There should be a pledge of loyalty to our own country

THE National Development Plan released by National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel has thrown the proverbial cat among the pigeons.

Under one of its focus areas, titled Uniting South Africa around a common programme, the document reads: "To build a socially cohesive society SA needs to reduce poverty and inequalities by broadening opportunities and employment through economic inclusion, education skills and specific redress measures . and by deepening the appreciation of citizens' responsibilities and obligations towards one another."

To achieve the "deepening and appreciation of citizens' responsibilities and obligations towards one another" the NDP proposes that the "Bill of Responsibilities for the Youth of SA recently launched by the Ministry of Higher Education should be popularised".

The Bill of Responsibilities outlines the responsibilities that flow from each of the rights enshrined in the Constitution.

More controversially, the NDP also proposes that a pledge based on the Constitution's preamble should be developed and used at school assemblies.

The Constitution's preamble should also be displayed in all workplaces, the NDP suggests.

The proposal to have learners make a pledge of allegiance to the Constitution or the Republic of South Africa is not new.

In 2008 the government proposed the introduction of a pledge of allegiance to be recited by the millions of schoolchildren throughout the country. It was largely based on the preamble of the Constitution.

The pledge read: "We, the youth of South Africa, recognising the injustices of our past, honour those who suffered and sacrificed for justice and freedom. We will respect and protect the dignity of each person. We sincerely declare that we shall uphold the rights and values of the Constitution and promise to act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities that flow from those rights."

A massive outcry followed, with those opposed to it (mostly white parents) arguing that "the pledge smacked of totalitarianism and put guilt on white schoolchildren". Some critics (mostly academics and linguists) argued that the pledge was clumsy.

Essentially the "Bill of Responsibilities" is a further articulation of the undertaking contained in the 2008 pledge to "act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities flowing from the rights contained in the constitution".

It is the proposed pledge of allegiance that is expected to once again ruffle some feathers.

First, it must be stated that South Africa would not be the first country to have a pledge of allegiance to its constitution. The US has a pledge in which citizens declare their loyalty to "the flag and the republic of the United States of America".

As expected, there has been criticism about how draconian such a pledge is.

The US supreme court previously ruled that forcing learners "to recite the pledge or face punishment" was unconstitutional.

But in a recent ruling a Nebraska state court ruled that learners who do not want to recite the pledge during assembly could keep quiet as long as they respect the right of the others to participate. This could be the compromise to reach when introducing the South African pledge.

As for the criticism about putting guilt on white kids - one can only say that this is symptomatic of people who do not want to confront historical realities.

History and experience have shown that such people generally have very little to contribute towards building social cohesion.

The criticism that the previous proposal was "clumsy" could be addressed by making the newly proposed pledge crisp and to the point.

Something like: "I pledge my allegiance to the spirit and letter of the constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which promotes a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights."

These are suggested ways to deal with criticisms of the pledge - although frankly one fails to understand how supporting the constitution can be unconstitutional.