President Jacob Zuma has rejected perceptions that the Left is taking over the ANC and dictating policy.
Instead, said Zuma, the current policies - as adopted at the 2007 Polokwane conference, and articulated in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium-term budget policy statement - were here to stay.
In his online letter, Zuma said most people outside and inside the ANC misunderstood the nature of the relationship between the party and its alliance partners - Cosatu and the SACP.
The government's policies would not change just because the alliance partners were opposed to certain positions.
| ' For years, the ANC has been advised to break with the SACP' |
"Policy arises from debates in the ANC, through a very intensive process leading up to national conferences, where resolutions are taken, thus informing the policy direction.
"There is nothing, therefore, in the argument that the alliance partners determine the policy of the ANC," he said.
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"It appears that people get mistaken when alliance partners raise their views in an open debate, commenting on policy.
"The policies that this administration is pursuing do not belong to one person or any group of people."
Zuma said healthy debates between the alliance partners were always welcome, as had been the case in years past.
"Those outside the alliance (and even some within) have struggled to understand this cross-pollination of ideas. Indeed, many people fear it. And so arises this feverish pre-occupation with a 'Left takeover' of the ANC," he said.
"This is not new. For years, the ANC has been advised to break with the SACP.
"There are those who fear the 'healthy' influence of the trade union movement.
"The point that many people fail to grasp is that the ANC is a multi-class national liberation movement with a bias towards the working class and poor," he said.
Zuma cautioned against singling out of individuals as the sole drivers of policy.
Minister for Planning Trevor Manuel has come under immense criticism from some in the alliance who have accused him of trying to take control of policy formulation.
Zuma's statement comes barely two days after ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa told international business leaders in London that there would be no policy shift in the ANC.
Phosa also said that nationalising the mines - as urged by the ANC Youth League and the alliance partners - was not the ruling party's policy.
He was immediately criticised by the youth league and SACP.
- This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Argus on October 31, 2009
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