CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL : WAR IS NOT COMPULSORY - LET'S CHOOSE (A JUST) PEACE
We
must
assume
rightwards
INTRODUCTION
This
the
proposal
national
covers
campaign.
attempt
to
draw
the
The
context
proposal
together
the
and
history
originates
of our discussion around a
from
the
End
proposals from the different regions. It was
over
the
elections.
as
a
an
Regions
broad
to
allow
by
the
attempt would be made to reach consensus around a proposal.
necessary
theme
for
NC
because
of
are
being
with
some
the
short
time
space between now and the
unusually
close
decision
making
this
to
a
an
key national actions but with the flexibility
to
crush
next
the
immmediate
that
will
decision
than
we
processes
has
been
one.
The
conflict
Campaign
question of our national
raised elsewhere, but this process has
been a good illustration of our problems in this regard.
us
to
war
grow (even in the face of a general
intesifies.
itself
is
Thus at the point at which
most
leave
ideological
The
important
Party
and
the
platform.
Democratic
have
and
threatened,
the potential
terrain
debate for our purposes is that
PFP/NRP
Stripped
Movement
(which
in the white community
alliance. The NP is standing
of
waffle, they are proposing
they
define very widely) as the
at some unspecified later date come up with reforms
white minority rule intact. This is a more rightwing stance
seen
than
on
the
months.
security
priority
rather
on
few
from
demonstrate
attack
THE CONTEXT
define
National
overtly
campaign discussion has brought the role of that body
making
clearly
the
on
regional differentiation of varying degrees. It has been noted
that
between
to accept the proposal in its totality
asked
the
472-24
/
will
D.) The Elections
at
that
group
National Committees
will
was
as
Conscription
decided, on the basis of mandates from the regions and discussion of principle
NC,
shift)
this
for the growth of the movement against conscription is at its greatest.
This
This
that
that
give
the
the
NP
of late. It should be relatively easy for
Govt,
has chosen to embroil us all in a civil
in to the demand for democracy. The focus of the NP'S
pariiamentary
groups
security/communism/the
to
the
left
ANC/conscription
of it is that they are 'soft
etc.
The
PFP/NRP platform will
be a mix of 'bread and butter' issues, the Indaba as an example of negotiation
A .) The State
Riding
by
on
the
politics,
the
WJP
crest
of
a
campaign
we
gaily
orchestrated
smear
defined
our
immediate
against
smears
around
the
wave of legitimacy and public support generated
campaign
surfed into the double brick wall of a well
and the State of Emergency. These state actions
reactive
priorities
-
survival,
security, defence
etc. These priorities were reinforced after subsequent clamps
Yellow Ribbon Campaign in JHB and the War Is No solution Campaign
critiquing
incorporation
blacks
alternative.
They
are
issues'
conscription
and
that
the
the
right
action
alliance
elections.
B.) The End Conscription Campaign
possibly
the
an
attempt
to
accomplish
despite
the
to
go
beyond
a
certain
things
that
state
attack.
range
of
political
forms
of
public
etc.
and
going
and
work
back
These
purely reactive approach we have attempted
will
on
house
the
We
by
comming
up
with a solution for the
presenting themselves as a moderate
the
fall into this category. It could be argued
NRP
has
shifted the PFP's policy slightly to
have certainly abandoned most of their monitoring/civic
in
the
interests
felt
by
putting
using
not
to keep away from engaging the NP on 'security
would
have
elections,
for
generally
going
with
they
NP
and
some
that
of
of
any
our
issues
the
allocating
national
all
campaign
resources
to the
should intervene in
on the agenda of public debate, and
symbolism
associated
with elections i.e.
choice or choosing.
allow us to take forward our work
include training our members in a diverse
organisational
e.g.
and
programmes
in CT.
In
the
of
skills,
meetings,
offensive
establishing
developing
more
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DISCUSSION AROUND A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
secure
a mass membership
publically. At this time we have a
At
the
around
end of last year we were having discussions about a national campaign
the
January
Call-Up.
This
was
brought
to
a grinding halt by the
stong national organisation, that has weathered quite severe state repression,
repression that accompanied public work in CT and JHB. At the NC that followed
our
shortly
weakness
is
in
our
public
presence
and
our ability to give a voice
to the many who oppose conscription and militarisation.
get
after
this
a
campaign
such
it
was
reported
together
on
that
most
regions felt we could not
time (because of the clampdown) and that
the state would respond incredibly harshly to a Call-Up campaign, particularly
C.) Our Constituency
A
common
feeling
because
has
been
that
while the white community is becoming in­
creasingly
polarised, with the centre being characterised by fear and apathy,
there
more
are
and
more
people
who
are unhappy about being conscripted.
to
it
seemed
conscription.
proposal
was
sent
to
Two
to
contravene
distinct
the
the
ammended
campaigns
regions.
