Latest news with #socialcohesion
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- Mail & Guardian
The journey to restore morality in South Africa
Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, chair of the Moral Regeneration Movement What does a nation do when, in the Republic, the country's political and social morality dissipates under the weight of corruption, violence, corruption, moral decay and declining social cohesion, among a myriad of societal evils. Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, chair of the Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM), says this year's dialogue focuses on the theme, Living Our Values: Faith, Leadership and the Moral Soul of the Nation. Mkhatshwa says the dialogues, taking place in the Eastern Cape this week, aim to provoke thoughtful discussion and action against moral decay; violence, including gender-based violence; spiritual malaise; and the declining social cohesion. It would be easy to throw in the towel and walk away from a sinking ship, yet Mkhatshwa, a man of deep faith, whose whole adult life as a Catholic priest and social and political activist, is not prepared for that. He has seen it all; he has been in the ANC political trenches and the United Democratic Front when there was darkness of apartheid and injustice and oppression in the country. He refuses to be despondent — to walk away from the project and throw up his hands in the air in despair. This, he says, is no option. Instead, he has announced that the MRM and its sponsors, have launched a national campaign 'not merely as a declaration, but in essence as a collective commitment by millions of public servants, in partnership with civil society, to defend our hard-won democracy and freedom against rampant threats fuelled by greed and impunity' . He insists that something drastic ought to be done quickly to rescue the country from impending political, social and economic implosion, suggesting the campaign to reset and restore the work of MRM should be seen 'as a campaign that belongs, and driven as a whole by the nation'. Mkhatshwa says 'it is no exaggeration to say our beautiful Republic is facing a crisis', and is saying these things not as an alarmist, but as someone who loves his country, and seeking to find a solution to save it from turning into a political wasteland. He suggests that the endemic corruption in the public service, the government, some religious organisations and businesses is a great cause for grave concern, arguing that the pathetic service delivery by all tiers of government is failing those who need it most. In the words of Cicero, there is a need for a shift of mindset — an imperative the country needs urgently. Quoting Cicero, the ancient Roman lawyer, Mkhatshwa says: 'Those tasked with public service must regard it as a privilege and an honour to serve the people', adding that the public service is the engine room of society, and like the church, it touches the daily lives of millions of South Africans, especially the most vulnerable, which includes a horde of poor and unemployed black people. 'The breakdown of law and order in the country has become a nightmare, and people have lost faith in the government,' says Mkhatshwa, formerly a deputy basic education minister in the first democratic cabinet of former president Nelson Mandela of 1994, and later a Tshwane mayor. He says that 'thanks to the apartheid era' the African family structure was almost entirely destroyed and, in keeping with the apartheid ideology, 'all hellbent to create enormous wealth for a few whites — and later during the democratic years, to be joined by wealthy blacks, the beneficiaries of a corrupted political system'. The MRM this week travelled to the Eastern Cape, to address its constituency at the Buffalo City metropolitan municipality as a reminder of the need for a total spiritual metanoia needed to change society and leadership for the better. In this Eastern Cape venture, his organisation collaborated with the Imvuselelo Foundation, a local entity, as part of the Eminent Persons Dialogue on morality and values to facilitate societal change. A series of conversations were held with public service entities throughout the country. 'We all need to roll up our sleeves, put a shoulder to the wheel to save our country from the scourge of moral decadence in society … We cannot live all of this in the hands of the government; we have to get our hands dirty to fix the mess in our society. 'The moral decadence we see today reminds us of Madiba's passionate call for the RDP of the Soul. Fellow South Africans, I know we are weary — so punch-drunk that we risk giving up hope. 'Let us not succumb to that temptation,' he says, adding it would be better if all of society lifted itself by its own bootstraps to arrest the runaway train of corruption eating away at the moral fibre of society. In its countrywide campaign to remind South Africans of Madiba's call for moral regeneration, the MRM last week spread the good news of moral regeneration, hosted by the Free State government, in Mangaung. Mkhatshwa says the MRM has chosen the theme, One Family, One Future, as a rallying cry 'to underscore the centrality of the family as the nucleus, the heartbeat of society', without which the project of countering societal disruption and political chaos of corruption brought about by moral decadence, would not be possible. He says his movement is committed to tackling ethical malaise at its root, collaborating with its partners across the country, and also tackling the education sector. 'The South African black child is of great concern to us. The department of basic education and President Cyril Ramaphosa have publicly admitted that we are failing a black child. 'We neglected early childhood development, leaving grade 4 learners unable to read for meaning, with all its ugly consequences this brings for African society.' The MRM has engaged the Department of Basic Education to integrate the Charter of Positive Values into the school curriculum immediately. 