting in my own country a culture of optimism which overcomes the traditional authoritarianism and our tendencies to look backward rather than forward. Forging a new culture is essential to the forging of a new country and it is part and parcel of what we have styled as an African Renaissance. For us, to develop an African Renaissance is also to develop a new culture of progress and optimism within Africa. I hope that even in this respect the co-operation between South Africa and Australia to provide a contribution to bring the African continent in the mainstream of world events so that one day African countries can stand to make their contribution and equal dignity along with all other countries of the world in the making of world history. For this reason, I thank the Australian Government for the opportunity that it has given to me to move forward our dialogue which I hope may continue to remain fruitful, warm and based on friendship and mutual respect.
Issued by Ministry of Home Affairs
4 June 2003
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