5 April 2009

IFP President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi today paid a tribute to South Africa's Indian community as champions of self-help and self-reliance while stressing that his party and the Indian community also shared a commitment to family values, religion and tradition. 

"Whilst not wanting to fall into the trap of speaking about any community as if it is a homogenous whole, it is my fervent conviction that the IFP, more than any other political party, reflects the aspirations and essential characteristics of the Indian community," Prince Buthelezi told a predominantly Indian audience on the campaign trail in Merebank today.   

The Prince reaffirmed the IFP's grounding in healthy and strong families as cords that bind a community together; in the centrality of faith; and in the sanctity of traditional values, along with the twin principles of self-help and self-reliance. "I know, for instance, that the extended family in the Indian community is probably why many young Indians have been able to enjoy a tertiary education and to better themselves, even when the Indian community was previously disadvantaged," said Prince Buthelezi.   

One of the most significant achievements of the Indian community, Prince Buthelezi readily acknowledged, has been the creation of a mercantilist and entrepreneurial class. "The IFP champions small businesses as the engine of economic growth and prosperity. We are a business friendly party. We recognise that we must not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Entrepreneurs must not be inhibited by red tape and inflexible labour practices. We believe risk takers should be rewarded for their innovation, not penalised," he said. 

The IFP, however, is aware how South Africa and KwaZulu Natal have turned their back on these values under an ANC government. "It is time to end the mediocrity and failed policies which pervade our national life. Are you prepared to accept that schools should be war zones, that educators and learners lack discipline, that schools have no laboratories and no sports fields, that textbooks are delivered months late, and that education fails to prepare our children for the real world - our economy?" - said Prince Buthelezi. 

Prince Buthelezi reinforced his party's view that government should deliver services to all citizens regardless of their political preferences or ethnicity. "If an IFP government is elected again in KwaZulu Natal, it will not be a branch of my party unlike the status quo under the ANC, but it will be genuinely committed to serving every person in this province irrespective of race or political affiliation.

We cannot assure our minorities that they are essential to our future success without sharing that success with them equitably," he said.
 

Contact:
Roman Liptak
083 256 4902
or Councillor Ebrahim Shaik
082578 6026