[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 10, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         SOUTH AFRICA ELECTIONS

  Mr. Lugar, Mr. President, today Nelson Mandela will be inaugurated as 
the next President of South Africa and the first President of the new 
South Africa. This will mark the culmination of an extraordinary 
political journey for South Africa, a journey away from apartheid and 
toward democracy and racial cooperation. By any standard, the events in 
the past few years in South Africa, including the all races election 
concluded more than a week ago, are historic.
  After years of armed struggle, violence, protect, international 
sanctions and, in the past 3 years, protracted negotiations, South 
Africa has moved toward the establishment of a new political system and 
a new society which are vastly different from that which preceded it. 
This evolution toward a more equitable society is a testament to the 
extraordinary leadership abilities of State President F.W. de Klerk and 
African National Congress [ANC] Leader Nelson Mandela who convinced 
their supporters that change through reconciliation and compromise was 
preferable to change through violence and confrontation. Without the 
exceptional leadership of these two visionaries, it is doubtful that 
these elections and this political and social transformation could be 
taking place today.
  The gradual and painstaking process of working out the terms of the 
political transition has had the salutary effect of educating the 
people of South Africa about the changes underway and those to come. 
This should be an instructive model for other societies undergoing 
fundamental change in Africa or elsewhere. Although the protracted 
negotiations were difficult, testy, and frustrating, it was preferable 
to work out the differences among the parties before the elections than 
to assume that the elections will solve them in turn. Now, the path 
ahead for South Africa is a difficult one. But, it has been made less 
difficult because years of talks and compromise helped resolve or ease 
many of the differences prior to these elections.
  Given the sentiments, the enmities and fears created by apartheid and 
repression on the one hand and by armed struggle on the other, it is 
all the more remarkable that the people of South Africa chose social 
tolerance over turmoil and political evolution over revolution. Indeed, 
the world has witnessed a very remarkable negotiated revolution that 
could just as easily have been very violent and very bitter. Given the 
distance that had to be traveled by all parties and peoples involved 
and the range of obstacles that had to be overcome, such a transition 
would have proven too difficult for most societies. Happily, this has 
not been the case for South Africa.
  There have been numerous disturbing reports about the fairness of the 
election, about vote-counting snags, and about the overall smoothness 
of the process. It is my understanding that most, but certainly not 
all, these problems were attributable to administrative weaknesses and 
faulty procedures in which the system was overwhelmed by the enormity 
of the task. While there was a solid electoral infrastructure in place, 
it was not adequate for meeting the needs of an expanded electorate. In 
addition, there were 11 campaign languages in use, 19 parties were on 
the national ballot and some 27 different parties contested for votes 
in the provincial elections. This posed a monumental task from the 
start.
  Given the reported deficiencies in this election, it is important 
that South Africa initiate steps to improve its electoral system, its 
campaign laws, and its procedures for conducting future elections. They 
should dedicate themselves to making these improvements by the time of 
the next scheduled elections.
  The African National Congress [ANC], which has been the strongest 
organized internal opponent of apartheid in South Africa, has received 
a mandate to govern and the National Assembly has chosen Nelson Mandela 
as President. The African National Congress will have a majority of the 
seats in the new 400-member body. The National Party and the Inkatha 
Freedom Party [IFP] also received sufficient electoral support to 
ensure diversity and competition in the deliberations of the new 
Parliament, in drafting the new Constitution, and in managing the 
country's affairs. The election returns in the nine new provinces also 
speak to the diverse preferences of South Africa's multiparty political 
system. These results promise that there will be debate, dialog, and 
diversity in national politics and in the provincial assemblies. This 
is a healthy result and a heartening beginning for the transitional 
government that will manage the affairs of South Africa for the next 5 
years.
  As extraordinary as these elections have been, they do not in and of 
themselves make for a democratic society. Much more must be done to 
ensure that security exists for everyone, that majority and minority 
rights are protected, and that opportunities are spread throughout the 
country. It will take time and determination. With South Africa's human 
and physical infrastructure--already the most advanced in the continent 
of Africa--its chances for success are positive. The enormous 
difficulties and barriers that had to be surmounted to get to these 
elections are at least as difficult as the tasks that lie ahead for 
governing the new South Africa. With the broad-based legitimacy of 
these elections, the new multi-party, multirace government will have a 
solid political foundation for addressing the many social, political, 
and economic disparities that exist.

  Mr. President, Mr. Mandela's task is filled with opportunities and 
challenges. I suspect his main task will be to develop and implement a 
consensus-based strategy to manage both popular expectations and the 
fears that fundamental change always breeds. Several years ago, 
President-elect Patricio Aylwin of Chile told me the most difficult and 
most important task for him as the future President of Chile, a country 
which itself was undergoing a fundamental transformation, was to manage 
the expectations of the Chilean people. By this he meant that, as 
President, he would be faced with managing the difficult task of 
balancing the demands from those seeking instant gratification of long-
denied material benefits and those fearing the loss of a way of life 
for which they had become accustomed. He worried that this might 
paralyze his government.
  The quest for instant gratification will pose a similar problem for 
Mr. Mandela. I hope that he, Mr. de Klerk, his Cabinet, and the new 
Parliament will have the wisdom to see their way to balance these 
conflicting demands in a careful and judicious manner. I hope, also, 
that the people of South Africa will have the patience to understand 
this dilemma.
  Economic growth will be necessary to create jobs, expand housing and 
education, and provide health care services in South Africa. Progress 
in each area will require access to international investment, capital 
and technical assistance. Direct bilateral assistance and loans from 
international financial institutions can be helpful but, in the end, 
private investment will be most critical to reviving the economy. In 
this regard, it would be very helpful if the last remaining United 
States sanctions on South Africa were repealed as quickly as possible. 
It is my understanding that more than a dozen State governments and 
municipalities continue to bar or restrict their investments in 
companies doing business in South Africa. Moreover, there are nearly 
two dozen American colleges and universities that prohibit investments 
in economic activities relating to South Africa. These are vestiges of 
the international sanctions imposed in the mid-1980's that apply to 
circumstances in South Africa which no longer exist.
  Finally, Mr. President, I want to express my congratulations to the 
people of South Africa and to those inside and outside South Africa who 
helped guide that country through these difficult times. Now, they will 
have to show the same courage, determination, and patience as the new 
South Africa continues the remarkable transformation that today's 
inauguration represents.

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