By Charlie van Gelderen 'A white referendum is the most insulting and most unacceptable of all the political structures of apartheid - a movement. This is how WOSA, South Africa's Workers Organisation tor Socialist Action, described the recent vote.
De Klerk's huge majority in his white referendum surprised neariv every commentator, and probably even De Klerk himself. But how will this vote of the white minority affect the black majority of the population and the progress towards a democratic constitution?
Although the ANC and the Communist Party (SACP) reneged on their previous promises to have no truck with he institutionalised racism of French local elections the state and urged whites to vote 'yes' to De Klerk's reforms, this outcome will rebound on them.
Whites did not vote for the surrender of their economic and social privileges. They knew that a return to apartheid, Party and the openly fascist AWB, was not feasible.
Such a retrograde move would still further cripple the already enfeebled economy. bringing with it renewed demands for sanctions which even the British Tories find difficult to oppose. So they rave De sierk his anashde vic ory to strengthen his hand in his negotiations with the ANC and others in the liberation movement.
The National Party is now openly talking of an interim inctuains she ANC, 'for the next decade'.
В Раде:
National Party campaigner backs De Klerk's reforms They now feel strong enough to defy the call for a Constituent Assembly, unless it is backed up by militant mass action, urawink in orxanised workers youth and the landless rural people De Klerk knows this. This is why his first demand after the referendum results were announced was to demand the DIE KPdisbanding of the ANC sarmed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe.
WOSA concludes 'negotiations for power sharing are a ind exploited people. We have to continue the ilberation strug gle by means of mass action and mass mobilisation for rundamental reforms around the issues of employment, housing, electrification, health, sport, culture and recreation.
Only by organising the urban and rural poor in such mass campaigns will we be able to alter the balance of forces in favour of the oppressed people full democratic rights by means of a Constituent Assembiv... tion against the Front Nationale. Having brought 100,000 onto the streets on January 25, the anti-racist movement must buik the clanned May Day demonstration into the bigFrance has ever seen on is streets.
Second, the rotten leadership that nas arenated the socialist Party orec torate must be thrown out Jacques Moore mohi be more of a colomat than Edith Cresson, but he has exactly Without a party that will fight for the interests of French workers, the door is open to the likes of Jean Marie Le Pon.
April 4, 1992