Mbeki 'like PW on Tutu issue'
2004-11-29 22:02
Cape Town - The DA says President Thabo Mbeki's response to criticism by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu could easily have been confused with those of
former president PW Botha.
Botha regularly expressed outrage at the
archbishop's fearless witness against apartheid.
Spokesperson Helen Zille said Tutu was recognized
internationally as a moral icon and particularly respected for his
willingness to speak truth to power in the most difficult
circumstances.
"It is a very poor reflection on the post-apartheid government
that it is using exactly the same tactics in an attempt to silence
him," Zille said.
The ANC earlier took a conciliatory stance on Monday in its spat with Tutu, saying he remained a highly respected South African leader.
Earlier on Monday, Tutu used irony to rebuke President Thabo Mbeki for a scathing attack last week on the archbishop in a weekly website newsletter, ANC Today.
Tutu said: "Thank you Mr President for telling me what you think of me, that I am - a liar with scant regard for the truth, and a charlatan posing with his concern for the poor, the hungry, the oppressed and the voiceless."
In a statement the archbishop added: "I will continue to pray for you and your government by name daily as I have done and as I did even for the apartheid government. God bless you."
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said neither the party nor its president regarded him as "a liar with scant regard for the truth, but we do recognise that even someone like yourself has the capacity to err".
Late on Monday afternoon, the SA Council of Churches (SACC) entered the fray by coming out in favour of "a culture of open debate".
This should occur without what the SACC described as personality characterisation.
"The media can play a role by resisting the temptation to highlight and sensationalise personal differences, focusing instead on the merits of the debate."
In his newsletter on Friday, Mbeki took issue with Tutu over statements the archbishop made last week, saying fundamental requirements for rational discussion was familiarity with the facts and respect for the truth.
Delivering this year's Nelson Mandela Lecture last Tuesday, Tutu said, among other things: "We should not too quickly want to pull rank and to demand an uncritical, sycophantic, obsequious conformity."
- SAPA