Mugabe cools succession talk

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday called for discipline among the liberation war veterans, urging them to conduct themselves in the same way they were taught during the war of independence from white colonial rule. Addressing 10,000 war veterans at the City Sports Centre in Harare, President Mugabe also warned some leaders of the freedom fighters from supping with agents of hostile Western countries.

President Mugabe called on the war veterans to perpetuate the ideology and principles instilled in them.

"Our party used to have discipline, a culture and ideology of the highest level. Ideology can't be one we do without thinking. All of us gave ourselves to fight for our country, we sacrificed not to be given money tomorrow but to sacrifice our lives to liberate Zimbabwe," said President Mugabe.

"To stop the British oppression that made us work like animals, calling our fathers 'boy' and our mothers 'nanny', a grown woman, we wanted to put a stop to that, to fight for our sovereignty and freedom."

President Mugabe said ideological grounding taught both Zanla and Zipra forces that the war was to liberate everyone from colonialism and correct the colonial injustices committed against the people by the British.

He said the people collaborated with the freedom fighters to dislodge colonialism and the task was to carry the aspirations of all the people hence the two can never be separated. He called for self discipline, respect for other people's cultures and humility in the communities where war veterans live.

"After the war, you must have the same discipline and not open your mouth to insult leaders. We won't have it! Elders won't say anything, but will quietly whisper that you'll get what's coming your way. Don't ever do that because you have a position. I never do that," said President Mugabe.

"When I'm with the chiefs, even when I go to my home in Zvimba, I clap my hands calmly as a sign of respect. They give me respect as President but customarily, I'm a child of the clan. So you've to have that discipline, but we observe that now some of you have lost that discipline, that's not good. You can't say words, you should never ever be heard saying to your elders. Never, ever!

"The discipline you give in the army, that's external discipline. Whether you like it or not, that's military, that's external but in life, it's internal discipline, what you give yourself, you forward march yourself.

"Know that there're these two forms of discipline, the internal and external. There're others who're given top positions, they despise those at the bottom."

President Mugabe said Zanu-PF has survived a number of threats including the imposition of sanctions by the United States of America and the United Kingdom on the banking sector, industry and even fertilizer companies hence crippling production and affecting food production.

He called on the war veterans to remember that the US and UK have never liked the Zanu-PF government and were working on removing the revolutionary party from power.

"It's us, the war veterans, who know the ideology and principles. We shouldn't be seen dining and supping with imperialists… we see them in restaurants in their numbers, and what would they be talking about. What would you be doing there?

"It's the work of only the foreign affairs [ministry] to interact with these foreign, external representatives. Are you a spy? Or are you becoming an agent? What friendship is it? It'll be misinterpreted by the ordinary people, so take care."

President Mugabe said despite agreements on some aspects of the Zanu-PF ideology, there were some senior officials scrambling for positions. "Some are looking forward that the President is going to die. Some write in newspapers that the President has gone to Malaysia or Singapore, he's sick so he's on his way, dying.

"Then you see now people chasing each other saying the President is dying. I'm not dying, have shame!" he said. President Mugabe reiterated that he serves "at the mercy" of the people, and they are the ones who will decide whether he stays or goes.

"Let's get over that. Let's not bother talking about succession and things like that. Look ahead. We've enemies who're trying to destroy us. Let's unite. Unite in resisting the enemy, unite in working together so that these projects can succeed," said President Mugabe.

He said the country has abundant natural resources with strategic countries like China and Japan willing to help the nation, and focus should be directed to that.

Speaking at the meeting, War Veterans Minister Tshinga Dube said the meeting had gone on successfully, shaming some sections of the private media who had predicted chaos.

Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi also described the meeting as a success where there was open debate on issues affecting the war veterans and the party.