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LAST Wednesday, there were reports in a privately-owned newspaper that Zanu- PF youths had resigned from the party en masse painting a false picture of chaos in the ruling party. It was claimed that the leaders were fleeing persecution from senior members of the party and they had found no option but to resign from their positions.
It later turned out that the reports were nothing but a gross exaggeration of issues with secretary for youth affairs, Cde Pupurai Togarepi, accusing the paper of blowing things out of proportion. Not a single youth chair had tendered their resignation, Cde Togarepi said, and the reports were a ploy by the private media to paint a wrong picture about goings on in the revolutionary party. But we contend there is no smoke without fire.
The source of the story was within the party. The greatest lesson particularly for the youth chairpersons quoted in that story and for the wider membership of Zanu-PF is that you don’t wash your dirty linen in public let alone share information on what is happening within the party with enemies. President Robert Mugabe best emphasised this point as he addressed the 99th Ordinary Session of the Zanu-PF Central Committee in Harare last Friday as he called on the youths to respect the party’s hierarchy.
“Let’s also respect the decisions and procedures of the party. We have witnessed lower organs of the party or cadres leading them, challenging superior organs appointed to lead them, such actions amount to insubordination and indeed challenge to authority.
“Akin to such indiscipline is an unstructured interaction with hostile sections of the media. That’s indiscipline at its worst. As we criticise the youngsters, it’s us the elders who write or tell the opposition papers some of these stories trying to embarrass our colleagues, trying to discredit them. That has to stop,” said President Mugabe adding that the party had “one mouth” and anyone with grievances should use normal channels for redress.
“When you speak without authority of that mouth, you’re not serving the party but the enemy. When you speak through a channel hostile to the party, NewsDay, Standard or any other rubbish paper you’re not defending the party. You are giving substance to the enemy. Keep even the bitterest of attacks against you and find opportunity to clear yourself within closed doors.“It’s not that we are afraid of the outside to know what we’re doing. We don’t want the enemy to have ammunition with which they will seek to destroy the party. If you’re doing it stop it!”
The President was not necessarily muzzling the youths or any other party officials for airing their grievances but merely reminding them of the existing party structures charged with dealing with such matters.The youth leaders quoted in the NewsDay are the same officials who held a candid meeting with President Mugabe at the State House last year following the unearthing of plots by axed Vice President Joice Mujuru to topple the head of State.
They are the same youths who openly told the President of all the problems they were facing at the hands of Mujuru’s allies accused of imposition of candidates in the provinces among a number of misdemeanours.
Fast forward to 2015, the same youths choose to employ a different approach altogether, rushing to the private media, begging the question, what has changed? It is still the same Cde Mugabe, the President of this country and leader of Zanu-PF at the helm. The very leader to whom they raised grievances against Mujuru and members of her cabal, so why use a different avenue when the same structures still exist?
The youth leaders are there to serve the people and President Mugabe. Are they suddenly abandoning the people and President over alleged threats from nameless party officials? Whatever grievances the youths have can be addressed by relevant structures set up by the party. You don’t turn to the enemy to address problems affecting the household.
There is no sign that the youth leaders had exhausted all the relevant channels of the party.The party needs to consolidate its dominance in the political playing field and that can only be achieved through pulling in one direction and avoiding blowing petty fights into a fully fledged chaos that some papers would want to create.
The President is on record as saying the youths are not only the vanguard of the party but the future leaders of the nation. A leader must show mettle by withstanding a lot of pressures. They should for a day put themselves in the shoes of President Mugabe and appreciate the pressures that this great leader they idolise faces in running the country. But has he ever complained and threatened to abandon the people? NO!
Great leaders are driven by principles and the spirit to stand for what they believe in whatever the cost. And like First Lady Grace Mugabe said in Rushinga last week, “If you’re not in Zanu PF, it’s cold out there.”
Online Reporter