It must not be forgotten in fairness to the National Government that apartheid is not just a policy of oppression but an attempt - in my opinion an attempt doomed to failure - to find an alternative to a policy of racial integration which is fair to both white and black.

In this quote, Harry Oppenheimer addresses the complex and controversial issue of apartheid in South Africa. He acknowledges that apartheid is not simply a policy of oppression, but an attempt to find a solution to the deeply entrenched racial divisions in the country. Oppenheimer suggests that the goal behind apartheid was to create a system that would allow white and black South Africans to live separately but in a way that he believes was meant to be "fair" to both groups, although he ultimately dismisses the idea as doomed to failure.

Oppenheimer's statement highlights the political context in which apartheid was implemented. While apartheid is widely seen as a deeply unjust and oppressive system, Oppenheimer suggests that its architects may have genuinely believed they were offering an alternative to the policy of racial integration. The system was intended to keep races separate while supposedly preserving the interests of both white and black communities, but Oppenheimer critiques it as fundamentally flawed and unjust, unable to achieve fairness or lasting peace.

Oppenheimer's conclusion that apartheid was "doomed to failure" points to the moral and practical shortcomings of the system. By attempting to create an artificial separation of races rather than addressing the need for integration and equality, apartheid failed to provide a sustainable or fair solution for either group. His words reflect his belief in the failure of racial segregation policies and his support for a more inclusive and equitable approach to addressing South Africa's racial tensions.

Ultimately, Oppenheimer’s quote serves as a critique of apartheid's fundamental injustice and its failure to provide a fair or viable solution to South Africa's racial issues. It underscores the importance of seeking genuine integration and equality, rather than relying on the flawed premise of racial separation, which Oppenheimer believed could never result in true fairness.