Viewing De Klerk's earlier positions

THE debate about whether former President FW de Klerk deserves the honour of the Nobel Peace prize understandably attracts different viewpoints.

One view is that he did what was right and that in moving forward in positive mode our rainbow nation should honour that. The other view is that we should not honour people who had been pressured into doing what is right because they should have been doing what is right in the first place.

In assessing De Klerk the man, it is relevant to look at the role that he played before he became president and embarked on the process of reform.

PW Botha's foreign minister had already told the world that he was happy to serve under a black president. Botha then readied the world for a speech that would launch a process of reform to democracy. On the day, Botha delivered a damp squib that became known as the Rubicon speech. He had been forced to withdraw his announcement at the last moment.

It was apparently the Transvaal caucus of the National Party that had threatened to withdraw its support and had forbidden Botha to deliver the speech that would have launched the process of the introduction of democracy. FW de Klerk was at that time chairman of the caucus.

 Andre Jensen, Mill Park