KEY FUNCTIONS OF A STATE IN A “MODERN SOCIETY”?
A lot has been said or written about the State and State Capture in South Africa after the elections of 7 May 2014.
We need to ask ourselves the question: What is the State and its role in our society?
In his testimony before the Zondo Commission, Former President Jacob Zuma shared his views on the notion of State Capture, contending that what we call the ‘State’ comprises of three arms: Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.
He argued that we cannot speak of State Capture if (we mean) the three arms of the State are not all captured!
In my view, Zuma defines the ‘State’ in formal terms. He is not wrong, though. However, the State and its role in society is far broader than the institutions that underpins the three arms of the State.
Historically, the State referred to institutions in society with the monopoly in the control and legal use of force or violence, including collective punishment.
It referred more specifically to the army, police, the courts, prisons, tax administration and others as “coercive functions” that defined the State.
Marxists refer to the State as the “concentrated and organized force” of
society. The Russian Revolutionary Leader, Vladimir Lenin further argued that in a class divided society, the State serves as “an instrument of class rule.”
The State refers primarily to but is not limited to institutions with these
“coercive” functions in society.
The State is a totality of political and government institutions as defined by President Zuma but it includes the mode of production and related economic institutions, universities, “civil society” and many other institutions in society.
The State itself and its many institutions embody, reflect and reproduce social relations of production and power-relations of a particular society.
Key functions of a state in a modern society
• Ensure territorial integrity of a country – the army, navy and
airforce defends the territory, airspace and sea of a country
• Reproduce existing relations in society through ensuring the “Rule
of Law” or Protection of Property
• Ensure Personal Security of Citizens through policing and locking
up in prison those seen to be breaking “agreed” laws
• Impose and Collect taxes
Whilst the State is primarily about these “coercive functions,” it also performs important economic, educative and administrate functions.
In respect of the economic role of the State, it is a major player in the economy of every modern societies.
Liberals argue that the State should stay out of the economy. However, evidence show that modern societies were able to make progress because of the important role played by the State.
Among the key functions of the State in the Economy:
– Ensuring economic unity of the country
– Ensuring delivery of economic and Social Infrastructure such as railways,
roads, airways, telecommunications, etc,
– Sets the framework for economic and social development;
– Economic Regulations; and
– Ownership of Strategic Economic Assets.
Any State needs “legitimacy” and requires some of its institutions to perform what are essentially “ideological” and “educative” functions through, among others, the education system.
It is today a criminal offense to keep your child from attending school because “Modern States” stipulate this as compulsory.
One could ask the question: Did God say Children must go to school against their will and be “socialized” into values they were never party to formulating? Is this not in itself “coercive?”
THE NATURE OF POWER
In modern or industrial societies, power is not only concentrated in the State but is diffused in society. This has been particular so in post-feudal societies.
Depending on how it was established and its development in a particular society, the State may still have to negotiate with other “powers” in society on various policy matters.
This has a major impact on the character of the State and the powers vested in it.
The State has a relationship both of “conflict and cooperation” with the
‘other’ powers in society. It has to negotiate on policy, laws, regulations, tax,
government spending, etc.
The State cannot just impose “a line” on the other powers or “civil society.”
Role of Civil Society and Popular Classes
It is common in South Africa to refer to organisations and structures outside of Government as “civil society.”
However, civil society does not simply refer to organizations outside of the State, civil society is not neutral but exercises power and influence on behalf of vested interests.
Historically, ‘Civil Society‘ referred to formations outside of the Feudal State during the 17th and 18th century, especially in England.
In class terms, civil society referred to formations representing the interests of the emerging merchant classes and industrialists against the aristocracy and its control of the feudal state.
The civil society of the propertied classes is not the same as popular
movements, trade unions, associations, stokvels, burial societies, cooperative and many other institutions that embody the organised power of the working- class, the rural masses and the urban poor and champion their interest in society.
In 1985, the late President of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, spoke of the need to build “Organs of People’s Power.” He did not call for the establishment of “Civil Society.” They are not the same.
Organs of People’s Power refer to the “organized power of popular classes” as against the “power of vested economic interests.”
Popular classes refers to workers, unemployed, rural masses, shack dwellers, women, youth, students, the middle strata, etc. In ANC speak, these are ‘our people‘ that stands to benefit objectively from the radical transformation of our society.
Civil society and organs of people’s power represent the power of different
classes and strata in our society.
It is not surprising therefore that vested interests are represented by various civil society organisations we have seen these applying to be joined as ‘Friends of the Court’ on various Court matters of public interest.
Government should continue working with civil society but it is for the ANC to build organs of people’s power if it is to achieve a thorough-going social and economic transformation driven by the masses.
Lucky Montana is the former CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa)