One
were
subversion clause relating
motivated
at that NC and a
of the campaigns embodied a broad
anti-militarisation
and
the
for
a
same
thrust
summed
up
by
the slogan ’
The Costs of the War'
content we give the theme and in the style of the campaign.
other was more directly focused on the individual conscript, calling
broadening
time
it
in
a
to
develop
of
was
different
the
motivated
way
'new
definition
from
ways
that
how
of
of a CO in the CO legislation. At the
any
we
campaign would have to be conducted
have
working'
-
POINTS TO PONDER ABOUT THIS SLOGAN
done it in the past. We would have
A.) The
generality
must
low profile ongoing work, longer and
to
slower campaigning etc. - if we are to survive.
ensure
use
proposals
some
the
other
Possibly
put
were
the
the
discussed
to
important criticism of both campaigns is that they didn't
elections
in
a
central
enough
place
B.) In
it's
kind
in the list of criteria by
(The parenthasis will be explained!!!)
was
thus
faced
incorporate
with
the
the
needs
task
of
of coming up with a proposal broad
the
different
regions, yet specific
enough not to be meaningless. We were looking for a slogan that could include:
a)
an
c)
a
a
focus
around
on
that
the
individual
lends
itself
conscript
to
the
and
Elections.
and
to
the
most
it
is
pay
the
real
this
general
us,
level
the
costs
this
conscripts
-
this
is
not
the
means:
The govt, has chosen war
people who
option
and
work
towards it. In addition, it was argued that the word
incorporative
and
the
notion
of
of
conscription,
the
word 'Let's'
'choosing peace' related well to the
elections.
At
a
choices
to
refuse
should
is
for
be
more
level
peace,
to
we
could
namely
serve
in
specify
that
troops
our interim demands, or our interim
should
have
the right to choose
the Townships or Namibia, that Alternative Service
available for all etc. It is at this second level that the slogan
clumsy.
It
clearly
lends
itself
better towards a general war v
a just peace/anti-militarisation theme. The focus on the individual conscript
and
the
call
for
a
might
got
seem
Buffels
to be calling for the
and troops patroling the
absense of stone throwing i.e. peace without justice.
considered
unwieldy
at the NC but we decided that it would make
if we added the words 'A Just*. The group mandated
up this proposal was given the flexibility to change the slogan
as
long
as
to
change the words to 'A Just Peace' because the reason it was excluded
it
was
technical
the
problem.
didn't
and
If
we
the
change the principle. We have used this mandate
are
proposing a technical way of getting around
second
part of the slogan was made into
WAR IS NOT
COMPULSORY
The reason we chose to excercise our mandate was because this became an
of_ irresolvable
debate
in
one
of
the regions soon after NC.'6****
FORM AND TIMING OF CAMPAIGN
The
main
point to consider about the form, is the question of repression,
the
law
and our proposed new ways of working. Some regions have motivated
that
we
we
change in the law, will need to be brought out in the
shouldn't
call
this a campaign. That it is in fact a theme that
should stretch out over a longer period before and after the elections.
Regions will have to come up with low profile ongoing forms for themselves.
The
second
slogan
have
»"*» have
a solution to our countries problems -
system
the
you
draw
issue
solution lies in the establishment of a just peace - let us choose
'compulsory' raises the whole
is
slogan
and
an
was
The words we were playing
with, were 'war, peace, conscripts and choice'. After much discussion,
the
and
slogan
form
where
the choices he faces and d)
we decided on: War Is Not Compulsory - Let's Choose Peace.
At
quite precisely into the major debates in the
to regions to ensure that our message is not con­
or a graphic, it would look something like this:
anti-militarisation thrust;' b) the positing of a positive alternative;
format
peace
point
the
to
to
up
original
of
townships
WAR IS WOT COMPULSORY - LET'S CHOOSE (A JUST) PEACE
NC
is
both a strength and a weakness. We
doesn't get like an amorphous jelly fish. We need
intervene
It
is
and some didn't like either and proposed other alternatives.
most
This
enough
it
slogan
fusing to the public.
in the regions. Some regions liked the one,
which we defined our priorities and approach.
The
this
that
it
elections.
These
of
national proposals for form include the strong suggestion that regions
attempt
some
Day
of
Mourning
the
23rd. The original suggestion of April 24 has met with some resistance
because
of
it
is
Mourning,
after
the
We should
NC.
form
of
for
a
Working
the
friday.
for
conscript
a
Just Peace project and a National
and
the costs of the war on
April
The campaign would peak in the week of tt}e Day
but we have left the decision about further peaks (possibly)
elections and the overall lenghth of the campaign untill later.
have
had
a
chance
to
assess
and finalise this by the next
PROCESS
1.)
In
the
interests of time regions are asked to consider this proposal
as a strong
2.)
Regions
are
recomendation,
asked
to
and
make
as
few
changes
as
possible,
consider the proposal as soon as possible and
report back to National as soon as possible.
cular
consideration
addition of a just
Day of mourning.
4
should
be
given
to the changes, namely
to the slogan, and the timing of the National
also need to have greater clarity about the content of the National
Day of Mourning. Could regions consider this.
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Collection Number: AG1977
END CONSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN (ECC)
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