Mandela Undermining Integrity Of Poll: DP

CAPE TOWN May 18 1999 Sapa

President Nelson Mandela was fuelling the African National Congress-concocted illusion that one had to be white to vote for the Democratic Party and was therefore undermining the integrity of the elections, DP spokesman Douglas Gibson said on Tuesday.

He also questioned why Mandela was apparently reserving his criticism for the "whites only" electorate.

Gibson was reacting to reported comments by Mandela that "white people who voted for white opposition parties would one day die with a heavy conscience".

Mandela also reportedly said that white people would be unable to do their duty for their country if they voted for the DP.

"When Mandela uses racial comments to attack the DP, he undermines the quality of our political debate and the integrity of our election," Gibson said.

"Mandela is merely fuelling the ANC-concocted illusion that you have to be white to vote for the DP." This was blatantly untrue, Gibson said.

The DP was a non-racial party with white, black, coloured and Indian supporters.

"Do the President's comments mean that only white people in the DP should feel guilty about voting for the party or does he actually intend extending his condemnation to those blacks, coloureds and Indians who vote DP as well?

"Is Mr Mandela saying that high-profile DP candidates like Joe Seremane, Sibongile Mhlangu, Dan Maluleke and Richard Pillay are not doing their duty to their country by representing the DP?" Gibson said it was becoming increasingly apparent that the ANC was taking South Africa backwards to a time when a person's skin colour was supposed to be a direct indication as to his or her political allegiance.