Plea from EC Quakers for positive radical change

The words of G.K. Chesterton: “I tell you naught for your comfort, Yea, naught for your desire, Save that the sky grows darker yet And the sea rises higher.”

Used by Trevor Huddleston in apartheid's darkest days and now quoted again in a sermon preached by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba at the Easter Vigil in St George's Cathedral in Cape Town.

Chilling words which point to yet another low moment in our beloved country's history. Our moral compass once again seems lost: corruption, greed, private gain and contempt for the common good dominate. Our country, which for a brief mo- ment showed the way in reconciliation, has once more sunk to a low point. The Eastern Cape Quakers appeal to all peoples to raise their voices and call for radical change, to stand together and empower new non-corrupted leaders so that a better life may emerge not only for the present but for our children and grandchildren.

Quakers have always stood for non-violence and pacificism. Anger is mounting which could lead to violence and a Zimbabwe situation. We ask that people raise their voices, use their rights as enshrined in the Constitution and encourage positive radical change.

The Quaker Community of Grahamstown