From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: SOUTH AFRICA: FEDERALISM ASSUMES CE
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 00:44:33 GMT

Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FEDERALISM ASSUMES CENTRE STAGE OF DEBATE


an inter press service feature

by philippa garson

johannesburg, sep 1 (ips) -- all sides are now beginning again
to look ahead to the details of a post-apartheid democratic
south africa, and the debate over constitutional structure --
whether federal or unitary -- has assumed centre stage.

the governing national party (np), the liberal democratic
party and inkatha freedom party hold the view that a federal
settlement is the only way to safeguard minority rights, provide
checks and balances against a democratically-elected central
government, which is generally accepted will be dominated by the
african national congress (anc).

the anc, keen to relegate the fragmentations of apartheid
society to the past and looking forward to massive economic and
social restructuring unfettered by federal vetoes, is against
such a solution and is opting for a unitary state with a strong
dash of devolution to the regions.

right-wing groups are seeking a confederation of independent
states or a compromise that would at least safeguard an
independent afrikaner homeland. at the opposite end of the
scale, groups to the left of the anc adopt the position of a
unitary state without entrenched regionalism.

both the anc and pan africanist congress (pac) believe the
debate over regionalism/federalism is an artificial one at
present and should be left to a constituent assembly rather than
multi-party negotiations to thrash out.

but the government and its allies in the federalism debate
are keen to get regional and local powers guaranteed before
elections for a constituent assembly take place.

while the current impasse in the negotiations drags on, with
the anc having withdrawn from the process two months ago, the np
is to hold a multiparty conference on federalism sep. 7.

the anc has slammed the forum as a sneaky attempt by the np
to build a moderate alliance and sideline the anc from the
negotiating process.

while sources within the dp, inkatha and indeed the np youth,
are expressing the desire to form a new centrist party, the np
hardliners (and heavyweights) are adamant they want to retain
the identity of the party which has held power for 44 unbroken
years. (more/ips)


south africa: federalism (2)

given that the anc accepts the principle of regional
devolution of power, the debate centres around whether to adopt
a unitary state with regionalism or straight federation,
possibly with some form of power sharing at national level, as
the np demands.

both the np and anc have come out with regional maps with no
major differences. the anc envisages 10 regions guided by
boundaries established when the union of south africa was formed
in 1910. the np forsees nine regions, none of which has a white
majority.

significant differences will most likely emerge over the
scope of regional and local powers and the extent to which they
are entrenched in a constitution.

federalists worry that regional power in a unitary state can
be whittled away on the whim of the central government. they
cite other african states as examples where seemingly democratic
constitutions have given birth to fascist, one-party states.

unitary state proponents fear that federalism, particulary if
accompanied by power-sharing mechanisms where everything happens
by consensus which the np is now so fond of, will lock the
wealth of the country in the hands of priveleged whites and
block the central government's attempts at major economic and
social redistribution of wealth.

the anc notyes with cynicism the ''huge industry suddenly
developing around the exploration of federal options.

''this sudden discovery of the virtues of federalism by the
np is an attempt to emasculate central government of any
competence and power'', says the anc's constitutional expert,
karder asmal.

''the debate should not be around the forms of government but
on how ordinary people who have been deprived of participation
in the structures of government will be accomodated.

''(president f.w.) de klerk's attempts to have a multiparty
meeting is an attempt to lock us into a debate about the
structure of government that has no relevance to democratic
principles'', adds asmal.

asmal, citing the need to guard against ethnic mobilisation
in the structures of government, asmal stresses the anc's
''sensitivity'' to cultural and linguistic rights. a bill of
rights to protect individuals rather than groups will safeguard
democracy, says the anc.

the np wants as much autonomy as possible for local and
regional government to act in the interests of small communities
and wants fewer rather than many regions.

''in terms of the regions our approach is for the devolution
of power'', says piet coetzer, the np's director of information.
''from a stability point of view, we believe power-sharing would
be wise''. (end/ips/pg/apc/oa/92)




-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois