Pledging loyalty

The idea of invigorating young South Africans with high standards of personal and social integrity must be welcomed. The government is mistaken in believing, however, that its proposed introduction of a pledge of loyalty to the Constitution in public schools will accomplish this admirable objective.

The problem resides not with the wording, all the misplaced outrage in some quarters notwithstanding. Of course it is desirable that young South Africans, indeed all South Africans, should be familiar with the values of our Constitution, a most noble document in which we may rightly take pride, and be mindful of our rights and those of others.

It is also important to advocate sensitivity to the history that led to this Constitution’s creation, so that injustices and discrimination may not form part of South Africa’s future.

Respect for the principles of the Constitution, and even loyalty to it, is meaningful especially in a society which for decades experienced so great a denial of human rights. It is necessary also if and when government policies are in conflict with constitutional principles, so that the authorities can be held accountable and challenged with reference to these.

However, what is needed to accomplish this is not a pledge of allegiance, but thorough instruction in the content and values of the Constitution. Should the government introduce a pledge, it would be entirely meaningless without education in that which learners will be asked to pledge their loyalty to.

Of course, such instruction would reveal to the learner the fundamental problem in demanding a (presumably) mandatory pledge of loyalty from them in first place: it repudiates a basic principle of the human right to freedom of conscience—a principle which is constitutionally enshrined.

In other words, a mandatory pledge to the Constitution would negate the right of the individual to disagree with elements enshrined in it. And that is in itself unconstitutional.

Surely respect for others is fostered not by a potentially mindless or even insincere recitation of a pledge—with hand on heart and maybe fingers crossed behind the back. These qualities are nurtured by encouraging learners to examine their consciences and to question the actions of those in authority with reference to the Constitution.

On virtually every level of South African society there exist fundamental ethical challenges. This should give our pupils cause for discussion and debate on the values enshrined in the Constitution and its importance.

Mark Potterton of the Catholic Institute of Education makes an important point when he says: “Acquiring values and developing moral citizens is a life-long, lived process. Morality offers more than just principles for regulating conduct but requires a rich demonstration of well-lived lives.”

There are also reasonable concerns that introducing a pledge of loyalty to a symbol of the state, even if well-intentioned, could amount to indoctrination.

If ever there was a time for such a pledge to be introduced, it is particularly inexpedient now, at a moment in our young democracy when the ruling party increasingly seems to regard itself as the state—and doesn’t even seem to discern a problem in doing so.

At its worst, the pledge of loyalty might have an effect of ideological indoctrination, an uncomfortable reminder of the propagandising in apartheid education—the distressing effects of which have revealed themselves in racially-charged comments expressed on talk radio and on blogs in opposition to the proposed pledge.

South Africa’s Constitution is a great document. However, the routine of pledging loyalty must be unforced and rooted in an examination of conscience. Let such pledges be heard in arenas of voluntary association—be it a church or a football stadium—not in our schools.