Don't blame Constitution: Manuel

The Constitution cannot be blamed for the slow pace of change in South Africa, said Planning Minister Trevor Manuel. 04 September 2012 | Sapa "The Constitution empowers and enables, but beyond that, actual change requires human actions," he said on Monday evening. Manuel was addressing the opening session of a conference entitled "Strategies to Overcome Poverty and Inequality -- Towards Carnegie III" at the University of Cape Town. He said the Constitution provided South Africans with the values that bound them and enabled them. Policy could also not be blamed for hampering transformation. "Policy should guide and provide a framework for evaluating the progress of actions by people. Policy documents do not suddenly assume the ability to walk, talk and act -- they only guide." Manuel said it was important to realise how different elements of policy intersected and mutually reinforced each other. "Too often the economic policy discussion ends with slogans about macro-economics, and all this does is to warn the listener that we have not matured sufficiently to understand that transformation is only possible in an environment of stability created by sound macro-economic policies. "And that change comes from advancing the implementation of rational, progressive social- and micro-economic policies." The government was not solely responsible for the transformation of South Africa. "Whilst government should never be allowed to devolve its responsibility, the process is actually a bit more complex," Manuel said. The National Planning Commission was of the view that transformation occurred when a number of agencies interact. "The first, and perhaps the most important of these is an active citizenry -- a nation whose conscience is vested in the ordinary women and men who comprise and who act in their own and in the national interest -- they cannot outsource this responsibility to government." Manuel said the second agency was leadership. "When we speak of leadership, we counter the notion of the 'big man'. Our model of leadership is one that involves tens of thousands of active citizens who take initiative, in the common interest." The third agency for change is an effective government at local, provincial and national levels. "An effective government is responsive to the needs of its people, in its listening, policy priorities and allocation of resources." Manuel said transformation would not be possible without the close interaction of these three agencies. The University of Cape Town, with the support of the National Planning Commission, is holding a conference to stimulate deeper thinking about strategies to overcome poverty and inequality in South Africa. This is seen as the first stage of the third Carnegie inquiry in this country. Manuel said 304 papers had already been submitted for discussion. The first Carnegie inquiry into poverty in South Africa was published in 1932 and focused on the "poor white" problem "and, as a consequence, entrenched the poor black problem", Manuel said. The second Carnegie Report on poverty in South Africa was produced in 1984 by Francis Wilson and Mamphela Ramphele. The Citizen Comments by Sonny What human actions are evident where the impoverished poor (BLACK/WHITE) were enriched by the ANC lead government since 1994? Or will that all take place in the ANC next term of office? 2014 OR 2O19? "The first, and perhaps the most important of these is an active citizenry -- a nation whose conscience is vested in the ordinary women and men who comprise and who act in their own and in the national interest -- they cannot outsource this responsibility to government." The above passage is Communist Rhetoric....... The active citizenry pays its taxes to government, who is mandated to look after the interests of the Constitution and the poor, as part of the package, the government accepted to be accountable to the Constitution and the SA Bill of Rights in their pledge of office. Manuel wants to pass the buck to "citizenry" for governments failures to implement their mandate! The poor do not want "Communist Propaganda" - THEY WANT/NEED FOOD AND OTHER BASIC ESSENTIALS TO SURVIVE! Water, electricity, sanitation and most of all houses. ARE THERE ALSO NOT "POOR WHITE PEOPLE" AND "POOR BLACK PEOPLE" IN SOUTH AFRICA at present? SHOULD WE INTERPRET THIS STATEMENT AS RACIST? THE ANC GOVERNMENT HAS A DISMAL TRACK RECORD OF BAD TO DYSFUNCTIONAL SERVICE DELIVERY! Where was Manuel or the ANC government in 1984 when the last Carnegie Report was formulated? IT THEREFORE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PRESENT SA POLITICS? Were they (CARNEGY) not on a terrorist list in the past? The "Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education™" should align themselves with the teachings of Dr Martin Luther King and the Black Panthers. THIS SPEECH BY MANUEL IS VOID OF ALL SOUTH AFRICAN SANITY!