Opinion / Columnist
No confidence votes: President Mugabe gives solutions
13 Jun 2016 at 14:35hrs | Views
The ruling party, ZANU PF should take seriously President Robert Gabriel Mugabe's statement outlining how the no confidence votes can be carried out as to make sure that the exercise is no longer carried out haphazardly but should be professionally carried out for the benefit of creating unity in this party. While others would think that suspending or dismissing other people from ZANU PF through vote of no confidence is the way to go but this whole exercise should not be carried out as a way of settling personal scores but need to be done in a well agreed upon procedure by the ZANU PF leadership.
While addressing the ZANU PF National Consultative Assembly in Harare on 10 June 2016, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe made it clearly that some of the vote of no confidences carried out against party members were not procedurally done when for a person for example is an official who committed an offense outside his/her work and then a vote of no confidence is passed against such an individual. The President said that vote of no confidences should be carried out in a situation where one fails to carry out properly his/her duties in which he/she would have been assigned to do by the party.
The President encouraged the freedom of association among individuals in the country by denouncing those who rushed to carry out vote of no confidences to party cadres just because one would have been seen drinking beer or associating with members of a different party or association. He made it clear that such a scenario was wrong as it was breeding divisions in a country where unity is needed. The President's sentiments came at time when ZANU PF's National Disciplinary Appeals Committee (NDAC) was grappling with some appeals from other ZANU PF members who were suspended from the revolutionary party through such vote of no confidences which were carried out against them soon after the December 2014 ZANU PF People's Congress that was held in Harare stretching to these few days ago.
In a related development, some few weeks ago Dr Ignatius Chombo, the revolutionary party's Secretary for Administration made it clear in Chinhoyi, while addressing the ZANU PF supporters that due processes should be taken in coming up with vote of no confidences against party members. He called for party members to carry out thorough investigations before one is voted out. Dr Chombo went on to discourage some party members from carrying out no confidence votes against members on the grounds of "frivolous and unsubstantiated", claims as that could turn out to be counterproductive to the development of the party.
Now collaborating President Mugabe's statement with what Dr Chombo said makes those with ears to hear what the two very important leaders of the revolutionary party said. It is now prudent for all party structures and members in ZANU PF to act properly when it comes to the carrying out of disciplinary actions against those found violating the party's constitution. ZANU PF members and supporters should embrace what the top ZANU PF leadership stand for so that there is no political problems emanating from the ruling party because of haphazard carrying of no confidence votes against each other within the party.
So ZANU PF should take President Mugabe's and Dr Chombo's statements seriously and start preaching unity for its members and call for all unresolved problems to be compromised for the betterment of the revolutionary party. While it is necessary for the revolutionary party to take disciplinary action against those suspected and alleged to be on the wrong side of the revolutionary party's guiding principles and ideologies but the exercise should be taken with care to avoid unnecessary disunity in the party. ZANU PF is a bigger institution than some individuals' interests hence it should not be used by few individuals who are there to settle their political scores against their preferred and supposedly adversaries.
There has been overzealous individuals within the revolutionary party who were using some vote of no confidences against each other as a way of settling political disputes or personal scores, so such individuals should now focus on what the President said. Vote of no confidences should not be abused as there is a danger of creating disunity instead of harmony within the ruling party. It should be noted that unity within the revolutionary party is very critical especially when the opposition front is now talking of a coalition to take head on the mighty ZANU PF in the 2018 harmonized elections. It is the same time again in which the revolutionary party, should be seized with the full implementation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) so that the 2013 harmonized election manifesto is fulfilled.
The President's clarification on when the vote of no confidence should be carried out need serious understanding and appreciation by all party structures so that people get to act on such vote of no confidences accordingly. ZANU PF should not afford to waste its time on dealing with who should take this and that political position while the economy is deteriorating at an alarming rate. The electorate is closely monitoring developments taking place in the ruling party with keen interest. So time for political fights for positions in the ruling party should stop and let people focus more on the implementation of Zim-Asset.
While the President has clarified how some vote of no confidences could be carried out but people should also guard against the abuse of freedom of association. If not guarded against people might end up accommodating some individuals in the party who might end up destroying the party from within. Disciplinary action against some rowdy elements in ZANU PF should persist and those targeted should be given opportunity to appear and defend themselves in front of the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) so that one is fairly treated. Such a move would dispel the notion that the revolutionary party is dismissing its members from the party without apparent reasons.
