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Response of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, to the
State of the Nation Debate: National Assembly, 9 February 2006 Madam Speaker
and Deputy Speaker,
Honourable Deputy President,
Honourable Ministers and
Deputy Ministers,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen: I
would like to acknowledge the presence of several African Ministers of Mining
who have joined us after their deliberations at the African Mining Partnership
meeting this week. The African Mining Partnership is an important forum for collaboration
by African countries to develop common positions on issues facing the mining sector
on our continent. I hope you had fruitful discussions. On September 30,
2005, a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, published 12 cartoons depicting the
Prophet Mohamed in various guises. Some of these directly associated the Prophet
and therefore Islam with terrorism. According to press reports, one of
these cartoons depicts the Prophet with a bomb in his turban, with a lit fuse
and the Islamic creed written on the bomb. Another depicts the Prophet standing
on a cloud, greeting dead suicide bombers with the words, "Stop, stop, we
have run out of virgins!", this being an allusion to the promised reward
to martyrs. The publication of the cartoons has led to angry Moslem demonstrations
in many countries, with some of them including violence that has resulted in the
burning of Danish and other diplomatic chanceries.
The global Moslem community
has denounced both the fact of the representation of the image of Prophet Mohamed,
which Islam prohibits, deeming it blasphemous, and his representation as a terrorist.
Those who have published and support the publications of the cartoons argue that
such publication was and is a legitimate exercise of the important democratic
right to freedom of speech. In this regard, the Culture Editor of the newspaper
wrote: "The modern, secular society is rejected by some Muslims. They
demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious
feelings. It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech,
where you must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule. It is certainly
not always attractive and nice to look at, and it does not mean that religious
feelings should be made fun of at any price, but that is of minor importance in
the present context. [...] we are on our way to a slippery slope where no-one
can tell how the self-censorship will end. That is why Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten
has invited members of the Danish editorial cartoonists union to draw Muhammad
as they see him." Our Constitution entrenches the right to freedom
of speech. I am certain that all of us in this House, and our people as a whole,
respect this right and would do everything possible to protect and defend it.
At
the same time, our Constitution also entrenches the freedom of religion, belief
and opinion, which I am equally certain all of us in this House, and our people
as a whole, respect this right and would do everything possible to protect and
defend it. With regard to freedom of expression in this context, it says that
the right to freedom of expression "does not extend to…advocacy of hatred
that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes incitement
to cause harm." With regard to the issue of the publication of the
Danish cartoons in our country, our courts have already taken the decision that
this should not be done, presumably basing themselves on the constitutional and
legal prescripts that are binding on all of us. However it is clear that
this judgement will not end the debate in our country which, in its narrowest
terms, relates to the balance between the right to freedom of speech and the right
to freedom of religion. Naturally, we must defend everybody's right to participate
in this debate peacefully. In this regard, I would like to join the Secretary
General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, and other leaders across the world,
who has appealed to everybody concerned not to engage in acts of violence, such
as those that resulted in the destruction of the Danish diplomatic missions in
Damascus and Beirut. In this context, Kofi Annan drew attention to the fact that
the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, had apologised for the publication of the
cartoons. In an Editorial entitled Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim
World, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper said: "In our opinion,
the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they
at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims
for which we apologize… Maybe because of culturally based misunderstandings,
the initiative to publish the 12 drawings has been interpreted as a campaign against
Muslims in Denmark and the rest of the world. "I must categorically
dismiss such an interpretation. Because of the very fact that we are strong proponents
of the freedom of religion and because we respect the right of any human being
to practise his or her religion, offending anybody on the grounds of their religious
beliefs is unthinkable to us. That this happened was, consequently, unintentional…
"It is the wish of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten that various ethnic
groups should live in peace and harmony with each other and that the debates and
disagreements which will always exist in a dynamic society should do so in an
atmosphere of mutual respect." Earlier, the British newspaper The Independent,
had said in its own editorial: "While we defend Jyllands-Posten's right to
publish, we also question its editorial judgement. It is not a decision we intend
to emulate. This newspaper could have published the photos at the centre of this
row to make a point about free speech - as newspapers in Germany, France, Italy
and Spain have done - but we believe this would have been a rather cheap gesture.
There is no merit in causing gratuitous offence, as these cartoons undoubtedly
do. We believe it is possible to demonstrate our commitment to the principle of
free speech in more sensible ways." Some of the European media have
gone beyond the narrow but important debate concerning the rights to freedom of
speech and freedom of religion, to discuss what they viewed as a matter of serious
concern, relating to the rise of racism in Denmark. In this regard, in its
ENAR Shadow Report 2004 Denmark, partly funded by the EU, the European Network
Against Racism said: "Populist political statements and distorted media
coverage (have) not helped to better the situation (rising racial tensions in
Denmark). Politicians hide behind "freedom of speech" to get away with
the most hateful propaganda against certain groups, while the media holds the
microphone. Mainstream media not only indulge in the generalisation of minorities
but are also steadfast in denying any responsibility in creating an atmosphere
in which racism thrives… "The ongoing propaganda against Islam
is aided by many writers, commentators and academics who use their freedom of
speech to write what they like and often in derogatory and insulting language.
