Below is a statement released by the Freedom Front Plus

“Real reconciliation in South Africa will only be attained when leaders from all groups in the country, in addition to the common, also show understanding and respect for each other’s differences,” Dr. Pieter Mulder, FF Plus leader and deputy minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a speech near Thabazimbi [16 December 2010].

“Real reconciliation lies in finding the right balance between that which we have in common and there where we differ culturally from each other. If reconciliation in South Africa means that the different peoples and cultural groups have to sacrifice that which is their own, then the reconciliation recipe is wrong. It is not real reconciliation but assimilation and cultural annihilation.”

“In this way, for example, Reconciliation Day and the annual commemoration of the 1838 Vow stand opposite each other. It is a mistake to try and force Afrikaners to choose between the two – because both are possible,” Mulder added.

“In practice it means that there must be enough room for all in South Africa so that no people or cultural group feels threatened or alienated,” according to Mulder.

Dr. Mulder also expressed his concern about the way in which the Afrikaner’s history is at present being portrayed in a largely negative and one-sided manner. “South Africa is the economic giant of Africa. I ask for a balanced portrayal of the Afrikaner’s history and of its role in South Africa. Of course we have made mistakes in the past but we also made a huge contribution to the economic power and success of this country. A contribution of which we can be proud of,” he said.