M-Afrika, your input is inspiring. Our three greatest mistakes are: 1. Our Party is abandoned by its own cadres, its backbone. Private family matters count most to most cadres today. Revolution comes second. There are no professional revolutionaries who take revolution as their fulltime profession. They are either partime or in long political leaves. In the past, the Party had those who were married to the revolution rather than their wives. Their families came second. No one can deny that fact. Today, family comes first. Look at ANC, there are officials who take ANC activities as their fulltime profession. Every day, they work for ANC for 24 hours: There are no such cadres in the Party. 2. Primacy of a leader, not a programme. In a revolution, the programme comes first and then the leadership to lead that programme. Out'of selected collective leadership, the leader of the moment is elected among other leaders, not because he / she is the best (No Messiah mentality). We repeat the same mistake again and again and expect different results.
Programme serves as a roadmap for the Party. The programme is used to measure the consistence of leadership. New members join the programme (campaign) before joining the Party in great numbers. For example, the Scrap Students' Debt Campaign (Free Education Campaign) could help our students to recruit easily within the stident body, whether the campaign wins or not. We did it in the past for PASO and APLA. We can do it again and again. To us, it did not matter who led us. What was important to us, was the unfolding programme at the time. Today, we are all fighting to be leaders. Why? Because leaders do not lead revolitionary programmes. They are now bosses and not servants of members. They are not serving us, they are serving themselves and their hidden agendas (bosses). They do not account to us but to themselves. We did not give them programmes (performance contracts / targets) to deliver on. They either do as they like or do nothing at all. We are breeding dictators in the Party deliberately. When the President was violating the Basic Documents, we did nothing because only six NEC members were elected at Qwaqwa congress. The rest of NEC members were his loyal appointees, and not elected by congress. They had no independent constitutional powers given to them by congress to challenge Letlapa. They were disadvantaged like all appointees of the leader. That was the failure of the congress, not theirs. Normally, fully fledged constitutionally elected NEC have the powers to suspend ill-disciplined President as the highest decision-making body between congresses / conferences just like any NEC member. The President is not above the NEC. Clause 14.2 of the DC does not make the President above the NEC at all. But, our NEC was not capacitated to exercise its powers with ease under those conditions. 3. We like renting and recycling leaders. How many times we parachuted leaders from nowhere and from long political leaves and give them blank cheques to write their programmes. We even rented leaders who never led even at a branch, region, province and/or national level of the Party and/or its component structures. People who know nothing about Party procedures, tradition, constitution, DC, democratic centralism, collective leadership, criticism, etc and expect them to lead us successfully. We are the ones to be blamed for the current mess in the Party. Last, in a revolution, there is no place for retired party cadres. Zeph Mothopeng led PAC as a fultime professional revolutionary until his last day. How old was Ayatollah Khomein of Iran when he led the revolution to victory? Age is no excuse for joining them, consciously or unconsciously. The current neocolonial agenda is fluorishing because we allowed it through our consent for convinience. Let us all agree we have betrayed the revolution, both individually and collectively, as cadres of this great Party of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. Sobukwe, Zeph and Pokela are ashamed of us all, with no exception. The baton was passed to our generation by them. It is still with the Party cadres. The whole Party now cannot move forward. It's shame! Comrade, you are right. 'He that is not with me is against me.' --- Jesus Christ Izwe Lethu! Charge-in Mabaso 0710203554 On 4/7/12, Hulisani Mmbara <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear Comrades, > > Many efforts have been made to reposition the PAC, especially dealing with > the leadership question. One such effort is the PAC Indaba held in Orlando > yesterday, which also doubled as the 53rd Anniversary celebrations of the > formation of the party. Tremendous work has been done and continues. In this > regard, efforts of party members should be commended. > > As we go about resolving the leadership crisis in the party, we must also > ask the fundamental question which is at the heart of regression in the > party, that is the lack of ideological clarity, strategy, vision and a > programme of action. What is to be done after removing what we both believe > is the stumbling block at this juncture? Is the current stumbling block the > only cause of regression in the party? > > I would venture to say there are many causes of regression in the party > which is why the party has been in this sorry state of affairs for decades. > But post 1994 the challenges became even greater with the advent of > parliament and many government employment opportunities which came with the > promise of clover and comfort which many within the ranks of the liberation > movement were deprived for decades. This promise also included the hope for > many to spend time with friends, family and loved ones in 'peace' without > being hounded by forces of repression. This era, even though heralded as > ushering in freedom, also introduced a break with the noble culture of > service and sacrifice within the ranks of the liberation movement. For a > party like ours which was falling behind events, this period was bound to > spell more doom. The fact that the party was tailing behind others was worse > enough to create more chaos in the party hence the vicious circle we find > ourselves in. Instead of leadership taking a calm posture to chart a > wayforward, positioning the party to play a leading role and direct the > liberation struggle, the tailing game won the day and remain the winner > to-date. > > We need to pause and stop tailing behind and reacting to ANC agenda. We will > not be victors in the ANC agenda. What is our agenda as a party at this > historical epoch? We must set our own terms to pave the path to our > ideological destiny. The stage set by the ANC will never take us there. What > do we plan to do for the people of Azania, our oppressed women, the toiling > workers, the poor masses of our land, Africa and the rest of the oppressed > world? What is our vision? Where do we want to take our people? How do we > want to create our version of a just society - an africanist socialist > democracy? How do we want to free our people from landlessness, hunger, > poverty, capitalist exploitation, cultural subjugation, illiteracy and > ignorance? These are the questions which must seize our moments. > > The ANC is going and it will go, no doubt about. Very few governments last > more than 50 years, for example. Those than do, engage in robust cultural > revolution and political education to highten the consciousness of the > people. The question is who will finally bring down the ANC and take Azania > forward? Will it be the PAC? Even if the PAC takes over, how long will that > last? Power can only be consolidated and maintained when there is a forward > looking dynamic programme under the stewardship of a disciplined > revolutionary leadership. Selflessness and commitment to the people is key > in this regard. If we don't firmly restore a culture of selfless leadership > what will become of the africanist socialist democratic state and its > ideals? Will we leave up to this noble task as a party? > > Needless to say, we need selflessness and sacrifice first to lead our people > to freedom before we can dream of taking charge and we need same to maintain > the africanist socialist democratic state. There is no struggle anywhere in > history which was won without sacrifice on the part of leadership. I'm yet > to see a struggle won without leadership sacrifices. If truth be told there > will never be such. We can obfuscate and romanticize about this but nothing > beats the truth. > > Are we selfless? Are we prepared to die, to go to prison or leave our > families for the sake of our people? The truth is that this is the price we > will have to pay. There are no other road for a genuine leadership of people > struggles. How long will we procrastinate and obfuscate? Do we still live by > the motto of serve, suffer and sacrifice? Too often I have heard comrades > whispering that the triple S does not work anymore. Are we prepared to > recommit to this noble values of our movement? > > The people will carry-on with their struggles daily as we see in many poor > communities, especially squatter camps, work floors and institutions of > higher learning, but without leadership these struggles can never be > victorious. Even if the people banish the rulers from power without > leadership such gains cannot be sustained. I believe we all know this. But > are we prepared to pay the price? I don't think so. This is not the > conversation I hear amongst comrades. Many a time one get a sense that while > comrades are shy to collaborate with the ANC on record, they are > nevertheless not prepared to upset the established. This therefore is tacit > collaboration. Let it be said that IF YOU ARE NOT AGAINST THEM, YOU ARE WITH > THEM. > > In this debate, one thing must be acknowledged though...sacrifices have been > made by leaders in the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's? Those sacrifices > have delivered the political environment we live in. This milestone is not > minor although not an end. To make this point, people were killed in > genocidal proportions simply for espousing an alternative political order > let alone socio-economic order. This was the order of the day during those > horrible days. Many laid down their lives and fell in combat. The political > environment today is a far cry compared to where we come from (Due to age, i > didn't live under or directly experience the terror of apartheid settler > colonialism. I have read about it and have seen its