Admin
21 Jan, 1998
PW Botha: racial polarisation
Statement by Media and Marketing Director The UDM is disturbed by the irresponsible manner in which political parties are dealing with the court appearance of Mr PW Botha on Friday. The ANC’s planned protest action outside the courtroom and the call by rightwing political parties and groupings for supporters of Mr Botha to mobilise can only be described as polarising. We have also witnessed during the past week that the NP together with the Freedom Front and the Conservative Party have made themselves guilty of irresponsible and inflammatory remarks. Political parties, especially, need to be sensitive when dealing with and commenting on issues that can be a threat to our fragile democracy. Support for Mr Botha has been coming from some very strange corners. People, who previously would not have granted him the light of day, are now his most loyal supporters. The UDM calls on South Africans to realise this for what it is, and not to let them get drawn in this game of political opportunism. Political parties and the media must handle the court case in a responsible manner. We cannot allow emotions to run wild. The law must now take its course. Let us not forget what the TRC is all about and let us embrace that spirit of reconciliation in our actions, also in attending the court case. Political parties will have to take full responsibility for the actions of their supporters. The UDM will monitor the proceedings carefully.
Admin
18 Jan, 1998
Political agenda for 1998
Statement by Media and Marketing Director During 1997 the UDM made a start in restructuring South African politics away from the racial mould it has been stuck in. In 1998, the UDM aims to intensify its reaching out to all South Africans. The UDM believes that the end of the road for exclusive white or black politics in South Africa has been reached. South Africans are tired of being pigeonholed into racial categories. As a party for all South Africans, we aim at providing a political home to all our citizens. The two leaders of the UDM, Bantu Holomisa and Roelf Meyer, leave today for a 10-day visit to the United States. The purpose is to introduce the UDM as a political party to the White House staff, representatives of Congress, business people and members of the media. Reaction on requests by the UDM for interviews and discussions was extremely positive, and 27 appointments with leading opinion formers have been made. It seems as if Americans are specifically interested in the South African brand of black/white relations, with emphasis on the cooperation that the UDM stands for.
Admin
13 Jan, 1998
A new school year; where a good matric starts
Statement by statement by Director Media and Marketing The new school year has started. On the positive side, it is a time of optimism and of hope, with new challenges waiting to be realised. The grade ones start a new school career and a new curriculum whilst the matric class of 1998 has 300 days ahead to prepare for their entrance into the adult world of employment and responsibilities; millions of parents are prepared to make huge sacrifices to offer their children the best possible education; thousands of teachers are able and willing to teach those in their care to the best of their capabilities. The UDM supports the Minister of Education’s urgent call for a culture of teaching and good administration by teachers and principals, and a culture of learning and of discipline by school children. This has always been the basic formulae for successful education, and needs to be implemented now. The countrywide decisions to put the sacking of temporary teachers on the ice, are also supported. On the negative side, reports of schools not being able to open because of the lack of teachers, of handbooks not being delivered or in some instances not even been ordered, of the low morale amongst many teachers because of the uncertainty of their job future, and of the apparent lack of funds to provide the basic necessities for a decent education, are disheartening. These are the things that the Minister and Department of Education need to square up to. These issues need to be tackled creatively and urgently, because the matric class of 1998 only has 10 months before reckoning day. The UDM calls on the Minister to make 1998 the year of delivery in our schools, not a year of threats and hollow promises. It is now time to start making it work. As a party, the UDM will positively support all measures aimed at educating our children to the level where our country, our parents, our employers – and our children – can really take pride.
Admin
08 Jan, 1998
Appointment of Chief Executive Officer for the UDM
Statement by Director Media and Marketing Acting on the mandate of the Interim Management Committee the leadership of the UDM appointed Mr. Danie du Plessis, former managing director of the Institute for Political Leadership, as the Chief Executive Officer of the United Democratic Movement. Mr. du Plessis will commence office on January 12 1998. The UDM believes that in order to operate effectively, professional managers should run its administration and management. In cultivating this believe a decision was taken to appoint a professional manager. The UDM is positive that the appointment of Mr. du Plessis will contribute to the growth and success of the UDM.
Admin
08 Jan, 1998
The pension crisis in the Eastern Cape
Statement by Bantu Holomisa The crisis in the Eastern Cape regarding the payment of thousands of pensioners is symptomatic of the collapse of government systems across the country. The real problem is that the government has, quite rightly, identified transformation of the civil service as a chief priority, but has never adequately planned for this transformation. It was seen not as a process, but as a programme of replacement. A system of packages, sometimes enforced, led to a replacement of the experienced with the inexperienced and the unqualified, often the friends of those making the appointments. There is no evidence that any intensive training programme, to also act as a screening process, has ever been implemented. It is indeed not strange that government is experiencing this collapse of systems, as highlighted by the insensitive gamble in the Eastern Cape with the lives of the poorest of people. It may be a solution for government to appoint a non-political caretaker administrator in the Eastern Cape as well as in other provinces in a similar predicament, until the next election. This administrator, together with a team of qualified people, will at least help towards normalising the situation, granted that no quick-fix is possible. It is time that the actions of government are dictated by the real needs of the people.
