(Debate in Parliament on non-racialism and social cohesion for a prosperous South Africa)
We all want to live in a non-racial and socially cohesive South Africa. It is, however, idealistic to think that nation building can be promoted in South Africa if we do not also recognise and respect the diversity of the people of our country.
The objective to transform and unite society by means of a shared commitment to constitutional values that promote nation building, reinforce social cohesion and aim to improve all South Africans' quality of life has already failed miserably under the ANC government.
The ANC's holy grail, the Freedom Charter, states that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people.
Section 1 of the Constitution stipulates the following provisions for promoting nation building:
• Human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.
• Non-racialism, non-sexism and accountability.
• The supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
These values are all commendable, but the reality paints a different picture.
No one opposes non-racialism, but it is precisely the ANC's policies of Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) that have driven the South African community to the point of absolute racial polarisation over the last 26 years and as long as it remains in place, there can be no real social cohesion.
The recipe that the government is following to try and promote social cohesion among the country's people is wrong. Stumbling from one sporting event to the next in a desperate attempt to unite the country's people is not a recipe for success.
Nation building must be taken seriously. We must try to understand and recognise each other's diversity so that we can use it as building blocks to bring about a truly stable democratic dispensation.
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