'Progress is under way, and we hope the current minister will join us in this critical effort,' says Mkhatshwa. The historic charter, endorsed by Nelson Mandela in 2008 and embraced by the government in 2012, is supported across political, religious and civil society lines. It transcends ideology, culture and religious belief. Says Mkhatshwa: 'We hope to leave, wherever this campaign takes us, not just with resolutions, but a resolve to bring about change. Let us act not as separate factions, but as one family. Together we can rebuild trust, restore hope, and secure a future where no child is left behind. 'So, the task for the MRM and all its foot soldiers who are supporting its programmes in the country is gigantic, but so is our strength and resolve. The road is long, but our unity will light the way,' ended Mkhatshwa. In the end, the dialogues seek to unpack the moral challenges facing the nation and to explore vital roles of faith-based and traditional leaders in addressing societal ills. Jo-Mangaliso Mdhlela is an independent journalist, a former trade unionist, a social activist and an Anglican priest.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Singapore Muslim affairs minister condemns Gaza remarks by expat commentator Critical Spectator, warns of threat to social harmony
SINGAPORE, May 24 – Singapore minister Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has condemned recent anti-Gaza remarks made by social media commentator Critical Spectator, warning that such rhetoric risks undermining social cohesion in Singapore. The minister in charge of Muslim affairs said while it is legitimate to highlight suffering in other parts of the world, it is unacceptable to make statements that diminish the pain endured by Palestinians in Gaza. 'I'm gravely concerned about the recent remarks made by Critical Spectator,' Faishal said in a Facebook post yesterday. 'While it is valid to draw attention to suffering in other parts of the world, we should reject any statement that minimises the suffering of Palestinians'. Critical Spectator was reported to be the online pseudonym of Michael Petraeus, a Polish pro-establishment blogger and commentator based in Singapore known for his controversial and often provocative views usually directed at the Opposition. The Facebook account had mocked former Singapore president Halimah Yaacob who warned that any silence on Israel's atrocities in Gaza mean that the republic is complicit in the violations of international humanitarian laws and encourages similar aggressions elsewhere. Faishal stressed that such comments, whether from local or foreign voices, are harmful and could erode the mutual respect Singaporeans have worked hard to maintain in a multicultural society. 'In times like these, we need more understanding, not division. We must never allow dismissive or divisive rhetoric — local or foreign — to erode the mutual respect and unity we have worked so hard to build in our multicultural society,' he said. Faishal noted that many Singaporeans, including members of the Muslim community and Halimah, are deeply affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He praised Halimah's recent Facebook post on the issue, saying her concern reflects the compassion and moral courage shared by many across Singapore. Faishal also reaffirmed the Singapore government's position, stating it has consistently called for a humanitarian ceasefire and supported the rights of Palestinians to a homeland. He highlighted that Singapore and its citizens have contributed over S$19 million (RM64.5 million) in aid to Gaza and continue to support Palestinian state-building efforts through the Enhanced Technical Assistance Package. The minister previously described Israel's actions in Gaza as 'oppressive and unacceptable', remarks he said he has made publicly on various platforms, including a recent podcast.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on social cohesion: too many of us are still ‘bowling alone'
Thirty years after writing Bowling Alone, the famous essay in which he diagnosed a dangerous crisis of social cohesion in the United States, Robert Putnam has a right to feel vindicated. In a lecture this spring, Prof Putnam, now 84, warned his audience that, amid levels of polarisation and distrust higher than at any time since the civil war, the US was 'in danger of going to hell in a handcart'. Britain is still, thankfully, a long way from the poisonous toxicity of Trump-era America, notwithstanding the ominous rise of Reform and Nigel Farage. But research published this week by the More in Common polling group paints a worrying portrait of communities in which there is a widespread sense of social disconnection, high levels of distrust among the young and a felt loss of shared spaces and rituals. Alarmed by the progress of Reform in 'red wall' seats that it won back in the last election, Labour has chosen primarily to view the problem of social cohesion through the narrow lens of immigration. But the report's authors suggest a far wider set of factors is at play, from the remote-working legacy of the pandemic to the paradoxically isolating effects of social media, which leave us too often alone with a phone. Significantly, given Reform's success in the most deprived parts of England and Wales, they also identify a class dimension to the weakening of communal ties and diminishing levels of social trust. According to More in Common's director, Luke Tryl, 'a pernicious graduate gap appears to be opening up, with those who have degrees generally feeling more connected and optimistic than those who don't.' The decline in associational life has been decades in the making. Far fewer of us now go to church, are members of a union or join social clubs. Political parties, once embedded in the life of communities, have become more detached from them and less representative of their varied social makeup. Deindustrialisation, and the