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Lovemore Ranga Mataire Snr Features Writer
THE ruling ZANU-PF party needs to undertake serious introspection and revisit some of the tenets of its Leadership Code that sustained it during the country’s critical formative years after Independence. While the wholesale implementation of the Leadership Code may be problematic due to the dynamics now present within the political realm, it is an uncontestable fact the Leadership Code still stands as a formidable bedrock in curtailing wayward and reckless accumulation of wealth by some in the leadership of party and Government.
The consummation of the Leadership Code was an attempt by ZANU-PF to position itself within its founding ideological framework of socialism anchored on equality of all races, tribes or classes in a typical modernised egalitarian set-up.
The Leadership Code adopted at the ZANU-PF’s second People’s Congress from August 8-13 in 1984 offers the foundational basis and guidelines on how the party can deal with the scourge of corruption.
In its preamble, the Leadership Code states: “ZANU-PF regards corruption as an evil disease destructive of society. It is hereby declared that leadership shall not:
• accept or obtain from any person or any other person a gift or consideration as inducement or reward for doing or failing to do or for having done or foreborne to do any act in relation to the party’s business or business of the Government or for the purpose of showing or forebearing to show favour or disfavour to any person in relation to the affairs of party and government,
• use funds of the party or the Government, or produce receipts and/or account falsely for such monies with intent to deceive the party or the Government,
• make collusive arrangements with commercial or other persons or secretly obtain consideration for himself or another person or fail to disclose the full nature of the transaction to the party or to Government,
• decline to disclose his/her personal financial affairs or other assets to a properly constituted Government body of officials investigating corruption.
It stipulated that any leader who concentrates in acquiring property, or who personally engages in the exploitation of man by man, rapidly becomes an ally of capitalists and an enemy of socialism; and of the masses of the population.
Further to this, the Leadership Code states that except as required by his or her official position, a leader may not, among other things, own a business, a share or an interest in a business organised for profit, receive more than one salary, serve as a director of a private firm or business organized for profit or indulge in illegal money lending.
Granted that the advent of the land reform programme complicated the applicability of some of the aspects of the Leadership Code, the party should have, however, emphasised on transparency and ensure that members disclose all business interests.
The apparent fuzziness and lack of disclosure of business interests by Cabinet ministers, parliamentarians and chief executive officers at parastatals creates a fertile breeding ground for murky deals that adversely affect the sustenance of the economy for the general good of the masses.
Although the Government is currently working on a corporate governance framework to curb corruption in both the public and private sectors, further delays in taking decisive action clearly undermines the successful implementation of the Zim-Asset economic blueprint.
It is also apparent that the Anti-Corruption Commission urgently needs to be reconstituted as it has dismally failed to discharge its duties as mandated by the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, ZANU-PF must do more than just condemn corruption; it must set up its own sub-committee to investigate and recommend possible a course of action to be taken against alleged culprits.
The revolutionary party must derive its muscle in dealing with corruption cases from its foundation as a socialist-oriented party that abhors the looting of public resources by individuals in position of authority.
It must also rid itself of the mentality that anyone who highlights some of the malaise within the body politic is either anti-revolutionary or a sell-out.
Online Reporter