PW+deserves+no+honour,+Vukani+Mde,+B+Day+Weekender

__//Vukani Mde, Political Diary//__
=PW deserves no honour=

APPARENTLY the only people in this country who accurately remember PW Botha are to be found at Cosatu House. While the ANC sent condolences to Botha’s family, wishing them “strength at this difficult time”, the Young Communist League rejected with contempt the falsification of Botha’s role in SA’s history.

“It was Botha’s regime that destabilised southern Africa,” they reminded us.

“Cosatu rejects the notion that Botha made any positive contribution whatsoever to the democratic transformation of our society. On the contrary, he remained to the very last a staunch defender of apartheid, racism, dictatorship and inequality, for which he refused to make the slightest apology. The overwhelming majority of South Africans and the people of the world will remember PW Botha only with hatred and disgust,” said Cosatu.

Well said. Hopefully when the time comes to bury their own Cold War monster, the people of democratic Chile will not similarly debase themselves by lowering their flags to honour Pinochet.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2345773**

=P.S.=

THE renaming game is getting quite out of hand. Some organisations linked to the ruling party seem to have mistaken change with a process aimed symbolically at obliterating not only the past, but the present as well.

Johannesburg International Airport has been renamed OR Tambo, which is all well and good. The ANC Youth League now wants the Union Buildings renamed for Walter Sisulu. The Young Communists have joined in the fun, calling for Cape Town’s airport to be renamed Bram Fischer. I suppose we’ll run out of things to rechristen soon enough, and only then will we realise that we were supposed to rebuild rather than just rename.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=2345879**

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