Cyril Ramaphosa has proposed to hold not one but two national dialogues on the problems confronting South Africa. He is presumably operating on the theory that if one is good, two must be better. I propose that we, the suffering South Africans, go one better and let a thousand dialogues bloom all across the country in the same time-frame.
Ramaphosa’s intention is to capture the high ground, to be seen to be doing something, anything to address the catastrophic state of the country for which he bears so much responsibility. For a week or two the media will be saturated with his collection of “eminent” talking heads deferentially agreeing with his agenda, supporting his disastrous policies, giving him ample fuel to drive his retarded message to its logical destination.
Working groups will be spawned, commissions of enquiry concocted, and real debate will be sidelined for a while in favour of the ersatz ANC version.
What would “real dialogue” look like? Its members would reflect many competing points of view, not just the Amen chorus currently proposed.
It should consist of sworn enemies, ideological adversaries, enemies as well as friends. The only common characteristic must be a willingness to talk respectfully with anyone. Exclude fighters, shouters, rioters, we have enough of those already. A dialogue has counsellors, not cancellers.
Juggernaut
How can South African civil society deal with this juggernaut? As we all know, nothing devalues a commodity like increasing its supply. Let every think tank, NGO, political party, and action group schedule its own national dialogue with its own set of eminent persons, in the same time frame, if not on the same day.
Invite truly eminent persons with a history of successful contribution. Getting Elon Musk to your dialogue, even electronically, will overshadow all of Ramaphosa’s puppets. Getting a few US State Department officials who wield actual power and influence to make the trip for a few days in our paradise will put the lie to ten working groups of nonentities.
There are dozens of overseas influencers who would leap at the chance of an all-expenses paid trip to the Western Cape, in return for a day or two of comment.
Free press
Mercifully, South Africa still has a relatively free press, in which many thoughtful people express opinions critical of the state. Invite some of the many hundreds of online commentators to offer their opinions in a real forum rather than a virtual one.
Show them some respect for all their years of diligent dissension. I suspect there would be no shortage of volunteers.
Ask each political party to set up its own national dialogue, with its own list of eminent persons. Let the parties proclaim their solutions for South Africa on their own terms, at their own venue. Subject their manifestos to public comment, publish their opinions, in an atmosphere suddenly rich with interest in dialogue. The ANC is already participating. Surprise it with company.
Time is short
When must we do this? Time is very short – just two months before Ramaphosa and the ANC cadres claim the high ground of reason and restraint. To his credit, Ramaphosa has opened this door to dialogue. If we, South African civil society, let the ANC define the topics and the solutions which are worthy of consideration, we will have succumbed yet once more to their grasp on our body politic.
We will be drinking their Kool-Aid, sipping from their poisoned chalice. We can do better, but time is short. Let this African National Congress dialogue be overwhelmed by better and more thoughtful competitors. Let forums across the land issue their own ten-point declarations, contradicting the carefully orchestrated noise that will arise from the official proceedings.
And who could do this? The Free Market Foundation, the Institute of Race Relations, AfriForum, Solidarity, the FW de Klerk Foundation, the Brenthurst Foundation, and dozens more. Now is your moment to rise.
There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
[Image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay]
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR.
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