Party ‘keeps flag flying’

Press, 1 December 1982, Page 19

Party ‘keeps flag flying’

The anti-apartheid Progressive Federal Party is keeping the flag of liberalism flying in South Africa, according to a visiting party member and Johannesburg City councillor, Mr Michael Sutherland. The party failed by one seat to oust the ruling National Party in Johnannesburg’s City Council elections in March. The P.F.P. won 23 seats on the 47-seat council. National won 19 seats, and managed to hold power only by securing the support of the remaining independent seats. The P.F.P. won “hands down” in neighbouring towns, and councils sympathetic to the party were elected in .Durban and Cape Town. The Progressives even won three seats in conservative Pretoria, the first time antiNationalists had held seats there since 1955. Apartheid was a key issue in the elections. Mr Sutherland, who is on holiday in Christchurch, said that the P.F.P. campaigned to open all public ammenities to all races, while the National Party “played up the ‘black peril’ and painted a dim picture to play on people’s fears.” The P.F.P. continually

“prodded” the National city administration to act as liberally as possible. “Our efforts have been a liberalising ■ influence. A lot of our ideas are accepted,” he said. Mr Sutherland hopes that proposed changes to South Africa’s constitution will give increased authority to local bodies. Most of the changes that had taken place in South Africa had been economic. The P.F.P. still opposed many of the National Party’s moves, such as tightening of i influx controls which prohi- ; bited races from certain : areas. There had been some relaxation of apartheid in elite private schools, but Government schools remained ■ tightly segregated. j The ruling and opposition i parties both realised that p change was necessary in South Africa, but they . disagreed on how fast changes should take place. The P.F.P. was pushing for quicker and more radical change. “After 30 years fighting by the P.F.P., and international pressure, there has been a move towards sanity,” Mr Sutherland said. ’