We thank the people the and government of the Dominican Republic for the hospitality and friendship we are experiencing.
Comrade Miguel Vargas
The President of the Socialist International George Papapandreou
Secretary General Luis Ayala
Dear comrades and friends.
The delegation of the African National Congress are happy that we made it to this session of the SI council.
Our remarks will refer to the defense of democratic institutions and one of those being democratic elections and the external threats many African countries contend with before, during and even after any election. Our continents to is blessed with abundant mineral wealth and yes we have oil as well.
This makes us the target of the international marketeers who colonized our countries for centuries and today the eyes of the neo colonialists are lazer focused on how to reconolise our strategic assets.
The rights of workers and democratic elections are seen as alien to their objectives.
The threats we face in Africa are also found in every other part of the globe, interference in elections and regime change agendas are prevalent here is Latin America as well in the East.These are accompanied by similar trends of claims of corruption never tested in courts and well spoken opposition voices who are often the right wing populist forces waiting in the wings .
So called popular movements appear and interestingly in alliance with those voices are the erstwhile enemies of socialism.
Ours is not to defend wrong doing by any of our family but to take the courageous step of laboring intensively to seek peaceful dialogue and long lasting solutions.
Attempts to thwart the will of the people and democratic voices of the people are tempered with . Left leaning political organization and in particular former liberation movements are deemed to outlived their use and need to be replaced with pliable forces that the western imperialists can work with.
Questions such as “can they govern “ are asked by former colonial powers as they openly interfere in elections.
We have had two recent elections where the rhetoric of corruption was the clarion Call and so was a call for jail time of leaders and a call for soft coups The accompanying violence of regime change efforts costs lives as does the non acceptance of elections results.
Constitutional courts are regarded as puppets without and fact to bear this out. The goal is to change the regime even if the party concerned won an election.
Our position is to ensure that we understand the causes of conflict and outcry of the people as we attempt through SADC and the AU to find solutions that will have a lasting impact. we are all cognizant of the fact that very often peace deal break down because they seldom fit the narrative of outside interests, however , socialists cannot give in to the pressures of rampant capitalists who seek raw resources which leave our shores unbenificiated, seek cheap labor and seek consumers for the goods they dump in our struggling economies.
Our solidarity must be based on facing our own truth and dealing with our neighbors as neighbors and friends, justice cannot be based on the will of any aggressive external threats.
Human rights, freedom and justice must also be carried by the weight of inclusion of the voice of the people.
Our commitment is to see both the DRC and Zimbabwe through there crisis periods without being prescriptive on what ultimately the people will choose. Our objective is peace in our region because without peace our entire region in the South of Africa will be destabilized for years to come.
We urge the SI council to take cognizance of the fact there is always a longer period of process and tried and tested methods which fail and succeed until there is consensus before harsh punishment and harsh words are meted out to any country in crises.
The SI must remain a bulwark against imperialism and aggression by imperialists. Dialogue and consensus in resolution of problems is best.
Finally Secretary General, we wish to reiterate our previous call that we become an activist SI Some of us in this room represent the poorest people on the globe, we have little room for posturing without action plans, we still struggle to have food security, whilst others ponder how to get rid of their waste, we have little to waste. We need a clean ocean, clean air and clean water, we need shelter and our young people need sustainable work and better education. We must not fail the ideals articulated in the Bandung conference in 1955, our tasks are still far from achieved and our constituency still looks at the left for leadership.