Admin
06 Jan, 1998
Matric Results 1997
With the matric results of 1997 now available, including indications that the Gauteng results are also 5% down from last year, a gloomy picture of our school system emerges. The simple truth is that without an adequate educational system, all our other national efforts to curb joblessness, poverty and crime, and become a nation of hope and a world player in the new millennium, will come to nothing. Adequate education now, more than ever, needs to become an urgent national priority. The following should be noted: A culture of learning, teaching and discipline needs to be cultivated in our schools as a matter of utmost urgency. Without this prerequisite, the ‘outcomes-based’ policy of Curriculum 2000, with its much less emphasis on regular examining, will be a humiliating disaster, leading to even worse matric results. This culture of learning, teaching and discipline will have to eradicate the disastrous consequences of the upheavals in black education in the 1980’s with the ‘liberation before education’ rallying cry. It also needs to address the problems of bad school management and unmotivated or ill-trained teachers, and really involve parents as a crucial component of a well-run educational system. By empowering principals, teachers and school governing bodies and moving away from an over-centralised and interventionist system, the foundations for a successful system would have been laid. This need for a culture of learning, teaching and discipline is essentially part of the need for a moral regeneration of the very fibre of our society. It is not acceptable for teachers to turn up late for school or not at all, to allow strikes and protests to take priority over proper teaching, or to order handbooks late or not at all. Pupils should also attend school and take responsibility for their education, whilst parents and the community need to take co-responsibility, creating the best possible environment for educating their children. Unsettling government policies regarding the appointment of teachers should be reviewed in total. The whole retrenchment scheme has wrecked havoc with the morale of teachers and has drained schools of some of the best and brightest teachers. In some instances, it has led to irreparable damage. Balancing the restraints of the budget with the provision of the best possible education – including teaching staff – needs a more creative approach that the hamhanded and haphazard efforts at present. A careful and thorough analysis of the whole education system needs to be made in order to satisfy the demands for a system offering the best possible value for money. If, however, this has indicated a too thinly spread budget, the Government should ask itself if the country could afford not to spend the shortfall. The UDM supports calls for an urgent national summit involving all educational stakeholders. The agenda should include the above-mentioned points and be aimed at resolving problems and finding solutions, not distributing blame. The 1997 matric results are timely alarm bells that Government dares not ignore. The country now waits for Government to react creatively, decisively and promptly. If that is the sole legacy of the ‘class of 1997’, their results would at least have served a purpose; for those who did well, we wish to convey our congratulations.
Admin
15 Dec, 1997
South African political landscape
Joint media statement about South African political landscape by Roelf Meyer and Bantu Holomisa of the UDM and Tony Leon of the Democratic Party The leaders of the DP and the UDM held a meeting during the past week in which an overview of the present political situation in the country was undertaken. Both parties confirmed their viewpoints that an over-dominant one party state was detrimental to the interests of South Africa and the need exists for vibrant opposition. Both agreed on the further need for a restructuring of the political scene in South Africa. Developments during 1997 have been a positive start in this regard but the process is far from complete. Any restructuring needs to be based on breaking the existing racial mould in which our politics is cast and on the establishment of political values based on shared principles. The principles in the Constitution requiring national unity, the development of multi-party democracy and serving of the national interest are key indicators in this regard, but any political movement also requires a shared economic, political and social vision. With this in mind, the UDM and the DP will in the new year focus on how these principles can be advanced by the two parties. For this purpose the Joint Committee established earlier between the two parties will be re-activated early in the new year. A meeting is planned where the state of the nation will be evaluated and further planning is undertaken.
Admin
10 Dec, 1997
Court case against UDM Pretoria Councillors
Joint media statement by the UDM and the NP The National Party (NP) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) have jointly decided that the pending court case regarding the UDM members who have resigned from the NP whilst retaining their elected positions on the Pretoria City Council, not be proceeded with. It is a joint viewpoint that the situation in the country in the national interest requires from everybody to rather concentrate on the bigger issues. Policy differences between the two parties are not dissolved by this agreement, but in further decision-making regarding relevant issues in Pretoria, the interests of all the residents of the city will be the determining factor.
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