7 March 2019
Letter to the Editor
True Diversity?
From Anthony Silver
Sir
Lynda Goetz elegantly sums up the diversity vs meritocracy argument in the last 2 sentences of her article (“Discrimination”:Issue 191) it seems that ‘…. you can’t have one without [diluting] the other..’, and, therein lies the dilemma.
As diversity is often mentioned when looking at sectional parts of society, her article does raise a tangential but interesting point with respect to the Police; by just measuring the number of minorities represented within the service, is the focus set too narrow? True the Police represents the front line in law enforcement; however the legal system represents the other equally important side of the same coin. So should we not measure minority representation across the whole of law enforcement to get to a more representative view on diversity?
Another factor to take into account is that while state sponsored social engineering is important, culture also has an important role in determining sectional diversity – that is the minority member’s culture (some of whom do have a laager/kraal mentality deeply ingrained).
Minority assimilation is essential for a healthy and vibrant society, but maybe only when it is encouraged and not forced.
Yours,
Anthony Silver
