Zimbabwe patriotism being bastardised

"THAT the party enjoins the government to prioritise the employment of patriotic party youths in order to curb the issues of industrial action by retrogressive members of the public service," was one of the resolutions at the recent Zanu-PF national youth congress.

We feel some of these so-called resolutions cannot and should not be allowed to pass without being challenged.

Firstly, we cannot, but wonder the kind of homes these youths hail from because if any of their parents or relatives are civil servants then they should know better the trials and tribulations they are going through to make ends meet.

Secondly, if any of these Zanu-PF youths have grandparents who are pensioners they should know better given the pittance being received by all those on government pension.

Pardon us, but we think these youths have a warped idea of what patriotism means and what it entails to be patriotic.

Patriotism simply means loyalty, but it does not in any way suggest that this loyalty must be blind. The loyalty must not be so blind that one fails to distinguish between a person who is loyal to one's country and who is not.

In fact, blind loyalty is one of Zimbabwe's biggest tragedies which has resulted in citizens seeing their rights being abused in the name of patriotism. Blind loyalty has resulted in citizens watching their resources being looted left, right and centre.

What is unpatriotic for one to express their constitutional right by engaging in industrial action if their grievances are not being addressed?

We would have thought that the youths would have come up with just one simple resolution: That President Emmerson Mnangagwa should rid his government of all corrupt malcontents who are ruining the economy through daylight thieving that has seen the local currency failing to gain traction against other currencies.

What is more unpatriotic than stealing from your own country? It is actually treasonous to loot at such grand scale that you end up destroying an entire economy.

Auditor-General Mildred Chiri keeps telling us every year that government resources are being looted big time and this useless bunch of youths gathers to resolve to ask government not to listen to civil servants who are simply pointing out that their take home salaries are no longer enough to feed their families.

What is more unpatriotic than to allow people who are siphoning our resources daily to go scot-free?

What did these youths smoke before they came up with such as a dastardly resolution? Or was it the pampering they received, sleeping in hotels and eating good food that clouded their judgment?

The resolution is a serious misnomer, especially coming a few days after Zanu-PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa expressed disquiet at the rampant corruption in government.

Mutsvangwa rightly observed thus: "We've doubled our export earnings in US dollars, yet our currency is weak, where has that ever happened? To fill up a house with kids, but you can't account for any of them… It's a financial and economic anomaly that we are earning US dollars, yet we can't find them in our purse. The more you put money in your purse, the more your purse gets empty of US dollars, something is wrong!"

This statement should have given the youths a clue as to what to demand from their government. Were those sentiments not cue enough for the youths to ask: Where is all our money going? Were those words not enough for the youths to see the real people who are not patriotic to this country?

Why are these youths allowing themselves to be used to bastardise the true meaning of patriotism?

This is not only sad, but tragic.