Democratic Alliance wants Conscription?!

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general_koffi

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What the bloody hell? Link

A cabinet minister's suggestion that national service should be reintroduced to help curb crime has been cautiously welcomed by the DA.
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Andries Botha, DA spokesperson on defence, said in response on Tuesday: "There was not even a thought of conscription when the new constitution was negotiated. But if it comes on to the table we will definitely consider it and discuss it.

"To bring people into a national service is a very, very good idea, provided you have the funds to do it.
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If you have any respect for South African democracy, email the DA right now and tell them where they can shove their pandering to the tyrannical majority party.

[email protected]
 
I'm sitting on the fence in this regard. It could be a good idea if done properly.

While it's possible that the DA is licking the ANC's rear, I find it unlikely. The DA has much more to gain by being the major opposition party and this means opposing anything that the ANC says just because the ANC said it.
 
Xarog said:
I'm sitting on the fence in this regard. It could be a good idea if done properly.

While it's possible that the DA is licking the ANC's rear, I find it unlikely. The DA has much more to gain by being the major opposition party and this means opposing anything that the ANC says just because the ANC said it.
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Does that mean opposing things that are good for the country...?:confused:
Who needs such opposition..?
 
I'm sitting on the fence in this regard. It could be a good idea if done properly.
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Exactly. The SANDF needs to be restructured and modernized with a focus on peacekeeping in the African theatre. That way we can get the UN to fund the entire thing while a) creating massive employment and b) exporting stability.
 
Bageloo said:
Does that mean opposing things that are good for the country...?:confused:
Who needs such opposition..?
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No, it merely means that by opposing the ANC they stand out from the ANC as an alternative choice.
 
Xarog said:
No, it merely means that by opposing the ANC they stand out from the ANC as an alternative choice.
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Hayi bo! I don't understand now. If by some miracle they ascend to power, would they then implement the same policies they were opposed to..?

I'm not sure this is the DA's stand point, so I'd be well advised to take your comments with a pinch of salt!
 
Bageloo said:
Hayi bo! I don't understand now. If by some miracle they ascend to power, would they then implement the same policies they were opposed to..?

I'm not sure this is the DA's stand point, so I'd be well advised to take your comments with a pinch of salt!
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What it means is that the DA was 'cautiously welcoming' the idea of conscription for its own reasons and not because they wanted to lick the ANC's arse. Licking the ANC's arse is the very *last* thing they want to be doing to get votes, and I was simply pointing this fact out to contradict the claim in the OP that the DA were pandering to the ANC.
 
Would this turn them away from crime or just give us better organized criminals?
 
Just a question ...

Do we really want the military policing its own citizenry? Are there provisions for such a thing to occur without the introduction of martial law, or some state of emergency?
 
fewl said:
Exactly. The SANDF needs to be restructured and modernized with a focus on peacekeeping in the African theatre. That way we can get the UN to fund the entire thing while a) creating massive employment and b) exporting stability.
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c) population control ;)



Bageloo said:
I thought about that as well. We might just end up with more criminals with military training
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That reminds me. About 3 years ago I was awoken by my dog barking. I then heard gunshots from down the road. The next day I found out that the person who was shooting lived across the road from a house that was burgled while the occupants where away. The person noticing what was happening waited for the scabengas to come out and promptly shot at them from behind a tree. Unfortunately he didn't hit any of them but managed to identify that they were in army fatigues:eek: .
 
I still think we should email them and make clear we don't support this move.
 
Xarog said:
I'm sitting on the fence in this regard. It could be a good idea if done properly.

While it's possible that the DA is licking the ANC's rear, I find it unlikely. The DA has much more to gain by being the major opposition party and this means opposing anything that the ANC says just because the ANC said it.
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The opposition's job is to oppose anything they don't agree with. I would go far enough to say that the ANC probably does a better job after getting a rollicking from the DA. If they kept quiet the incompetent ANC would be lost.
 
Hmm... maybe it is more the idea of giving people a stronger moral basis. Don't know if conscription is the right idea, but with moral degeneration becoming stronger in the country, and an (apparant) break down of the basic family unit, wouldn't some form of - i can't believe I'm saying this - discipline, help young guys (and girls) develop a stronger personal moral code?

I suppose it's sort of like the whole "corporal punishment" issue. It has both negative and positive effects, but when not handled properly, it just makes things worse.
 
Got a reply to my email:

Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana is wrong to call for the reintroduction of conscription, but right to call for a national service programme. This should be voluntary.

Conscription is a red herring, and Minister Mdladlana should know better than to punt it as a solution to South Africa’s problems. For one thing, the SANDF would be unable to cope with the vast amounts of young people – around 700 000 – leaving school every year.
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http://www.da.org.za/da/Site/Eng/News/Article.asp?ID=7278
 
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