YouSaid · the spoken record

Reddy

lines on the record
13
first
1992-07-16
most recent
1992-07-16
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “All parties must transcend parochialism and respond to the greater challenge of nation-building. To fail to act wisely now will ensure only having to act desperately later.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  2. “Thirdly, we urge all current CODESA participants to recommence negotiation and to re-commit themselves to the National Peace Accord and the Declaration of Intent in order to stem violence, and further urge all other political parties not presently involved to participate in the process if they subscribe to a democratic order. Fourthly, we believe that urgent attention should be given to economic reconstruction simultaneous with political changes, as inheriting an economic wasteland would be a Pyrrhic victory. Political democracy and Economic liberalism are the twin pillars of progress. They go hand in hand. The acid test of democracy is the threshold of tolerance of differences; the lower the level, the greater the instability. Challenges must be turned into accomplishments and not frustrations.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  3. “Secondly, we welcome the involvement of the United Nation Security Council in contributing to conditions that would encourage negotiations. We support the proposal to send a special representative of the Secretary-General to South Africa to facilitate the resumption of the CODESA process and negotiations. This must be a good-will exercise in keeping with a mission of the United Nations. We request the establishment of a United Nations consitution-monitoring committee to monitor and evaluate the proceedings and outcome once negotiations are resumed.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  4. “My party, Solidarity, wishes to make the following recommendations: Firstly, we believe that the way forward is through negotiation, as it is the only viable and legitimate process to effect a new constitution and establish a democratic order. Dialogue must be an ongoing and continuous process, and the momentum of negotiation must be maintained. Let me also emphasize that negotiation can only take place in a climate of peace and stability. All parties, in and out of CODESA, must refrain from any action or statement that would be a catalyst for violence. Peace in South Africa can only be established by the players and the people themselves, who must create conditions conducive to negotiation. The solution must be found by its own people within the country.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  5. “My party is committed to the establishment of a democratic Government. However, there are different perceptions of democracy among the various political parties, and one has to reconcile the various concepts in order to achieve consensus. South Africa is an emerging democracy; mature democracies have gone through the learning curve. Preserving the rules of the game is the highest imperative of any democracy, even in times of political and economic crisis. The democratic order proved to be more difficult to build than the prophets and revolutionaries of the French Revolution dreamed. Considering the tensions we are currently witnessing in many parts of the world on the issue of minorities, this question must be addressed constructively and in depth.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  6. “We must desist from the practice of apportioning culpability, as this only entrenches frustration and further divides our society. There are shortcomings on all sides. While the responsibility for ending the violence is a collective one, the greater share of that responsibility must rest with the South African Government, which must now pursue its role vigorously and with greater determination. The South African Government has a legal responsibility, while political parties and the people have a moral responsibility to end violence. Our common commitment must be to take the process collectively towards a solution and acknowledge the fact that compromise is necessary in any new democratic order. A compromise solution is not the ideal solution, but it is the best we can achieve under the circumstances.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  7. “There is a rising expectation in the community to enjoy immediately the benefits of change. However, sanctions and violence have contributed to depressing the economy and consequently the quality of life, leading to frustration born out of unfulfilled expectations. Desperate actions arising out of frustration only tend further to fuel violence. I do not mwish to elaborate on the causes of violence. Suffice it to say that a complex set of factors related to economiuc, political, eduational and housing questions are interwoven. On the other hand, there are also numerous role-players who have also contributed, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously, to a lesser or greater extent, to the issue of violence. .”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  8. “A new nation born out of the apartheid system is not without trauma and trepidation. Violence undermines the fundamental process of democracy. One cannot negotiate in an atmosphere of violence. Hence, the National Peace Accord was set to level the political playing field to create a climate that is conducive to peaceful constitutional change. Negotiation is a fragile process. Violence undermines what progress has been achieved. Violence leads to frustration and bloodshed and tends to reinforce itself as a vicious cycie. The apartheid system, and the violence that stems from it, has eroded our economy. The economy is being held to ransom. The purpose of negotiation was precisely to promote economic growth and human development and to ensure equal opportunities and social justice for all.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  9. “The policy of racial discrimination, enshrined in the 1910 Constitution and culminating in the policy of legalized apartheid for nearly the past 50 years, has contributed to structural violence, The Sharpeville, Soweto and Boipatong incidents are a physical manifestation of that violence. We are merely reaping the negative effects of apartheid. South Africa is a polarized society, and the policy of apartheid has sown distrust, fear and frustration. There are diverse political proposals by the various parties - all are committed to democracy; yet it would be simplistic and naive to believe that the negotiation process will not be without its difficulties. There is no easy walk to freedom and Gemocracy, more so in a society which has little exposure to a democratic culture and values.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  10. “Although parties declared themselves to be bound by the agreements, unfortunately, we have witnessed a stalemate in the process of negotiation. The Boipatong massacre was a needless and unwarranted event, tragically occurring after the breakdown of the CODESA proceedings, and only reinforces my belief and commitment that there is only one way to a democratic order in South Africa, namely, through negotiation. To Stray from this narrow, difficult and arduous track leads to an escalation of violence, uncertainty, frustration and anger and tragic consequences, as we have already witnessed. I want to record my Party's deepest condolences once again to the families of Boipatong and pray that we never again have occasion to witness such human tragedy. Let us also put violence in South Africa in the proper perspective.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  11. “There is already agreement, inter alia, that South Africa will be a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, sovereign State; the constitution will be the supreme law; all will enjoy universally accepted human rights; there will be a Separation of powers between the legislative, executive and the judiciary and appropriate checks and balances; there will be a multi-party democracy and regular elections on the basis of universal adult suffrage on a common voters' roll; an electoral System based on proportional representation; and that a constitution should provide for effective participation of minority political parties consistent with democracy. Participants are also mindful of the awesome responsibility that rests upon us at this moment in the history of the country.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  12. “The South African question is not beyond resolution, given the will of all political parties to seek the new order through the process of peace and negotiation. My party is firmly committed to seek change through peace if the benefits of change are to be lasting in this country. Violence, as we have seen, will only plunge the country into chaos and, in the words of the representative of Japan "a deeper crisis benefits no one" (3095th meeting, p. 97). Violence serves no useful political end and, as violence acted on in desperation becomes endemic, there are, in fact, no winners. Violence is an assault on the dignity of the individual. It is precisely for this reason that my party is a participant ina convention for a democratic South Africa (CODESA), a signatory to the National Peace Accord, and the Declaration of Intent.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source

  13. “Mr. REDDY: At the outset, I wish to express my sincere appreciation and thanks for the honour and privilege, as the leader of Solidarity Party of South Africa, to address this body on the question of South Africa. We also wish to record our appreciation to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for initiating this meeting and the United Nations Security Council for acceding to the request. The question of South Africa was brought to this international body by India in 1946 and has since occupied a prominent role in the debates. It is appropriate that, as a body established to maintain peace and a democratic order, the United Nations Security Council is actively engaged in promoting its goals and objectives.”

    1992-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3096 (1992) · source