page 180 - Long Walk Original Manuscript [LWOM_180.jpg]

Charter was formulated. Its practical value and singular importance derived from the fact that it was welded out of the demands that came from the masses pinpointing concrete forms in which national oppression touched their daily lives and embodying the practical conditions whose implementation would ensure the elimination of national oppression for all national groups in the country. It is solely because of this that the Charter enjoys the support of all sections of national groups of the Congress movement, of ambitious business men, struggling workers, poor peasants, priests, teachers and other intellectuals. Of course in a way we cannot dismiss the arguement that the victory of the Congress movement and the overthrow of colour oppression will be a step towards scientific socialism. In a democratic South Africa established by us our allies will naturally have a free run and the CP will have a proportionate say in the solution of the country's problems. But that by itself need make neither us nor South Africa a communist country. The fact that during the Second World War the communist parties of France, Holland, Italy and other countries freely supported the war against Hitler, that theri members were part of the resistance movement and are now operating legally in their respective countries does not make them communist countries.

But the enemy panics when, in spite of all restrictions it imposes on its opponents, the freedom armu continues to grow and the drums of freedom beat louder and louder, and this is precisely what happened to the government after the COP. It was shaken by the fact that the entire campaign was organised under abnormal conditions where a large number of senior members of the Congresses were banned, where municipal authorities would not allow mixed meetings in their areas and when the police were harassing the people by rigorously enforcing the pass system and intimidating black