WHAT THE NEW UNITY MOVEMENT STANDS FOR

The New Unity Movement has seven (7) main aims on which the main policy document, the Ten Point Programme, is based. These themes form the thread, which binds the political programme of the organisation together into an integrated and inseparable whole.

To build a single, undivided, independent, non-racial, democratic and socialist South Africa in which the interests of workers and the rural poor shall be paramount.

  1. This is firstly a tacit acknowledgement that a South African nation with all its features of “nationhood” does not yet exist and has still to be established. Secondly, it is an admission that we come from a history of divide and rule and a major task is to identify and confound the myth that we are different, belonging to different “races” or ethnic groups and that our cultural backgrounds should separate us. The truth is that all of humankind belongs to one race, the Human Race, and that all cultures are part of human culture. This is the single most important impediment to us developing a South African nation.
  2. The insistence on a non-racial policy has always been the basis of the Unity Movement programme. This is in stark contrast to the multi-racialism that is currently being practised. For example, in terms of the multi-racial policy all sports teams should reflect the “demographics” of the country – have a few “whites”, “Indians”, “coloureds”, “Africans”, etc. The same policy is practised in the workplace where this is passed off as “equity”.
  3. The poor are not confined to the rural areas only, thus one should speak of the rural AND urban poor. As the poor and workers make up the vast majority of our country and in fact most countries in the world, it makes sense to ensure that their basic needs are met. When this is done, the needs of more than 80% of the population has already been served. In any case, those not in these two categories (workers and poor) are able to fend for themselves because of their privileged position – money, work, housing, luxury, etc.
  4. Socialism is the highest form of democracy; some would say it is the only form of democracy. Many countries have a “democracy” where one can vote on a regular basis every few years but have little else besides. Poor people remain poor or become even poorer and rich people remain rich and become even richer. The voters are used as voting cattle who exercise the right to vote for representatives who sit for a term of office but are not accountable to those who voted for them. These representatives are only accountable to the party and no one else!

To build the unity of workers and the urban and rural poor under the leadership of the working class in the struggle for the national liberation and freedom from both national and foreign domination.

  1. The workers and the poor are the largest and most important groups in society and therefore in our programme. We are required to develop these sectors of society to enable them to take the lead in directing the struggle towards a more egalitarian future.
  2. This development process involves the political education of these sectors. They need to know how to organise themselves – on the shop floor, on the farms, and where they live and how to analyse social and economic situations and are able to identify the real enemy viz. capitalism.
  3. The NUM does not proclaim itself as the political party of the working class; it views itself as a vehicle to facilitate the establishment of such an organisation.

To rid society of all forms of “racial”, colour, gender and class discrimination, including in the political, economic, social, educational and cultural areas of our lives.

  1. These forms of discrimination are aimed at causing division amongst communities in order to allow social oppression and economic exploitation to continue unabated.
  2. We should be vigilant in ensuring that the organs of society that influence our daily lives –  schools, churches, customs, etc. – are freed of all these forms of discrimination.
  3. We must strive to make all of these organs non-racial, non-sexist and anti-class. Indeed, our daily lives – work, family, entertainment – should epitomise these beliefs.
  4. We are to be reminded that the “strong” in society are in fact the economically strong and that they are in charge! They determine what happens in our education system, our economic system, our churches, etc. They are directly responsible for shaping our lives.
  5. We cannot just accept everything dished out to us. We have to question, critically analyse and formulate our own opinions of what is summarily fed to us as education, religion and economic “reality”. All of these are susceptible to manipulation! This is how “our” culture is developed, without our consent, by the dominant (economically) group in society.

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