It should be made clear that the party is bigger than individuals hence it should not be destroyed by few individuals for the sake of making sure that their interests are fulfilled in the expense of the revolutionary party's unity of purpose.
While addressing the ZANU PF National Consultative Assembly in Harare on 10 June 2016, President Robert Gabriel Mugabe made it clearly that some of the vote of no confidences carried out against party members were not procedurally done when for a person for example is an official who committed an offense outside his/her work and then a vote of no confidence is passed against such an individual. The President said that vote of no confidences should be carried out in a situation where one fails to carry out properly his/her duties in which he/she would have been assigned to do by the party.
The President encouraged the freedom of association among individuals in the country by denouncing those who rushed to carry out vote of no confidences to party cadres just because one would have been seen drinking beer or associating with members of a different party or association. He made it clear that such a scenario was wrong as it was breeding divisions in a country where unity is needed. The President's sentiments came at time when ZANU PF's National Disciplinary Appeals Committee (NDAC) was grappling with some appeals from other ZANU PF members who were suspended from the revolutionary party through such vote of no confidences which were carried out against them soon after the December 2014 ZANU PF People's Congress that was held in Harare stretching to these few days ago.
In a related development, some few weeks ago Dr Ignatius Chombo, the revolutionary party's Secretary for Administration made it clear in Chinhoyi, while addressing the ZANU PF supporters that due processes should be taken in coming up with vote of no confidences against party members. He called for party members to carry out thorough investigations before one is voted out. Dr Chombo went on to discourage some party members from carrying out no confidence votes against members on the grounds of "frivolous and unsubstantiated", claims as that could turn out to be counterproductive to the development of the party.
Now collaborating President Mugabe's statement with what Dr Chombo said makes those with ears to hear what the two very important leaders of the revolutionary party said. It is now prudent for all party structures and members in ZANU PF to act properly when it comes to the carrying out of disciplinary actions against those found violating the party's constitution. ZANU PF members and supporters should embrace what the top ZANU PF leadership stand for so that there is no political problems emanating from the ruling party because of haphazard carrying of no confidence votes against each other within the party.
So ZANU PF should take President Mugabe's and Dr Chombo's statements seriously and start preaching unity for its members and call for all unresolved problems to be compromised for the betterment of the revolutionary party. While it is necessary for the revolutionary party to take disciplinary action against those suspected and alleged to be on the wrong side of the revolutionary party's guiding principles and ideologies but the exercise should be taken with care to avoid unnecessary disunity in the party. ZANU PF is a bigger institution than some individuals' interests hence it should not be used by few individuals who are there to settle their political scores against their preferred and supposedly adversaries.
There has been overzealous individuals within the revolutionary party who were using some vote of no confidences against each other as a way of settling political disputes or personal scores, so such individuals should now focus on what the President said. Vote of no confidences should not be abused as there is a danger of creating disunity instead of harmony within the ruling party. It should be noted that unity within the revolutionary party is very critical especially when the opposition front is now talking of a coalition to take head on the mighty ZANU PF in the 2018 harmonized elections. It is the same time again in which the revolutionary party, should be seized with the full implementation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset) so that the 2013 harmonized election manifesto is fulfilled.
The President's clarification on when the vote of no confidence should be carried out need serious understanding and appreciation by all party structures so that people get to act on such vote of no confidences accordingly. ZANU PF should not afford to waste its time on dealing with who should take this and that political position while the economy is deteriorating at an alarming rate. The electorate is closely monitoring developments taking place in the ruling party with keen interest. So time for political fights for positions in the ruling party should stop and let people focus more on the implementation of Zim-Asset.
While the President has clarified how some vote of no confidences could be carried out but people should also guard against the abuse of freedom of association. If not guarded against people might end up accommodating some individuals in the party who might end up destroying the party from within. Disciplinary action against some rowdy elements in ZANU PF should persist and those targeted should be given opportunity to appear and defend themselves in front of the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) so that one is fairly treated. Such a move would dispel the notion that the revolutionary party is dismissing its members from the party without apparent reasons.
It should be made clear that the party is bigger than individuals hence it should not be destroyed by few individuals for the sake of making sure that their interests are fulfilled in the expense of the revolutionary party's unity of purpose.
Source - John Mukumbo
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