Find the racist in your own heart

JOHN FREDERICKS WRITES:

Since the beginning of the year, and since expressing my views and opinions on issues of national interest, I have been branded a racist.

The most obvious fact is that the person or persons with interests, motives and views divergent from mine, and with no recourse to ideological and engaging debate, resorts to labelling and name-calling. The most and only unfortunate implication of the labelling, branding and name-calling (that of being a racist) by the faceless and nameless coward(s), is that we cannot move to the next level of open, democratic and engaging debate.

DEFINE THE PROBLEM

Let us start by defining a racist and racism. According to the HAT, Verklarende Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal, a racist is defined as a person believing that “karakter en bekwaamheid word bepaal deur ras; 'n denkrigting wat aanneem dat n besondere ras meerderwaardig is en die reg het om ander rasse te oorheers”. The same Afrikaans dictionary defines "rassewaan" as “ongegronde mening, trots ten opsigte van jou eie ras, meerderwaardigheidsgevoel wat jou ras betref, bv. Blankes ly soms erg aan rassewaan.”

I herewith cordially invite those with a limited and unfortunate understanding of the term “racist” to explore and educate themselves on the meaning of the word before using it, and branding others with their personal agendas and beliefs.

The Readers Digest (Southern Africa) defined a racist as “Hitler was a racist, who considered Jews subhuman.” It is very interesting to note, that in both definitions, the racist, or racist thinking, is not referring to a black person or black group, as opposed to “Hitler" and "Blankes".

It is also worth mentioning that when any other person refers to Blacks or Whites in our newspapers, it is acceptable, but when John Fredericks use the word “Blacks” it is derogatory (reeks of divide and rule.)

MY RIGHT TO REPLY

Let us unpack my thinking and contributions towards national debates about the economic, social and political climate.

I believe that after 27 years of economic and political independence, the unequal possession, distribution and acquisition of wealth and natural resources should be addressed without any further delay. It is an undeniable and unfortunate fact that more than 70% of the wealth and resources of this country is controlled by white Namibians, and if writing about it makes me a racist, I suppose I am guilty as labelled.

I suppose I am a racist because I am appealing to my white compatriots to share 10-20% of their businesses with their workers (via constitutional, legal and lawful means, e.g. the NEEEF initiative) in order to maintain the peace and stability in our country, and by so doing, prove to the world and our continent that a history of colonialism, racism and the deprivation of a minority's economic and political power do not have to descend in bloodshed and civil war.

I suppose I am branded a racist because I allowed myself to be fired from my job, by facilitating two black babies to be adopted by white parents. The white parents were prepared to be witnesses in court, but being a racist, I decided that their privacy, compassion and commitment towards the two orphans, and their professional status and position was more important to me than hanging on to my job.

The irony of being the racist that I am is that the chairperson of the board, a white (sorry, white person) and the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing (a white, sorry, white person), whom happened to be associates of each other, found me and my colleague guilty on charges as stipulated in the 1961 Children Act. I suppose I am a racist for protecting the identity, privacy and humanity of the two white families, whom I not only respect, but for whom I was prepared to lose my job. Which happened.

I am a racist, because I am defined by a person or by some people, whom do not share my thinking about humanity, humaneness and ultimately Ubuntu (I am because you are).

The above-mentioned case is in our courts, and I hope for the sake of my colleague that justice will not be for sale.

I suppose that I am a racist for argueing that the white farmer, accused of having shot and killed a black, sorry black person, be granted bail. I am a racist for appealing for stricter sentences to be meted out to those killing our whites, sorry white farmers, and by so doing destroying an important sector of our economy.

I can make peace with the labelling, but to keep silent about it, makes the real racists out there look like concerned citizens.