Opinion / Columnist
Youths, war vets should find each other
12 May 2016 at 14:34hrs | Views
As the one million-men march date draws closer, there is need for the youths and the war veterans, both vanguards of the revolutionary party, to bury the hatchet and show the MDC-T that Zanu PF still commands multitudes.
The march is being staged against antagonistic relationship between the two important constituencies of Zanu PF. There is a lot of mistrust from the ex-freedom fighters who doubt the sincerity of the march which they suspect to have been chiefly designed against them. On the other hand, the youth league insists that the march is solely a show of support for President Mugabe.
The deputy youth secretary, Kudzai Chipanga who is at the forefront of organizing the march, has fallen out of favour with the war veterans after he uttered statements that the war veterans viewed as disparaging. The war veterans spokesperson, Cde Douglas Mahiya was also, on several occasions, in the media attacking the youths for disrespecting them.
In a sense, the planned march is a welcome initiative that deserves wholesale support from anyone who belongs to the Zanu PF family. However, the animosity between the two groups might jeopardize the march. Already there are reports of planned sabotage from those who are anti the march. The war veterans have vowed that they would not join the march which they have poured scorn on, in the MDC-T fashion. That is very unfortunate and unhealthy for the revolutionary party.
The MDC-T staged its demonstrations in Harare recently and managed to pull a sizeable number of supporters, although it was overstated. People are waiting to see how Zanu PF will fare in its own march. A divided Zanu PF risks attracting an embarrassing small crowd. Real patriots cannot put the good name of the revolutionary party into disrepute because of petty differences.
It's unfortunate that the war veterans are planning to snub the march organized by colleagues they view as nemesis. If that is the case, does that mean they will not campaign for the same people in the 2018 elections? If so, who then will they campaign for? The Cdes should learn to separate personal differences from party interests. They must pluck a leaf from baboons which fight over food but unite when one of them is under attack from external forces.
The youths must redefine its agenda for the march. They must alley fears that the march is driven by factional motivations. They must instill confidence in those who have a lot of mistrust on the march. As they invite the war veterans, the agenda should be clearly spelt and they must even seek guidance from their war veterans elders.
The youths must swallow their pride and engage the war veterans if they want the march to be a resounding success. They must remember that the war veterans have walked the path. They staged their own million-man march which came out successfully.
The march should be done for President Mugabe and nobody else. There is no need for the war veterans to snub it, especially if the youths extended their invite to them with a clearly spelt agenda. There is no need to ridicule the march as Cde Mahiya is doing in the media. Cde Mahiya was quoted in the Newsday questioning the wisdom of expending scarce resources on the march while the country is facing economic challenges. That line of argument is for the MDC-T Cde! We have been experiencing these hardships ever since the illegal sanctions were imposed on us. However, that does not stop the ruling party to engage in its own activities.
Cde Mahiya has forgotten so quickly that his organization also organized a similar march in 2007 when the economy was also teetering on the brink of collapse because of the illegal sanctions. It was even worse than today. The Cde must not let emotions carry him away, for he risks backfiring. The march is not about seeking relevance as Cde Mahiya seems to suggest. It is about President Mugabe and President Mugabe alone. Although it might sound like blackmail, failure to partake in the march is a bold statement that you are not in solidarity with President Mugabe.
The fact that the march was sanctioned by politburo which is chaired by the President must force the war veterans to revise their stance. It is their constitution right to or not to participate. However,we take cue from Jesus Christ's statement in the books of Mathew 12v30 and Luke 11v23 where he said: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
The march is being staged against antagonistic relationship between the two important constituencies of Zanu PF. There is a lot of mistrust from the ex-freedom fighters who doubt the sincerity of the march which they suspect to have been chiefly designed against them. On the other hand, the youth league insists that the march is solely a show of support for President Mugabe.
The deputy youth secretary, Kudzai Chipanga who is at the forefront of organizing the march, has fallen out of favour with the war veterans after he uttered statements that the war veterans viewed as disparaging. The war veterans spokesperson, Cde Douglas Mahiya was also, on several occasions, in the media attacking the youths for disrespecting them.
In a sense, the planned march is a welcome initiative that deserves wholesale support from anyone who belongs to the Zanu PF family. However, the animosity between the two groups might jeopardize the march. Already there are reports of planned sabotage from those who are anti the march. The war veterans have vowed that they would not join the march which they have poured scorn on, in the MDC-T fashion. That is very unfortunate and unhealthy for the revolutionary party.
The MDC-T staged its demonstrations in Harare recently and managed to pull a sizeable number of supporters, although it was overstated. People are waiting to see how Zanu PF will fare in its own march. A divided Zanu PF risks attracting an embarrassing small crowd. Real patriots cannot put the good name of the revolutionary party into disrepute because of petty differences.
It's unfortunate that the war veterans are planning to snub the march organized by colleagues they view as nemesis. If that is the case, does that mean they will not campaign for the same people in the 2018 elections? If so, who then will they campaign for? The Cdes should learn to separate personal differences from party interests. They must pluck a leaf from baboons which fight over food but unite when one of them is under attack from external forces.
The youths must swallow their pride and engage the war veterans if they want the march to be a resounding success. They must remember that the war veterans have walked the path. They staged their own million-man march which came out successfully.
The march should be done for President Mugabe and nobody else. There is no need for the war veterans to snub it, especially if the youths extended their invite to them with a clearly spelt agenda. There is no need to ridicule the march as Cde Mahiya is doing in the media. Cde Mahiya was quoted in the Newsday questioning the wisdom of expending scarce resources on the march while the country is facing economic challenges. That line of argument is for the MDC-T Cde! We have been experiencing these hardships ever since the illegal sanctions were imposed on us. However, that does not stop the ruling party to engage in its own activities.
Cde Mahiya has forgotten so quickly that his organization also organized a similar march in 2007 when the economy was also teetering on the brink of collapse because of the illegal sanctions. It was even worse than today. The Cde must not let emotions carry him away, for he risks backfiring. The march is not about seeking relevance as Cde Mahiya seems to suggest. It is about President Mugabe and President Mugabe alone. Although it might sound like blackmail, failure to partake in the march is a bold statement that you are not in solidarity with President Mugabe.
The fact that the march was sanctioned by politburo which is chaired by the President must force the war veterans to revise their stance. It is their constitution right to or not to participate. However,we take cue from Jesus Christ's statement in the books of Mathew 12v30 and Luke 11v23 where he said: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Source - Rufaro Mufundirwa
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