scars. I'm subjected to > its legacy). > > So political 'democracy' is an important milestone. All these were achieved > because sacrifices were made. Leadership was provided to the struggles of > our people. However the struggle has not been taken to its logical > conclusion and the danger with this is that political democracy becomes > hollow and meaningless if it doesn't overturn the power scales in favour of > the people democratic ownership of the means of production and distribution > of wealth, undermining the sacrifices and gains made. So the question is who > must make the sacrifices to take the struggle to its logical conclusion? My > personal view is that those who have made sacrifices in the pre early 90's > epoch will be unlikely to do so again. As generations of warriors, they made > their sacrifices during their times. The next generation in line is a > generation that I'm part of. This generation must fulfill its mission or > betray it. What is it gonna be? Sobukwe and other fallen heroes and heroines > of our struggle are staring this generation on the face saying it is your > turn to take the struggle forward. > > As a member of this generation, one has a deep seated urge to take > responsibility. There are only two choices, lead or betray. The tailing game > and the tacit collaboration is part of betrayal. Preparedness to completely > sacrifice, forsake glorified slavery (employment), house bonds, credit cars, > family-time and the niceties of life while our land is ravaged by > landlessness, poverty, hunger and capitalist exploitation will be the real > test of revolutionary leadership. Of course this does not just happen, it > comes as a consequence of standing up for the liberation of the people. Any > leadership whose actions (i'm not talking recklessness and anarchy which > exposes the revolution to damaging attacks by the enemy) doesn't invite > adverse internal and external consequences is not true revolutionary > leadership. I need not remind anyone that freedom and power is not delivered > on a silver plate or as the great Chairman Mao will say "revolution is not a > dinner party". Any leadership which takes a direction short of anything that > invites adverse consequences to itself "is not against them but with them" - > the system. > > One should also clarify that the call for leadership is not about the > ceremonials of party leadership elections and occupying positions. It is > about true revolutionary leadership. Sacrifice is inherent in this calibre > of leadership. The leadership question will not be resolved by removing one > president and replace him/her with another. We have been there before. This > approach is dangerously immature and myopic. Experience has shown that the > manner we have gone about dealing with the leadership in the past was > downright wrong. As a result, the replacement president turned out to be > more hopeless that the predecessor. The other pertinent issue is the > question of collective leadership which has been absent in our approach and > expectations. Before we form lobby groups and crown ourselves into positions > whose tasks and commitment we cannot live up to, we must do soul searching > and ask ourselves a simple question... are we ready to die for our people? > This is the ultimate price any committed leadership of the people will be > forced to pay. This we must internalize with the seriousness and passion of > a prayer. > > I'm deliberately ignoring the issue of elections (parliamentary and > municipal) because they are not relevant in this discussion. It's beside the > point. The election stage is set by the victors for the victors. We are not > the victors here and therefore have nothing to gain from elections. > > The great commander, Sabelo's declaration that the bullet will not be > abandon until the ballot box is secured, is instructive. This declaration is > more profound and insightful than many imagine and comprehend. Unfortunately > it has been reduced to a slogan. From our vintage point, is the ballot box > secured? You cannot secure the ballot box when you are outside state power. > We need a different strategy of dealing with elections and its platforms > instead of being passengers in palaces were we make no decisions...part of > the tailing game and tacit collaboration. > > There are many important issues but the theme of this discussion - > selflessness and sacrifice is the more critical because it is about us. It > is about the inner side, the heart and the conscience. If we are to be true > instruments of revolution, that revolution must start inside our hearts. It > is easy to lament the social vices that engulfs our people but another to > take a stand and act against oppression, exploitation and injustice. Let's > talk to ourselves about this. The people are waiting for fearless and > selfless leadership. > > Izwelethu! I-Afrika! > > Hulisani Mmbara > 0825933012 > Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you! > > -- > Sending your posting to [email protected] > > Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] > > You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco > > Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com > -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com