One such so-called historian is Lars Hedegaard. He is the former Editor in Chief
of the most progressive newspaper in Denmark, Information, and a permanent contributor
to two national newspapers - Berlingske Tidende and MetroXpress. He has specialised
in commenting on anything and everything which has to do with Islam. One of his
statements to a right-wing newspaper Jyllands-Posten (01.08.2004) says a lot about
his mental picture: "Islam is even more totalitarian than Nazism. Nazis
did not demand that people should grow a Hitler type moustache. Islam interferes
in every aspect of life, right from dress to eating habits." The ENAR
Report also quotes Karen Wren, whom it describes as a British academic with a
lifelong relationship with Denmark and many years of experience researching immigration,
asylum and racism. She wrote after a visit to Denmark: "I was also
concerned by the very high levels of ethnic minority unemployment, and the view
among skilled refugees I interviewed that they had no hope of using their skills
in Denmark's discriminatory labour market. I was also very surprised by the lack
of comprehensive and effective anti-racism legislation. This situation seemed
to allow the press and politicians a free hand to propagate racist views without
restraint, while there were no effective mechanisms through which ethnic minorities
could respond and put their views across to the public." I have spoken
at this length on the matter of the Danish cartoons because I believe that this
affair in all its ramifications has some very important lessons for us as well. When
we established our democracy, which included the adoption of our Constitution,
we knew that we were inheriting a very diverse society that had been divided into
many fractions by our history of colonialism and apartheid. We knew that for us
to survive and thrive as a nation, we had to bridge the many fissures in our society
created by our past. The motto on our Coat of Arms constitutes a call to
us to live up to the vision contained in the Preamble to our Constitution which
says, "(We) believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united
in our diversity." Our National Anthem was constructed with the aim to achieve
national reconciliation. Concepts such as "the rainbow nation" sought
to express the vision of a diverse but united nation. I believe that one
of our greatest achievements since the dawn of democracy has been precisely the
advance we have made towards building the united but diverse society which is
so fundamental to our future. In this context, and with reference to the
Danish cartoons, I am certain that we would all agree with what the British newspaper,
The Independent, said, that "there is no merit in causing gratuitous offence." Similarly
we would agree with Jyllands-Posten that "various ethnic groups should live
in peace and harmony with each other and that the debates and disagreements which
will always exist in a dynamic society should do so in an atmosphere of mutual
respect." For us these are not academic matters. They go to the very
core of the task we face to build the new South Africa. The Hon Patricia
de Lille was therefore correct when she drew our attention to the need for us
continuously to focus on the critical question of social cohesion saying, "the
destructive divides of our society (should be) bridged. We will only succeed as
a nation if we recognise the problems that are faced by all our communities, and
are prepared to make the necessary compromises needed to address them. The problems
of the poor are the problems of the rich, and the challenge of building social
cohesion rests on the shoulders of all of us. The task at hand cannot be restricted
to the government alone and the ID would like to see a hand being extended to
our citizens making them partners in our development." We have taken
to heart the comments made by The Hon Dr Gavin Woods when he said: "We would
have wished to hear the President's thoughts on the democratic health of the nation
and, as importantly, we would have been interested in his views on the evolving
post-apartheid society and how government is trying to facilitate a more unified
nation. We see the progress that is being made towards social integration over
the past twelve years as quite exceptional against the world experience, and would
have been encouraged to hear that the President also sees it in the same way." I
hope that Parliament will have time to engage with the issues around social cohesion. When
we discuss this matter I am confident that we all agree, among other things, that
our constitution is an important foundation in ensuring social cohesion in South
Africa. Generally, from the family unit, to communities, political organisations
and various institutions in our society, we share the principles and values contained
in our constitution. Indeed, if we did not share the values enshrined in our constitution
the country would have long degenerated into civil strife, anarchy and possibly
even civil war. Indeed, some of the important elements for social cohesion
are represented by public representatives as constituted in the national parliament,
the provincial legislatures as well local government councils. I am therefore
very happy that parliament has taken a decision to engage in an Equality Review
Campaign, as Madam Speaker said, "to help answer the question relating to
progress or lack The challenge facing all of us is to strive for social
and economic equity in our country, so that we move away from the divisions that
defines a section of the South Africans population as poor, labourers, unemployed
and under-employed and the wretched of the earth; while another is characterised
by the rich, the bosses, the fully employed and the affluent who enjoy good things
in life. Accordingly, it is important that we should identify common positions
that are important to all South Africans, irrespective of ideology and party affiliation
and develop a common platform that helps to enhance social cohesion. Madam
