EDITOR – Sarcasm, rhetoric and related forms of innuendo are tools that are used by under-subscribed politicians in order to give inference to statements that they cannot prove or that they know are untrue.
The idea is that when push comes to shove in accountability, they can claim a misinterpretation or say that they were only joking.
Correspondent Jeff van Belkum irresponsibly spews forth statements that provide half-truth confirmation biases that are open to constructive re-interpretation – or else he did not understand my letter. This is a common problem with politicians who do not read to understand, but only in order to reply.
Van Belkum’s attempts to link me to the ANC in order to discredit my faith are puerile and fractious. I do have many friends in the ANC, including my time-honoured sparring partner and good friend, Frank Horn. I respect their history of struggle against oppression.
If one is to form an objective opinion, one must consult different experts in order to form an analysis of variance. I have also considered Van Belkum’s ideas and those of the old National Party, but my political traditions grow out of higher things than nationalism, socialism and statist idolatry.
Perhaps it would be enlightening to delve into Mr Van Belkum’s background to see where he gets these strange ideas of undisclosed alliances and ‘coupled at the tote’ strategies. The concept of ‘reflecting’ comes to mind, but I will not go there. Suffice to say that I have written these letters so that my countrymen do not get the idea that I or any of my community concur with the ideas of Van Belkum and his alleged supporters. I would rather explore my own Christian Democratic tradition.
During World War two, students from the University of Munich formed The White Rose (German: die Weiße Rose) The White Rose did not agree with Hitler’s ideas of authoritarian socialism within the context of racial purity. The Nazi’s put them to death for their essays and writings.
Sophie and Hans Scholl were beheaded for statements such as “By means of gradual, treacherous, systematic abuse, the system has put every man into a spiritual prison. Therefore every individual, conscious of his responsibility of Christian and Western civilisation, must defend himself as best he can at this late hour, to work against the scourges of mankind, against fascism and any similar system of totalitarianism. Offer passive resistance, resistance wherever you may be, forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late. Never forget that every nationality deserves the regime that it is willing to endure”.
After the war, their beautiful thoughts and ideas flourished under post-war Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. The Christian Democrats rebuilt Germany and helped to rebuild the Jewish State (Konrad Adenauer attended David Ben Gurion’s funeral)
It is difficult for undersubscribed totalitarians to understand the Christian Democratic concepts of subsidiarity, mutualism, relational economy, devolution of power, diversity and limited government. The tendency is to disparage these ideas, merely because they do not want to understand them. Better to have a statist figure that they can revere as a god.
They hide under the convenient flags of liberal or conservative, rallying people to their cause by instilling fear of minorities. This is the tactic of Black Fascist movements such as the EFF. Van Belkum’s idea seems to be that he can incite a less than 10% minority to overcome a large majority.
What is needed is a shared future conversation like that proposed by The White Rose. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. Let’s understand that the more the racists try to entrench ‘another country’, the worse it gets in the minds of the younger, differently pigmented fascists.
Finally, where does Mr Van Belkom get the idea that I have to smoke something in order to treat fellow South Africans with respect? How sad that he regards the social protocols of chivalry and uBuntu with derision. My faith and my politics are separate things, but I see derangement in the method of disparaging my faith by defending a man who states publicly that children should watch pornographic movies instead of going to Sunday school and also plays music that pays considerable royalties to a practising paedophile, when the entire US sports industry had closed that situation down.
I deny Von Belkum’s statement that certain people were my enemies. I am no longer involved in active politics.
In the light of a rise in fascism locally and internationally, I would ask Jeff van Belkum to consider toning down his rhetoric and maybe go for something that sounds a little less like Donald Trump.
KEITH DOWNS
Ed’s note: Correspondence on this issue is now closed.
