Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 1, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 8 Winnipeg free october 1981 focus Black Freedom is inevitable in South Africa by Desmond Tutu the Washington Post after All the buffeting that South african Blacks have taken in Over 30 years of apartheid you would think that by now they would have become seasoned former prime minis Ter John Vorster proclaimed that he wanted just six months to transform the political face of South Roelof Pik who was at that time his ambassador at the United declared with a great flourish that South Africa was mov ing away from Tion based on and what happened nothing More than the intransigence that caused the 1976 uprisings and the bannings and detentions without trial capped by the death in detention of Steve and yet when Botha came on the scene As prime Hopes began to Rise Here was a Man who appeared quite decisive and who knew White South Africa must adapt or he was speaking in a Way that we had not expected to hear from a nationalist prime he seemed to have set his sights on Reform and realized he would need new Botha also knew that the traditional supporters of his party would be appalled at haying to give up so much of White a Survey showed that 60 per cent of the Blacks thought Botha was doing a Good Job As prime that is How nigh Hopes were nearly two years have since and there has been Little More than reformist Botha has made a valiant Effort to streamline government by but he has also been concentrating Power More and More in his he is increasingly seeking to bypass As wit Ness his abolition of the sen ate and a new scheme Lor nominating parliamentary he deserves credit for the Advent of the presidents which represents revolutionary thinking on the part of the in that it says other races but not Blacks would join Whites in determining the future of South having gone so he greatly weakened this potentially revolutionary move by pro Viding for a nominated rather than an elected member even after this Many people hoped against Hope that real fundamental change which has to do with political Power still might were be ginning to suspect that Botha Botha raised Hopes for but nothing has happened to modify the injustice that makes More racial riots was going to be hoist on the for humiliated by Andries petard of afrikaner to believe that like All his did not want to have the dubious Honor of going Down in history As the Man who split the nationalist party and so also Afri the prime minister the arc conservative Leader of the Transvaal nationalist on the question of whether schoolboys of differ ent races could play Rugby Treu Nicht declared in contradict ing the prime that a j 4 Vav f li1 gulfs patented Hydro treated it refining process is your guarantee that youre getting the Best regular priced motor Oil Gulf has Ever reduced engine Wear improved cold weather starting cleaner engines the Only regular priced motor Oil in Canada Good enough to go up to Miles Between if you want it driving and engine conditions consult your owner s manual Lor recommended change Gull and design is a registered trademark of Gull Oil Gull Canada lined registered user it would not Botha Learned that if he took this momentous Issue to the party caucus he would lose to and so he backed for various Botha decided to Call an election some two years before he needed perhaps he wanted his own mandate from the perhaps he hoped to wipe the floor with the right Wing and so be rid of it and he might have done both these things had he gone boldly for a reformist unfortunate he retreated into the Laager of Well tried traditional afrikaner and predictably this time he lost to both the right and the he was not conservative enough for the right and not reformist enough for the left if these terms mean any thing in South if he were he would realize that he has been relieved of the Albatross of afrikaner it no longer i have spent time on Botha because he holds the key to a peaceful future for South the indisputable Point is that we who Are oppressed will be that is not in the logic of even afrikaner dictates that this is All that the Whites can do is decide whether they want Freedom to come reasonably peacefully or through blood shed and armed those Are the Only options Botha can play a decisive role by opting for a bold policy of anything else will he can never satisfy the right so he should go All out to win the world and the rest of South Africa by opting for political in the schools and on the labor is endemic in our country and will continue to be so until Politi Cal Power sharing becomes a More and More Blacks Are becoming disillusioned As those of us calling for change by peaceful Means have our credibility eroded by the authorities often brutal and excessive Calls for peaceful change Are being answered by tear police bul detention without trial and Banning the authorities Are growing in intransigence Botha wants to demonstrate that he is Tough and cannot be trifled he is too late because he has not come to terms with the determination bordering on recklessness of Black youth who openly flaunt the emblems of the outlawed african National he cannot control the Mili Tancy of Black labor which Are going to be the Power to there will be More and More police bannings and but these will not deter those who Are determined to be come a word about for eign corporations in South multinational corporations Are not yet involved in the business of helping to destroy they have done some Good things for their but All within the framework of and really no More than what a Good employer should have been ultimately their efforts Are improvements and not they Are Mak ing apartheid More Comfort Able rather than dismantling the International Community must make up its mind whether it wants to see a peaceful Resolution of the South african if it then let it apply pressure Politi but above economic on the South african govern ment to persuade it to go to the negotiating table wit ii the authentic leaders of All sections of the South african population before it is too maybe it is too judging from the conduct of the Reagan if then what Vorster called the alternative too ghastly to contemplate is upon but Hope Springs Desmond Tutu is an anglican Bishop and general Secretary of the South african Council of Caccia a reformer by Leonard Shifrin special to the free press Ottawa my of new democratic persuasion was making a Point about the liberals a couple of months How Many re formers not Middle of but real reformers Are there in the Liberal caucus from Ontario he enquired i acknowledged that after you got past Charles there was not much of a and we agreed there was no reason to expect that Pierre Trudeau was about to bring the member for Toronto Davenport into the but that was before spa when ethnic voters Start trading in their Liberal colors for those of the that is when cabinetmakers suddenly discover their need for a spokesman for work in class new although the new occupant of Ottawa labor portfolio is Best known As the Only Liber Al to vote against the recent pay hike for his record As a dissenter is far longer than a Strong supporter of unemployment he voted against both the first round of cutbacks in that in and the second round in with employment minis Ter Lloyd Axworthy plans for a third set of cuts due for Cabinet judgment later this it is a Good time for Caccia to be joining the Deci Sion makers the line up of ministers opposed to the changes presumably just grew by the part of the Axworthy package that he certainly will not be is the broadening of eligibility for maternity year after year Caccia has introduced exactly that proposal into the House As a private members unemployment cannot be More than a Hobby for a labor his own portfolio revolves around the Canada labor which governs conditions of work in Indus tries within Federal Juristic although it covers Only about ten per cent of the Canadian the fed eral code has often been a Pace setting influence on provincial labor but not in the five years since Ottawa last amended the its standards have fallen be Hind those of a number of revisions have been promised in the coming session of the key changes Are expected in the Field of occupational health and where practical As Well As humanitarian considerations argue for a new As the economic Council of Canada observed in its re cent report on government each year and Job related injury and illness cause far More lost work Days in this country than do strikes and the councils recommendations ranged from More inspectors and inspections on the part of government to support for joint Ladorman gement committees with functional authority to enforce workplace it also called for Consolida Tion of Federal health and safety regulations so they can be administered by a department under the direct Ion of a single at the Canad Hajj labor Congress Points these Are scattered among no fewer than 15 different departments and the Clos presented earlier this largely parallel those of the economic Council in far greater r the issues involved in the labor code revision Are All questions of the importance of Labo manager ment for sex is accepted by but on the ques Tion of How great their authority should views Dif Fer How much influence the new labor minister will have on the legislation at this Point is reported the proposals have Al ready passed through cart nets decision making but to the extent that the questions Are still i expect Caccia will share the Clos worker oriented Pei the Issue of work place injury is As close to him As his perpetually sore Back souvenir of Bis Days As a Young immigrant from Italy working in the mines of Northern Ottar ;