[DEBATE] : Eskom on track to boost power output, Louise Flanagan, Star

[Russell Grinker]

I have no illusions that a radicalised/technicised version of what we've got
will solve our problems. I agree that the ultimate solution is a critical
alternative political base that can put on the pressure. What on earth do
you think I'm talking about when I use the NEP analogy? We probably however
differ on how close we are to your 'dual power' situation. When you however
play down the technical challenges, you're starting to sound like the
Maoists who hoped to overcome China's steel shortage by creating a mini
blast furnace in every backyard. As you might remember there was no 'Great
Leap Forward' on that basis.

-----Original Message-----
From: debate-bounces at debate.kabissa.org
[mailto:debate-bounces at debate.kabissa.org] On Behalf Of Dominic Tweedie
Sent: 16 February 2008 09:24 AM
To: debate: SA discussion list 
Subject: Re: [DEBATE] : Eskom on track to boost power output, Louise
Flanagan, Star

I don't agree that you agree. I think you've missed the point completely.
You want good alternative technocrats, or the "least worst" ones. Your
remedy is a replica of the existing set-up. This is analogous to Blade
Nzimande's point about collapsing the soviets into the state. You end up
with a replay of what went before.

What is so baffling about the technology here? You are an architect of many
years's standing, and there are thousands, or more likely millions within
the "general public" who are just as capable as you certainly are, of
critically understanding what is at stake and taking desisions about it,
collectively. On what basis do you want to shoo the polity into a new
elitism or intellectual dependency?

My point is that there must be a continuous examination, and a propagation
of what is found by that examonation, and then a democratically organised
mass body of people (as opposed to newspaper-fed inchoate "public opinion")
that continues to militate on the question. It does not require anointed
"engineers", black or otherwise, to do any of this. It requires a dual
power. It requires a body of people who are more democratic and therefore
more genuinely knowledgable, to move in parallel with the managerialists and
pull them up each time they threaten to mess up again.

Domza.




On 16/02/2008, Russell Grinker <grinker at mweb.co.za> wrote:
>
> Dominic Tweedie wrote:
>
>
> I agree. But how to build a relatively independent cadre of new
> technocrats
> is a major question. Government currently has real trouble recruiting
> anyone
> decent when young black engineers can command in the millions PA from the
> private sector and many fat-arsed bureaucrats don't give a monkey's as
> long
> as their packages are sorted. We're going to have to opt for some sort of
> 'NEP' arrangement and deal with the least worst technocrats. The point is
> to
> ensure that government is capable of informed and (relatively) independent
> leadership of such a process. What hope of this?
>



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