- Van Schalkwyk, it must be said, is the most pathetic,
spineless white man in this country. He has taken his political party and
jumped into bed with the (communist) ANC in the hope that by sucking up
to them he will have "influence" over them. I firmly agree with
the comments made by the DA's chief whip, Douglas Gibson. He states it
clearly: Currying favour with the ANC is not going to prevent us become
like Zimbabwe - it will indeed speed the entire process up. I am pleased
to see the DA making this stand on Zimbabwe. It is very important. I doubt
they can prevent the process happening, but I believe one should fight
the ANC every step of the way because it will help to slow it down. -Jan
-
- The Daily Mail & Guardian
-
- The first public verbal battles in South Africa's election
campaign between the traditional parties of the white minority have focused
not on domestic economic policies or development issues -- but on the perennial
problem of neighbouring Zimbabwe.
-
- New National Party leader and Western Cape Premier Marthinus
van Schalkwyk -- who withdrew his party from the official opposition Democratic
Alliance more than two years ago in a messy political divorce and jumped
into a "working relationship" with the ruling African National
Congress -- has come out with guns firing over the Zimbabwe issue.
-
- Van Schalkwyk told national newspapers on Monday that
the ANC-NNP election campaigns would seek to discredit the DA's "message
of fear", which warns the electorate to vote for it or face the possibility
of a South Africa that will degenerate into a Zimbabwe. Van Schalkwyk has
repeatedly argued that an NNP vote will be one that will have influence
with the government.
-
- But DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said on Tuesday the
NNP, the former apartheid party, has abandoned its supporters by climbing
into bed with the ANC "and its supporters have, in turn, abandoned
the NNP".
-
- He argued that Van Schalkwyk "is clutching at straws
in his desperate attempt to spin his way out of the hole into which he
has dug his party".
-
- "He tries to argue that his party's path of cooperation
with the ANC will prevent South Africa going down the road of Zimbabwe.
-
- "Perhaps Mr Van Schalkwyk should get his facts straight
on Zimbabwe. [Zimbabwe African People's Union leader, the late] Mr Joshua
Nkomo was co-opted from being the leader of the opposition to being the
vice-president, which signalled the end to parliamentary democracy.
-
- "It is precisely the co-option of the opposition
by the ruling party that allowed Zimbabwe to go down the road to one-party
rule, with its consequent corruption, maladministration and intolerance
of dissent. This is the path the NNP has chosen.
-
- "Fortunately for South Africa, it [the NNP] has
become an insignificant party, and the opposition will not be much poorer
for its demise.
-
- "Mr Van Schalkwyk chose the route of co-option because
he could not do without the perks and privileges of office. Neither could
he conceive of an independent alternative challenging the ANC."
-
- President Thabo Mbeki is scheduled to call the national
and provincial election on February 11.
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- http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=30233
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