cultural shifts of the Thatcher/Reagan era in the 1980s, inaugurated a more individualist age. The savage austerity inflicted by George Osborne in the 2010s degraded the public realm, closing leisure centres, libraries, youth clubs and arts centres. Inevitably, the loss of free or cheap social spaces hit the less well off hardest. According to Prof Putnam, this was the kind of context that helped deliver Donald Trump in the United States, as a swath of the population lost faith in the social contract and became 'vulnerable to authoritarian populist appeals'. There have been warning signals in Britain too. The riots and disorder last summer, in the aftermath of the appalling murder of three young girls in Southport, took place in some of the most deprived areas of the country. Together with Citizens UK and UCL academics led by Ed Miliband's former speechwriter, Marc Stears, More in Common is launching a joint research project dedicated to finding ways to strengthen our fraying social bonds. Labour should pay close attention to its work. Thus far, the government's programme of national renewal has focused overwhelmingly on the need to stimulate economic growth, within the unnecessarily constricting confines of its fiscal rules. But fostering the connections that bind people together in our towns and cities should be an equal priority. That will take social imagination and some hard thinking about the way we live now. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
No Water, No Peace: A Branding Playbook From The Football Pitch
At the recent Football for Peace 'Rehydrate the Earth' Water Gala in London, leaders from across sport, business, diplomacy, and the football community gathered around a powerful and urgent message: Without water, there is no peace. And football is their strategy for getting to a more united, hydrated and peaceful world. Among the influential voices present were football legends Paul Pogba, Claude Makélélé, Dimitar Berbatov, and Rachel Yankey, NFL stars Josh Norman and Jason Bell, media personality and manager Harry Redknapp, and power forward Adebayo Akinfenwa. Also in attendance were Children's Parliament Prime Minister Naila Seetal, British Airways CEO Sean Doyle, and African Union Peace Fund CEO Ms. Dagmawit Bekele—all united in raising awareness and resources for peace building through water access. What struck me most was the deep emotional clarity behind Football for Peace's brand purpose — the celebrity footballers weren't just interested in football or even building pitches, they were interested in building frameworks for youth security, conflict resolution, water security, intercultural understanding, and social cohesion — across all six continents. Their passion for football was a means to an end and the football brand had extended beyond its core competency of sports into championing world peace. But in an era where many purpose-led brands feel increasingly performative, and others have failed for championing social causes — we all remember Starbucks and their race together debacle — what makes Football for Peace stake its purpose credibly? Football for Peace isn't just a name—it's a belief system. Born from the conviction that football transcends borders, the brand believes it can also transcend messaging, and leverages the universal language of the sport to foster dialogue and unity in communities fractured by conflict. This unwavering belief isn't a marketing ploy; it's a mission lived daily on pitches from East Africa to divided cities across the UK. Such clarity of purpose isn't just noble—it's strategic. I've spoken at length about a new generation of audience in Generation Z that is savvier than most. Findings from a trend report by Deloitte would agree highlighting that brands with a clear, action-oriented purpose outperform their peers in growth and innovation. In a world grappling with environmental crises, Football for Peace doesn't just play the game—it attempts to change it. Their recent gala spotlighted the fight for water in certain communities around the world and the need for water rehydration. In doing so, Football For Peace attempted to align the organization's mission with one of today's most pressing humanitarian issues. They made one point crystal clear: peace cannot exist without access to clean water and to me, that insight was both simple and profound. According to McKinsey, brands that engage meaningfully with societal issues become cultural leaders, gaining relevance with audiences who demand substance over spin. At the water gala, former NFL player Jason Bell spoke powerfully about Colin Kaepernick—the athlete who turned his platform into a tool for racial justice. And for those of you who've read The Kim Kardashian Principle, you would know that the Nike Colin Kapernick campaign was reportedly inspired by the principles of the book. But Bell's reflection was more than admiration, it was a challenge: What are you doing with your influence? Football for Peace has been asking—and answering—that question for over a decade. It refuses to posture and continues to prioritise purpose over polish. And it's a brand strategy that I believe continues to work. Harvard Business Review notes that brands rooted in authentic leadership earn deeper trust and outlast those that posture without principles. Football for Peace doesn't just organize Peace Matches—it builds bridges. By creating football training sessions and basic football coaching camps for vulnerable youth, the organization redefines what inclusion looks like in real time. These moments are far more than symbolic—they're transformative. I've said it before and I'll say it again, strong brands build lasting emotional connections with audiences. I first came across football for peace over five years ago when I met the charismatic leader Kashif Siddiqi in Italy during my work supporting the United Nations. Few leaders embody the brand principles of the organization as closely as Siddiqui does. And I for one can