Reflections concerning important remarks
made by Comrade Zuma to the Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty The Queen of England on his visit to the UK.
A short article written by Jan Freidun Taravosh March 9. 2010
Introduction
In his remarks on a banquet hosted by the Duke Of Edinburgh and Her Majesty the Queen of England - The President of South Africa- Comrade Zuma spoke frankly of the fact that South Africa is a multi ethnic and vibrant democracy. He made some very important remarks to the duke and the queen which I wish to dwell on a bit further.
Now contrary to common belief The South African people are not hostile to towards the bretons per se, it’s only that they like for instance the Chinese value their hard won independence and wish to be treated with respect and not as a colony. Comrade Zuma made clear that there is no general hostility or atagonistic sentiments between the people at large. Instead Zuma made clear of the historical bond between the people of south africa and the people of britian and how the people of the UK were also comitted in the Anti Apartheid struggle.
What Cde. Zuma explained while thanking the rulers of britain for the invite and proposing his toast may look like a guest sucking up to his caretakers but it was indeed a rather profound message. What Cde. Zuma meant and was aiming at is that the british can no longer look down upon the South African nation as a "meer colony" or "ophan nation" but rather the British must fully estimate South Africas potential as a dynamic nation and a reliable partner on world arena. When the ANC president is speaking of partnership it is ofcource implied that there is need to recongise that all states are equal in the world, and that people all over the world yern for peace and understanding. If you ask me this is what Zuma surely was aiming at, and this is what makes his toast remarks so profound, this is what makes these remarks more than just beautiful words.
I.E. What we see from the South African experince is that pursuiting the democratic revolution on a national lever does not have to mean you shun all forms of co operation. What it does mean is that you value cooperation on the basis of mutual benifit and respect, Thus to be frank, fact is as such the South africans, like the namibians and zimbabwians, who all pursuit a revolutionary cause all love international cooperation, what they gaurd against is blind exploitation and unfettered globalisation.
Back to what Comrade Zuma actually said that faithful day the 3rd of March
”There are many South Africans of British descent. The culture, language, institutions, practices and values of this nation have left a distinctive imprint on South African life. There are many South Africans living and working in the United Kingdom. There are even more Britons living and working in South Africa. This enriches the strong diplomatic ties and healthy economic relations between our two countries.
Your Majesty,
Our country has done well since the demise of apartheid and the dawn of freedom and democracy 16 years ago. We have a strong and vibrant democracy, and treasure our freedom, non-racialism and civil liberties, as a people who fought so hard against oppression and racial domination. United in our diversity, we pride ourselves on being one of the most multi-cultural societies in the world. We are also making significant progress in working to eradicate poverty and to improve the quality of life of all our people, especially the poor.”
What Comrade Zuma aims at is the fact that in the end, in all our endevours we are all human.
This is why Comrade Zuma according to me matches the criteria of a true international statesman, just like his Zimbabwean collegue RG. Mugabe and his predecessors Motlanthe, Mbeki and Mandela.
The Creation of Decent Work for All People - the Central Economic Priority
Speaking directly to three of the most powerful people in the UK, The Queen, the Duke and the Prime Minister, Comrade Zuma, although always polite wasted no time on idle small talk. In his speech he proved he is a comitted politician at home and abroad and continued with saying:
”The fight against poverty therefore remains at the heart of all our efforts. The creation of decent work for all our people is a central economic priority. We have a clear plan of how to achieve these goals and also want our efforts yield results faster. Externally, South Africa is also committed to contributing to the quest for a better Africa and a better world. We work with Africa and other development partners in towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals on the continent. In this regard, we acknowledge the contribution of the government of the United Kingdom, non-governmental organisations and the business community for their commitment to the development and growth of the African continent.”
In many ways the tone of Comrade Zumas speech embodies the spirit of self reliance and pride of the whole post colonial continent, like Mugabe in Zimbabwe one can sense that this man lives and breaths Ubuntu, and this surely must have left a deep impression on the leaders of The United Kingdom. The Colonial Sun set a long time ago, it’s time to see South Africa for what it really is an independent and vibrant democratic and multiethnic republic, which is evidently playing an increasingly progressive role on the world arena, not only within regional organisations like SADC, COMESA and AU but also multilateral international ones like the UN and th Nam and Forum for China Africa cooperation.
Zumas entire speech from the state visit to the UK is called ” Toast remarks by His Excellency Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, at the state banquet hosted by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh 3 March 2010, Buckingham Palace, London
as of today it can be found on the ANC website and it is a delightful read.
we also keep in mind what comrade Zuma said the day he was elected ANC president a few years ago (2007)
"While encouraging the creation of a conducive environment for investment, we remain cautious not to compromise the National Democratic Revolution, which is our guiding philosophy in policy formulation and implementation. Our Alliance partners are key stakeholders in policy development and implementation. We will be able to continue to work together as community, business and labour to find workable solutions.
We are also going to sharpen our policy instruments with a view to having a direct impact in the fight against poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. "
Summary
These remarks in combination with the above stated proves that after Zuma accended from party president to the Highest office in the Republic I.e State President he still remains true to his words.
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