The Solidarity Movement is a family of community organisations with more than 500 000 members who, together with their families, represent around two million people. It is an Afrikaans, Afrikaner and South African network of self-help organisations. Our foundation is Christian-Democratic, and we strive for mutual recognition of, and respect between race groups. We reject leftist and rightist extremism.
We are not clinging to an obsolete ideology, nor do we pursue strange goals; we are merely striving for a normal society in which everyone can be lastingly free, safe and prosperous.
Foundations
The key foundations on which the Movement organises itself are:
- A Christian Democratic framework;
- A free market economy and the right of ownership
- The rule of law;
- Healthy race relations and mutual recognition and respect;
- Federalism instead of centralism;
- Community self-reliance instead of relying on the state;
- Safe communities;
- Good jobs for people and a productive, well-trained and well-paid workforce;
- Mother tongue education and training;
- The family as cornerstone of the community;
- Afrikaans, our cultural way of life, history and heritage;
- The republican tradition of citizenship characterised by consent and participation instead of mere subservience;
- The freedom of persons, cultural communities, the economy, the courts and the media;
- Social care for vulnerable persons; and
- Multiple identities such as being Africans, Afrikaners, South Africans and Afrikaans speaking persons.
Goals
Our main objective as the Solidarity Movement is simply to lead a normal life in a normal country. We do not profess a strange ideology and we do not want to revert to the past. We only want to lead a normal life just like anyone else does in any functioning country. At the same time, we grant all other persons the normality we claim for ourselves.
People have become so accustomed to abnormal that for some it is normal (and that we are abnormal). Let’s have a quick look at our
Beweging se 12 doelwitte vir normaliteit:
1. Safety
We are striving for a normal life in a normal country where the criminals are behind bars and law-abiding citizens can walk around freely and safely.
2. Work
Secondly, we want a normal employment dispensation without abnormal race quotas that determine who may work and be promoted, and who may not.
3. Equality
Thirdly, we want normal equality. We are not superior to others, but do not want to be slotted in below others by the system.
4. Freedom
In the fourth place, we believe in normal freedom. The provisions of the Bill of Rights on human dignity, equality and freedom apply to white and coloured people too, not so?
5. Education and training
Fifthly, we want the normal right every other person has to choose the school language of our children and we want to choose in which language they receive their university or college education. It is not normal to burden young people with the past.
6. Tax value
In sixth place we want normal value for the tax we pay on our hard-earned income.
7. Services that are functioning
Seventh, we demand normal government and municipal services we pay for.
8. An honest and competent government
The eight point pertains to having a normal, honest government that does not steal or misappropriate tax money, and a government that is the servant of the country’s citizens instead of being their rulers.
9. Race relations
n the ninth place we want to see normal race relations and cooperation between all in the country. The selective racism by which white people are targeted by people in power is poisoning relations and is abnormal.
10. Law and justice
The tenth criterion for normality is that all should be equal before the law, regardless of race or language.
11. Language, culture and history
n eleventh place we simply want the normal right to use our language; to give expression to our culture; and to have a normal history with all its good points and its weaknesses. Like any other community we want places where we feel at home and where we are in the majority.
12. A normal future
Finally, we want a normal future where we too are first-class citizens. We want to feel at home, and we want to feel that we are welcome. It is abnormal for people to doubt whether their children will have a future in the country and for most of them to consider emigration because of all the abovementioned abnormalities.
