Unrepentant Liberal

From Page 11 DONALD WOODS, former Editor ofthe East London DAILY DISPATCH opprobrium, and the Dutch would went into exile after being banned by Justice Minister Jimmy Kruger. From naturally want to be freed from this taint his home in Britain he continued his campaign against apartheid, winning and embarrassment. acclaim for his book Cry Freedom on the life of Steve Biko. There is, he Professor Jakes Gerwel, rector of the says, no contradiction in being both a friend of the ANC and an University of the Western Cape (which — with ethnic beginnings as a "coloured" institution set up by the apartheid government — has, under him, become a main force for non-racial democracy,, UNREPENTANT said the broken cultural ties had been a matter of debate at the university particu- larly because UWC had a large Afrikaans-speaking component. LIBERAL The very idea that renewed links should cover only white Afrikaners and the HIS year I was honoured with an In the long run communist aid was Dutch he dismissed as "cultural Tinvitation by the African National always niggardly — never enough to narcissism" which lay at the root of Congress to address its Freedom Day make a real difference — whereas apartheid. "This is why we appreciated it event in London, and made the point Western aid was decisive. In financial when the Dutch government and nation that I was doing so both as a friend of the terms alone Sweden contributed some suspended that relationship, even if we ANC and as an unrepentant liberal. thing like nine times more to the ANC were to suffer at the University of the I see no contradiction in being both. than the Soviets and Eastern bloc ever Western Cape." Though not a member of the ANC I did. He pointed out that his university was have long admired its most positive Possibly because of these considera alone in having a formal resolution on elements — durability down the years as tions and possibly because of the calmer the academic boycott, supporting it. The vanguard of the decades-long campaign realisations that tend to surface once the document, ratified in 1987, admitted to against apartheid; commitment to non- crisis point of a resistance movement is being in an "ambivalent position" in the racial multi-party democracy and passed, we are hearing less these days of debate on academic exchanges; and only generous outreach to whites — unlike "the white liberals" in a pejorative sense, supported exchanges if such scholars those who preach the "one-settler-one and this is to be welcomed. showed solidarity with the university's bullet" line. And as I see these positive Although I have had strong disagree commitment to the struggle for a non- elements of democratic policy increasing ments down the years with liberal friends racial democracy. ly enshrined in ANC policy I become such as Helen Suzman and the late Alan Professor Gerwel said that, within this more inclined to contemplate voting Paton over the issue of economic sanc framework, some Dutch universities, ANC once South Africa becomes a tions, it would be a gross denial of justice such as Utrecht (which previously had proper democracy. to downplay the massive contribution links with more conservative South We liberals have long regretted the made by these two giants of the anti- African universities) had established fact that whites in the ANC tended to be apartheid campaign. links with his university; which meant predominantly communists, though this links with the alternative South Africa. probably happened by our own default. Paton blew the whistle He noted that the Dutch had been in The communists at least were the first the forefront of the boycott movement whites to stand up and cast their lot with on apartheid and, now that things were changing, it the ANC on the African nationalists' was hoped that resumed contacts would own terms, which is why old campaigners Alan Paton was to me and, I believe, not be within the "old" white framework. like Joe Slovo have a credibility among to many others, the most important The Germans did not merely have many blacks that could never easily be influence in liberal terms to whites not cultural relations with people of German matched by that of other whites. only in South Africa but all over the extraction in South Africa. There was no Communist countries, too, were world. Through his masterpiece "Cry, reason why the Dutch should pick out among the first on the international the Beloved Country" he blew the whistle one group for attention. scene to help the ANC, though thanks on apartheid with a lasting blast never On the position of the Nederlands mainly to Nigeria the non-communist matched in the international arena. That language, he said it was naturally interes countries of Africa have been steadfast one book alone had a permanent effect ting for the Dutch people to retain a throughout in this regard. which persevered to contribute its weight relationship with Afrikaans which was As a liberal I regret that the Western to the crescendo of international repug so similar to Nederlands. But the Dutch democracies took so long to render nance that finally caused the United had no global aspirations for their practical humanitarian aid, though as a States and the European Community to language based on a "moederland" liberal, I am glad that countries like pull the economic plug on apartheid to concept; there was no language imperial Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Holland an extent which will probably only be ism. The language was a living one, in a in particular over the long haul, contribu fully realised when historical researches sense a polyglot, and not desperate for ted far more to the ANC than the Soviets of the period are complete. allies. and their satellites ever did. And I am Politics never was Alan Paton's prime Gerwel says Nederlands should not be glad, too, that it was a Western country, concern. He was first and foremost, like seen in the "moederland" sense. The the United States, that finally applied the Abraham Lincoln, a very great writer of true moederland of Afrikaans is other most significant economic pressure to English prose. His second novel, "Too South African languages. • end apartheid. late the Phalarope", was in a structural PAGE TWELVE And the best framework for these t The notion that a small handful of things to happen will be that of a liberal people know better than the masses democracy. That, in essence, is why I am an what is good for those masses, is unrepentant liberal — because liberal values have generally proved to provide inherently tyrannical . 7 the best balance of solutions for the most people. and literary sense an even greater work Britain and to the world. Today, how Given the imperfections of human than "Cry, the Beloved Country". But it ever, advanced liberal societies accept nature, democracy is an imperfect system was the latter that clicked abroad and also that no citizen should go without — but as Winston Churchill said, all shook apartheid to its foundations as medical treatment, health care or educa others are worse. Democracy on its own much as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" had tion because of economic disadvantage, cannot solve problems — but it is the doomed slavery. Each of these two books and this is a welcome legacy of social only moral prerequisite to the process of proved to be a moral time bomb that democracy. possible solutions. There are no short ticked away until the prime political Communism is something else. cuts through it and no nation can powers got the general electoral message. Initially motivated by a theory of progress without it. Nor can democracy Helen Suzman's greatest achievements concern for the human condition, com be diluted. To work properly it has to be were in the day-after-day, month-after- munism soon contradicted this concern total. You cannot, for example, have a month, year-after-year hammering away by attacking the very basis of human one-party democracy, a contradiction in at the human injustices ofthe apartheid development — free will. The notion terms since democracy precludes any system, with parliamentary skill, with that a small handful of people know prohibition or circumscription of legiti courage, but above all with persistence better than the masses what is good for mate political formations. and constancy. those masses is inherently tyrannical, as But another reason why I am a liberal In both cases, Paton's and Suzman's, well as antithetical to the liberal belief is because ofthe outstanding example of the bulk of their achievement was in that with complete freedom of and access liberals in South Africa who opposed upholding liberal values, as other South to information human beings generally tyranny when it was dangerous to do so, Africans have done in varying degrees will ultimately act in their best interests, and when the "white liberals" as and with varying emphases, and in the and are best motivated when best in members of a privileged class had honour roll ofthe great white liberals (an formed. nothing to gain and all to lose. irony, since all abhorred racial categori How communists could manifest con As a white liberal South African sation) must be included such names as cern for, say, the victims of apartheid, journalist, finally, I am also proud to be Edgar Brooks, Peter Brown, Patrick while condoning the enslavement of associated with the many white liberal Duncan, Randolph Vigne and many millions in the Soviet Union and other South African journalists down the years others of lesser fame but no less commit countries, was clear evidence that tunnel who stuck their necks out despite threats ment to liberal values.

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