NE ZULU, MP

CAPE TOWN : FEBRUARY 8, 1999

Madam Speaker:

I feel that today's debate hinges on the balance between hope and fear. Perhaps at this crucial juncture of its history our entire country hinges on the balance between hope and fear. From a psychological viewpoint, hope and fear are often two sides of the same coin. For those who fear resort to hope to overcome their fears and those who hope, often do so under the impendency of fear. We should move towards building a country with no fear and less dependent on hope.

When he spoke in this House, the Minister of Home Affairs, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, gave us something more tangible than hope and gave us what, in my eyes remains the only alternative to fear. Minister Buthelezi spoke about a tangible plan to bridge hope and reality and to escape the grim grip of fear.

As does my leader, I also believe that our country can succeed if it wishes to do so. We have the energies, we have the resources and we have the possibility to succeed. What seems to be lacking is the conviction that we can succeed and a unity of purpose and minds. There are factors of strength and elements of weakness in each nation. Our collective psyche seems to be affected my a malaise which is one of our major weakness.

Today's debate shows how, as we enter the electoral period the country is divided, both about its future as it about its past. The ruling party is approaching the electorate showing with pride what has been achieved in the past five years, which in many respects exceeds what was achieved by any prior national government in the same period. On that bases, the ruling party asks the electorate to renew its mandate to do more of the same in the next five years.

The opposition is focussing on what has not been done and on all the things that undoubtedly went wrong in the process of accomplishing that which was done. The opposition is pointing out the failures, inefficiency and corruption of government, the ambivalence in policies, the insufficient results and the lack of genun the country. We believe that there is a third alternative to the dichotomy between the views of the opposition and those of the ruling party.

The IFP wishes to contribute to the next government to enable our people to have a third choice over and above the choice between the majority party and its opposition. People must choose between five more years of more of the same or five more years of a better government, which delivers more, at a faster pace and with better results. We want a better government, and we want better leadership in government, not in opposition. The IFP's vision for the future can deliver a better government to the people.

The IFP can make this promise because it does not have the presumption that by itself it can achieve this result. Our leader, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, has invited all South Africans to join him in a revolution of goodwill. A revolution of goodwill is necessary to transform from within both government and civil society. We must transform government as we transform society. Minister Buthelezi has a tangible plan on how to bring about this transformation. It is not a plan that was concocted yesterday. It is a vision that he has developed over a lifetime of intense study and reflection. He is the man with the plan. He is one of South Africa's greatest remaining hopes. As President Mandela completes his journey through history, the country will need to seek the leadership of his wisdom to find its direction.

We are convinced that the IFP in government can provide a contribution which is both qualitatively and quantitatively better than what the ruling party can do by itself. We have the plan to govern. I believe so because the IFP has always stood firm by the cornerstones of its vision for South Africa and our plan for the future is one that stems out from our own soil. It is true that many of us did not go into exile and did not receive the benefit of foreign ideas. It is also true, however, that we know our land, its nuances, its feelings, its desires and its hopes. We can deliver to the people of South Africa because we have only roots in our own country. Our plan does not rely on our energies alone, or on the energies of government alone, but on the strength of all South Africans of goodwill.

The IFP has always respected all South Africans. We have recognised our diversity and have chosen not to ignore it. We want our diversity to be expressed and contribute to our growth and prosperity. This is also nothing new in the IFP's philosophy. We never regarded any fellow South African as an enemy to be defeated or forcibly expatriated or a terrorist to be oppressed, silenced on account of his political views. We have always believed that South Africa needs all South Africans and that the role of the IFP is to bring them together. Since its inception, Inkatha has acted as the catalyst of the ever growing unity of purpose amongst South Africans. As Minister Buthelezi once put it, Inkatha means the ever widening circle of consensus and collegial wisdom.

Throughout his life Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has tried to bring people together. He did so during the Buthelezi Commission, the KwaZulu/Natal Indaba, his echoing appeal to substitute the armed struggle with negotiations, his refusal to negotiate until President Mandela was released and in the Government of National Unity of the new South Africa. His future role in the unfolding of our history will call on him to direct the country towards our collective edification of our future to be by characterized economic prosperity and social stability. He is the man with the plan and has a vision broad enough to accommodate all South Africans on a long-term journey towards real freedom and social justice.

The long-standing IFP vision centred around devolution of powers, pluralism, efficient and small government, liberalization of market forces, and the empowerment of people and communities holds the answer to our common future.

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