Neither the EFF’s policy arguments nor their fundamental underpinnings should flippantly be dismissed, cautions Ivo Vegter, author of the latest IRR report, The 7 Economic Pillars of the EFF.
Vegter said in a public webinar on the report on Tuesday that simple labels like ‘socialists’ or ‘leftists’, terms used by the EFF to describe themselves, would fall short of instigating a substantive analysis of or conversation about the policies of the party – policies that identified many legitimate concerns, even if they failed spectacularly in putting forward solutions.
On the appeal of many of the EFF’s ideas, and the importance of challenging them, Vegter said: ‘This is a problem worldwide – socialists have a very appealing message that is often believed by people who do not understand economics themselves, and it is often educated people. This is why I wrote the report … to look at the EFF’s proposals and explain in detail why they are not achievable.
‘If you let these ideas stand unchallenged, people are going to look at them and say, ‘This sounds great, we can have all these wonderful things, and we are going to have this great country that we can be proud of …’. The promises sound lovely. If someone does not gainsay that, you will have a lot of people believing it.
‘So, it is important to explain why these promises will not work. The EFF is not Santa Claus, and socialists are not Santa Claus … Socialism has never delivered on these promises; wherever socialism has been tried, it has failed.’
In a statement, IRR head of strategic communications Hermann Pretorius said: ‘The EFF is, whatever its opponents might say, a formidable force in South African politics. With the upcoming elections setting up the first real possibility since 1994 of the ANC failing to win a majority to govern on its own at national level, considerations of the policies and values that might set the national agenda through coalition government are now crucial. This is why the IRR commissioned this paper for publication in the buildup to voting day.’
In recommending Vegter’s report, Pretorius added: ‘Only if we take the time to understand what’s at stake when we make democratic decisions can we put to full effect the enormous and important power of the ballot.’
Read the full report here.