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Manifesto

The objective of the Progressive Initiative is to establish an autonomous special administrative region (SAR) within South Africa through a democratic process and negotiation with South Africa’s national and regional governments.

The aim of this autonomous region will be to raise the standard of living of as many citizens as possible through the provision of:

• Affordable housing
• Free primary health care
• Free primary and secondary education
• A safe environment where personal safety and property ownership are fiercely protected.
• Economic and social development stimulated by encouraging entrepreneurship and the employment of skills and capital in the formal sector while offering alternatives to crime.

Citizenship

A strong regional identity will be created and maintained within the SAR through the implementation of a voluntary citizen’s charter and the strict enforcement of citizenship laws. A new simple ID card will be issued to all citizens and this will containing biometric data. Ownership of this card and acceptance of the citizen’s charter will differentiate citizens from non-citizens. An efficient process for applying for residence, work permits, permanent residence and citizenship will be implemented. No right of abode or benefits will be available to illegal immigrants beyond emergency medical treatment and repatriation.

Housing

To upgrade the living conditions of the region’s poorest, free government stamped building blocks will be made available to all citizens as well as simple building plans for constructing basic housing. These blocks will be manufactured by prison labour and will be free to all citizens. The blocks will be easily identifiable as free housing blocks and must be used exclusively for housing. The blocks will not be resalable. The objective of this initiative is not to develop middle class housing but to improve the living conditions of the very poor.

Water and electricity is to be made free to all throughout the region. Clean fresh water will be made available to everyone within 500m of their home.

Education

Compulsory and free education will be available for all citizens to the age of 19. This will be based on a British A level equivalent or trade school option. Free university education will be available for those admitted on a purely academic basis. Teacher resourcing will be bolstered though an international teach abroad initiative as well as raising the income of teachers in line with the private sector to ensure international competition. English will be taught as the first language and all subjects will be taught in English – this will lower the cost of teaching and make teachers more versatile. Educational syllabus will be based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) system. Government grants will be made to businesses offering internships in all industries.

Healthcare

Free and efficient primary healthcare will be available to all through centralised hospitals and a wide spread network of clinics and nurses. Antiviral drugs will be included in primary healthcare and will be free.

Law enforcement

A low tolerance to crime will be maintained with a policy of “three strikes and you’re out”. Policing and criminal punishment will be swift and direct.

Substantial spending on police recruitment and training will be made including the development of specialist training schools where law enforcement is taught as the vocational branch of the compulsory education. Law enforcement professionals will have their wages brought in line with other professionals in the private sector.

Large modern prison factories will be built where prison labour will be used productively to produce basic essentials – manufacturing building blocks for building homes, building a transport network, mining and agriculture. Repeat offenders who have been sentenced to long periods of hard labour will have the possibility of promotion to more skilled tasks for which prison training will be offered.

Prisons must be profitable for society as a whole without offering an incentive to get arrested. Similar paying jobs will be available to non-criminals offering the very poorest in the community an alternative to crime, and those leaving prison a halfway house before re-entering the community.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure will be developed and maintained to a high degree. Infrastructure is the backbone of an economy. Water and electricity will be supplied from within the SAR where possible, and any shortfall supplemented by purchasing from South Africa at market price until the generation capability can be completed. A high bandwidth internet connection will be made available throughout the SAR and will be free.

A low cost train, bus and tram network between major centers will be developed. This will lower commuters travel time and will raise the efficiency of the population.

Further development of the cell phone networks will be made with free regional calls and internet access available to all. Deregulation of the network will allow further competition and reduced cost. Fines will be imposed on monopolistic behavior. A high bandwidth internet connection will be made available throughout the SAR and will be free. The importance of a cheap and effective communicational system is imperative to the development and education of a society.

Land claims

Land claims need to be dealt with swiftly and finally. Citizens must be in no doubt of the government’s policy on protection of property. Relocation of illegal settlements will be made to appropriate sites close to their present settlements. This relocation will be final with each resident being formally awarded a plot of land. Development of legally owned land will be the responsibility of the owner but aided by prison labour and the government’s free building materials.

Fiscal and monatry policy

The regional currency will be pegged to the Euro (EUR). This will be done while still maintaining independent control of local interest rates.

Income tax will be abolished and replaced by a 25% value added tax (VAT). This will redistribute the tax burden fairly among consumers of non-exempt products. It will also incentivise a movement toward formal employment as well as cheapen the cost of tax collection.

Basic products will be exempt from VAT including: bread, milk, water, baby food and formula, children’s clothes and school uniforms. This policy will shift the tax burden to the largest consumers of goods rather than the largest producers of wealth and employment.

Corporate taxation will be lowered to encourage the creation of profitable new enterprise. Racial based quotas will be encourage but not imposed. Foreign investment and property protection will be more heavily entrenched in law.

The government will underwrite banks to make secured micro loans for housing and housing improvement, this will be done at a deep discount to prevailing interest rates. The use of the loan will be strictly monitored and only defined home building and improvement work will be allowed. This loan will be available to all. Banks making discounted loans will be expected to make back the shortfall though the development of further chargeable services.

A cash equivalent system will be incorporated within the new biometric ID card. All retail transactions will eventually be done using this card. This will reduce the use of cash and hence reduce the incentive for robbery. Major banks will develop this programme under the direction of the government.