say I've been hooked on the brand ever since. As the Edelman Trust Barometer confirms, emotional connection is a key predictor of consumer trust. Football for Peace doesn't chase connection—it creates it. Football for Peace isn't led by marketers—it's led by those who've lived the power of the pitch. Founders like Elias Figueroa, a Chilean football legend, and Kash Siddiqi, a former national team player, understand football not as performance, but as purpose— and maybe that's the brand difference here at the core of its DNA it's a group of people whose lives experience is what gives the organization such rare clarity. Accenture reports that when leadership embodies brand purpose, it becomes contagious—attracting both internal alignment and external loyalty. That's exactly what you feel at Football for Peace: conviction from the top, and commitment across every level. Football for Peace and other purpose-drive brands remind us that in times of conflict and division, the most effective tool can sometimes be as simple as a game. A football match between ex-FARC combatants and local youth. A football for peace ripple-effect model playing out in communities from Chile to Mozambique. A Peace Match in a divided country where the scoreboard doesn't matter—but solidarity does. But it's also a much needed glimpse into brands that refuse to stay in their lane: This is what influence can look like when it's rooted in responsibility. Not marketing gloss. Not media spin. Just meaningful, repeatable, human acts of cohesion and dedication. Do I think we're heading into a brand landscape of purpose-fatigue? We might well do in time. But for the moment, audiences crave access to meaning and Football for Peace shows us what brand purpose can be when it comes from a place of passion, it's built with integrity, lived through action, and shared with emotional intelligence and a deep focus on impact. No banners. No buzzwords. Just belief. That's what I believe moves people. And that's what I believe will move peace forward. Named Esquire's Influencer of the Year, Jeetendr Sehdev is a media personality and leading voice in fashion, entertainment, and influence, and author of the New York Times bestselling phenomenon The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (and How to Do It Right).
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Almost HALF of Britons sometimes feel like they're living in Keir Starmer's 'island of strangers' – with home working and ‘failures in integration' to blame
Almost half of Britons sometimes feel like a stranger in their own country – with home working and 'failures in integration' to blame. A shock report has revealed plummeting social cohesion across the country, with half of those questioned saying they felt disconnected from society. The survey of more than 13,000 adults was carried out just before Sir Keir Starmer provoked controversy by warning that without strict rules on migration 'we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. The research by pollsters More in Common, as part of a major project called This Place Matters, also found that the sense of isolation was not simply because of the UK's changing population. Asian British people were more likely to feel like strangers in their own country (47 per cent) than white Britons (44 per cent). And focus groups found that technology was often linked to the decline of social life. A support worker called Ruqayyah told researchers: 'I think after the pandemic there's more of a "work from home" kind of nature which has developed, which has actually destroyed our young generation.' A teacher called Frances said: 'In terms of communities, it's very, very easy to do everything on your phone. 'And it's very, very easy to then sit in your house and just send a text rather than make a phone call to somebody. 'So that sense of community that I actually remember when I was a kid, it is going.' And a bank worker called Linzi told how working from home for three years 'really affected me', adding: 'Because you're stuck in the house and not seeing people.' Others said they would 'just text' their friends rather than going for a coffee with them, and that since Covid they no longer socialised in pubs. The research also found that younger Britons were less trustful of other people. Most of those questioned believed that a person can be British regardless of their ethnic background. But the majority (73 per cent) also said more needed to be done to encourage integration between people of different backgrounds. The PM was forced to stand by his 'island of strangers' remark after he was accused of using language similar to Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Mr Powell had said the native British population had 'found themselves made strangers in their own country' because of mass immigration. Downing Street said there was no comparison between the phrases. A separate poll by YouGov found 53 per cent of people agreed with the PM's sentiment and half thought his language was 'acceptable'. The survey also found there was little confidence that the Government will reduce immigration levels. Some 41 per cent said Labour policies would make 'no difference', while just one in five believe it will cut them. More in Common director Luke Tryl said: 'Above all else, this research shows an urgent need to think again about how we rebuild a united and cohesive society. 'The polling puts into sharp relief something that will come as no surprise to many Britons – a growing sense that we've turned inward, away from each other, becoming more distant and less connected. 'The Prime Minister's warning that we risk becoming an "island of strangers" resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them. 'But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric. The public point to a range of forces driving us apart: some cite the retreat from workplaces to screens; others talk about the loss of shared spaces and rituals that once brought us together.'
