Secret ballot the way to go

operationalised as an exercise run concurrently, throughout the provinces, within a set period, to avoid certain individuals, influencing certain outcomes, in certain provinces. The party could run its intra-party elections in the manner in which national elections are run.
However, rules and regulations of running the intra- party elections should come from the party constitution. The party should have certain qualifications for members to qualify for elections to occupy positions at various levels of the party organs.
The elections for members, to take up posts across the party structures, could be done in 6 to 12 months before congress. The primary elections and party structure elections should be viewed as a norm and practice of strengthening democracy in the party with an objective of continuously sustaining the party’s election victory. This writer, captured these ideas through e-mail, from members of the party; the concept of which the departments of commissariat and security may want to apply as a data capture method.
Non-imposition of candidates and shunning of factionalism, as an adopted resolution of the party, must be the motivating factor that incentives all party members, to abandon the evil activities, in the process of applying a secret ballot concept. In all intra-party elections, the party should avoid at all costs, the idea of co-opting members into any level of the party structure.
The system used in Mash West of electing a member from various contestants, to fill in a vacant post, is largely viewed as the source of the problem of factionalism. The co-opted members, in some instances, are viewed to respect more those who co-opted them and are said to be movers of gossip and blackmail that creates factionalism in the party.
All the members of the party, across the spectrum of the leadership must unreservedly support the conference adoption of this noble resolution. It is a resolution that enhances a cultural revolution that strengthens and grows the membership of the party.
Cde Mugabe has on many occasions vivaciously said let us tour the party line, let us be clean in all our dealings, let us all shun tribalism, factionalism and imposition of candidates. It is therefore instructive that if one is not in agreement with this Presidential clarion call, that individual or individuals could leave the party like what Dr Makoni did.
Cde Deng Xiaoping a Chinese leader said, “The role for leadership is to set an example of the party’s fine style of work. If we want to promote ethical progress, it is critical to set a good example. When we veteran comrades go down to the grass-roots units, the people will respect us more if we are practicing our party norms, values, cultures and principles in an ethical manner.”
It is therefore hoped that the veteran comrades in Zanu-PF shall remain ethical and principled as has been clearly demonstrated by the party’s luminary leader Cde Mugabe. One political scientist said, “The implementation of the correct political line must be ensured by a correct organisational line.”
Factionalism and imposition of candidates have the calamitous effects of sending the Zimbabwe’s independence and sovereignty to the wilderness if Zanu-PF does not tackle this treacherous problem head on. Zanu-PF is the only party that is capable of safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of our great nation Zimbabwe. Having gone through thick and thin, establishing sound socio-political policies that address the people’s needs, Zanu-PF should now work on positioning themselves to unassailable victory hights. The war against imposition of candidates was a resounding success in Mashonaland West, were Cde Mafa won the party’s chairmanship with an undisputable margin. What was also encouraging, to the majority of the revolutionary supporters of the revolutionary party was that the elections were violent free, vindicating Zanu-PF from all violence activities.
As the Mash West elections absolved Zanu-PF from all violence, it also makes it clear that the culture of violence is an embedded concept of the MDC formations as evidenced by the violent nature and violent disagreement in their past intra-party elections.
The departure from a “stand behind your choice or raise a hand for your choice” concept to secret ballot concept, in Zanu-PF’s intra party elections, should be commended by all those who care to see Zimbabwe remain independent, sovereign, developing and economically expanding. This is a culture that should be embraced, in line with the party’s democratic principles.
Announcing the results at a press briefing, on Sunday 22 January, 2012, Cde Shamu summed it up by saying “the incident free elections provided a template for the establishment of a democratic order in the party”. Zanu-PF National Commissar is thus encouraged to use this template to fight factionalism and imposition of candidates.
Fellow Zimbabweans, it must be remembered that factionalism and imposition of candidates, were the worst enemies of the party in 2008 elections. The West and its proxy MDC-T took advantage of these fissures that existed in the party, exploited them to the fullest length to gain recognition. They further exploited the devastating effects of sanctions that brought untold suffering to the people to psychologically sway them to cross to MDC formations. The MDC-T also used NGOs, Civic organisations, food and money to psychologically sway people to vote for the MDC formations.
l Panganai Kahuni is a socio-political commentator.