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6th February 1 995
Dear Sirs
THE NEW
CONSTITUTION
If possible, in the new Constitution provision
should be made to encourage in all our people a pride in our country.
The African countries to the North of us look to South Africa with hope. This
is because, on the whole it is well run, the air
services are reliable, the
railways run to time, the roads are good and kept in good repair, large dams are
built to provide water
to the expanding population, water schemes give hope to
farmers in dry and arid regions e.g. the Fish River scheme. The Nationalist
government had a fatal blind spot and made a stupid mistake, they thought they
could impose "apartheid" and get away with it. Now
we have got rid of
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this injustice and stupidity, and wisely have kept
private enterprise, we should be able to have a much finer South Africa,
prosperous and a country to be proud of.
Embodied in the new
Constitution should be the Govern Rule for all living:
"Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you."
President Kennedy in his inaugural address said
words that have stayed in people's minds. "Ask not what your country can do for
you,
but ask what you can do for your country."
President, a wise leader
and one to be proud of, has repeated this thought on several
occasions.
"Do unto others", applies to everything. Our Constitution
should embody a culture of protecting and improving our heritage, our history,
our fine buildings and especially our natural resources. Natural
resources, once they are destroyed through man's greed and a government's
neglect in watching over them carefully, never recover.
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Therefore we need an excellent Extension Officer service, to watch
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farms in each area, to see that good farming practices
are encouraged, to assist farmers. The United Party had very good laws to
govern farming practice. These were quietly ignored by the next government for
political reasons, they did not want to upset certain
farmers by applying those
laws because they were afraid they might vote against them. But the
concentration laws are still there and can be consulted by the present
government.
Good government is like good housekeeping. Possessions are
carefully looked after, money is carefully managed, nothing is wasted
and at the
end of a life there is an inheritance to the next generation. Thus we need
strict laws to protect and preserve our fishing
industry, vitally important to
employment and food for the people. Strict laws to protect the veld from
overgrazing, or poor grazing
practices. Protecting the veld will in itself
protect the soil and prevent soil erosion. Soil erosion is the first step to
deserts.
Much of Africa North of us has become overgrazed, and becoming desert.
We need to be extremely careful. This is a country with
a low rainfall in most
areas.
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TOURISM
We have a beautiful and
an interesting country, tourists would love to flock here. But we have
problems. There is a perception overseas
that we are a violent country, so
tourists hesitate and choose to go where cars will not be stolen, and
there is a happy relaxed atmosphere and they can go out at night.
Some
years ago, American tourists stopped going to France, a country which has a
great deal to offer. But the word got around that
(a) The French people disliked the tourists, and were not welcoming
(b) they "ripped them off" cheating on restaurant and cafe bills, giving the
wrong change and so on, The tourist industry declined
and the French had to mend
their ways, to make their country more welcoming to guests (tourists) in order
to encourage them to start
visiting again. It was a salutary lesson. No one
spends hard-earned money to visit a country in which they are not made
welcome.
Simple good manners should be taught in all our schools for the
benefit of future generations. Keeping one's environment tidy and
clean should
also be encouraged at schools. We note with approval that many
schoolchildren
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are cleaning up their schools and playgrounds, many
people are doing the same in residential area. e.g. prizes to the 3 best kept
schools in each province. This
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shows a sense of pride and is to be encouraged in every way
possible.
Tourists flock to Singapore in their thousands because the word has
got around that Singaporeans are extremely proud of their state,
no one drops so
much as an empty cigarette packet or a plastic bag. Everything is carefully
looked after and clean. The public
gardens are immaculate and beautiful, the
buildings well-kept.
The same applies to some other countries, Austria,
Switzerland, Holland, Germany.
At school (in Swaziland) we children were
taught always to leave a picnic place clean and tidy, ready to the next family.
This simple
rule has governed me & my family from that time. None of us
would even think of leaving a mess, cooldrink cans, plastic etc.
Nor would be
throw anything at all out of the window of the train. The approach to
Johannesburg by train from the South is appalling, piles of litter for several
miles.
Tourists must be very put off by this.
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Many of us believe that before our new Constitution is
finalised, it should be studied by experts from, say, Switzerland, Germany,
England, who might be able to point out shortcomings that have escaped the
Constitutional Committees. We also implore you to get on with the basic
work, and not to leave it until there has to be a great rush to finish in time.
This is a vitally important work you have undertaken.
A democratic constitution
does not mean simply "one person, one vote" - it means all sorts of carefully
worked out checks and balances,
leading to careful, orderly
government.
Freedom of speech, freedom of religious choice, freedom of
the Press, an unbiased Radio and TV service, financial
transparency, a disciplined police service to protect all citizens, (and
proud of itself) a disciplined nursing ethic and nursing services, also
proud of their contribution to the happiness of the people, and teachers that
teach. If we can somehow achieve this kind of society,
people will no longer
leave this country.
We wish you great success with your deliberations and
decisions.
Yours sincerely
(SGD) D M BEAL PRESTON
(MRS)
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