Speaker, The Hon Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi was correct when he said that "our
liberation movement" must not lose its long-term vision. We must heed the
call he made that "this is the time to hold the country together and ensure
the unity of our people: …"this is the time in which history demands
of us to rise above…petty division in politics." As is their right,
a number of the Honourable Members focused their statements on what they saw as
the failures of our government. In many instances they spoke about the very same
matters that cause grave concern to the government itself. To say that twelve
years after we liberated ourselves from 350 years of colonialism and apartheid
we still face a huge housing backlog is not to say anything new or unexpected. To
say that twelve years after we liberated ourselves from 350 years of colonialism
and apartheid there are still many people without access to clean water and modern
sanitation is not to say anything new or unexpected. To say that twelve
years after we liberated ourselves from 350 years of colonialism and apartheid
we are still confronted by a very serious challenge of poverty and unemployment
is not to say anything new or unexpected. Like Dr Woods, "we see the
progress that is being made towards social integration over the past twelve years
as quite exceptional against the world experience…" Nevertheless
we recognise the fact that much more still needs to be done to create a truly
socially integrated nation. That is why in the State of the Nation Address
we spoke about ASGISA, housing, health, education, water, sanitation, land and
other programmes precisely to answer the question - what should be done to accelerate
the advance towards eradicating the many backlogs that undermine social integration,
that most obviously could never have been dealt within a short period of twelve
years. In keeping with what the Hon Patricia de Lille, the Hon Gavin Woods
and the Hon Mangosuthu Buthelezi said, I believe that one of the critical challenges
we all face is not to communicate a false message to the people that our Rome
can be built in a day. One or two of the Hon Members correctly pointed
out that we are running a marathon and not a sprint over a short distance. No
amount of words will change this reality, and I dare say that the ordinary people
of our country understand this reality very well. As we did last year, once
more we will study the comments made by the Hon Members, drawing on them to improve
the performance of the government as we strive, hopefully together, to accelerate
our advance towards the new South Africa for which our people yearn. Before
I conclude, I would like to return to the important comment made by the Hon Dr
Buthelezi when he said that "this is a time in which history demands of us
to rise above…petty division in politics", and refer to the matter of
the Hon Deputy President's holiday in Abu Dhabi. The security arrangements
in place since 1994 and before provide that both the President and the Deputy
President are provided with security on a 24-hour basis. Among other things, this
means that when they travel by road, they do so in transport provided, managed
and run by the South African Police Service. When they travel by air, unless
circumstances make this impossible, they travel in planes provided, managed and
flown by the South African Air Force. These transport arrangements, which
are an integral part of the security system decided exclusively by the state security
services, and not the President or the Deputy President, apply regardless of their
destinations and the purpose of their travel. The South African Air Force
therefore carried the Deputy President to and from Abu Dhabi, as the security
regulations require. This was the only cost of the holiday of the Deputy President
that accrued to the state. All other expenses incurred by the Deputy President
by going on holiday were met entirely by the Deputy President, with absolutely
no charge to the state. I am certain that now and again the Deputy President
will have to take a break from work and rest wherever she may choose. Unless the
security arrangements are changed, leaving her unprotected because she is on holiday,
it will remain the responsibility of the South African Police Service and the
South African Air Force to transport her to her holiday destination. I trust
that, after this explanation, nobody will find it impermissible that she should
continue to be provided with security on a 24-hour basis, which includes the periods
when she is on holiday. I would like to thank all the Honourable Members
for their participation in the debate of the State of the Nation Address, and
the various suggestions that have been made as to what we should do further to
accelerate the process of transforming our society. As I have said, we will
follow up on these suggestions. I would also like to take this opportunity
to wish all the parties that have registered for the local government elections
success in their campaigns, and urge that all of us should respect the Code of
Conduct we have signed, so that we further entrench the tradition of holding peaceful,
free and fair democratic elections. This is central to the achievement
in our country of the critically important objective stated perhaps belatedly
by the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, that "various ethnic groups should
live in peace and harmony with each other and that the debates and disagreements
which will always exist in a dynamic society should do so in an atmosphere of
mutual respect." Madam Speaker, In closing this debate I would
like to convey to the Martin Luther King family our heartfelt condolences for
the departure of their mother and leader not only of the African-Americans, but
of many people across the world, Coretta Scott-King. On our shores we also pass
our condolences to the family of Vish Sewpersad who dedicated his life to the
struggle for freedom but has now passed on and was laid to rest this past week.
Once more, I would like to thank all those who participated in this debate. I
thank you. | 
