SECRETARY GENERAL ON APC COMPONENT STRUCTURES.

 

This article serves to define a cordial relationship between the Party and its Organs.

 

1. Political background.
2. Constitutional definition of Component Structures.
3. The role of Component Structures in the politics of the APC.
4. Power relations – APC and its Component Structures.
5. Component Structures and Party Discipline.

 

 

1. POLITICAL BACKGROUND.

 

APC is a revolutionary political Party established to fill the political void that existed since the advent of Democracy in our Country.

 

It was established precisely to fulfil a clearly defined political objective:

 

To be a viable, credible and progressive alternative governing party – able to meet the economic, social, political, educational and cultural needs of our people through mass mobilization.

 

It was established to be the alternative voice, the voice of the voiceless and the voice that will never betray the objectives of our glorious liberation struggle but will advance them to ensure that freedom and democracy yields positive spin-offs in the lives of the African majority.

 

Having said that therefore the APC is a Party steeped firmly in the values and traditions of a liberation movement.

 

And it was established to complete the unfinished business of our liberation struggle.

 

The Party is guided by the revolutionary mass-line of people centeredness and popular democracy.

 

Pan Africanism, Africanism and Socialism are the three standing pillars of the APC’s political ideology.

 

Politically- APC stands for a democratic government of the African majority attained through the democratic means of credible, free and fair elections in a unitary state.

 

Socially – APC stands for the projection and promotion of the African personality, social solidarity and peaceful co-existence of the global family of nations.

 

Economically – APC stands for economic justice characterised by the most equitable distribution and redistribution of the country’s wealth according to the capacity of the state resources and the needs of its citizens, and we are for a State controlled economy and nationalisation of the Country’s mineral resources and other strategic national economic assets remain key and critical.

 

To achieve all these distinctive political objectives, the APC needs strong, vibrant and progressive component structures and alliance partners to:

 

Ø  Build a strong organisational machinery to consolidate the Party into an organised organisation able to attain its political objectives.

 

Ø  Establish a sound political machinery to add the correct political content that will give the Party the correct political shape and culture characterised by knowledgeable and disciplined cadres who will develop into dedicated, democratic and collective leaders.

 

Ø  Create efficient administration machinery capable of facilitating the smooth running of the entire organisation and its programs.

 

Ø  Build a resilient mass democratic movement able to advance the national democratic revolution and create in our Country an Africanist Socialist Democracy.

 

 

 

1. CONSTITUTIONAL DEFINITION OF COMPONENT STRUCTURES.

 

Rule number 5 of the APC Constitution (the APC Green Book) provides that there shall be two (plus one) component structures of the APC viz:

 

APC Women’s League – APC WL.

 

APC Youth League – APC YL.

 

APC Student Movement – APC SM.

 

It further stipulates that – ‘Component Structures are APC organs guided and bound by the APC Constitution, principles, policies, discipline and programmes.

 

And finally – ‘Component Structures shall have administrative independence.

 

1.  ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMPONENT STRUCTURES.

 

The primary role of the APC Component Structures is to assist the APC to address and advance the needs and interests of a particular section of the society in pursuance of the overall political objectives of the Party.

 

They should serve as the revolutionary custodians/ watchdogs of the ideology, constitution, policies and all programmes of the APC without any form of deviation.

 

They should actively participate, serve and sacrifice for the success of all the programs and activities of the APC.

 

1. POWER RELATIONS – APC AND ITS COMPONENT STRUCTURES.

 

Component structures are the integral part of the broader political structure of the APC, just like the Provincial Structures, Regional Structures etc they have no political autonomy whatsoever.

 

Their resolutions and decisions remain recommendations in the face of the APC and its senior leadership.

 

APC and its senior leadership have unquestionable veto powers over all decisions, resolutions and or programmes of its Component Structures.

 

 

1. COMPONENT STRUCTURES AND PARTY DISCIPLINE.

 

APC Component structures are subject to and are bound by the Party Disciplinary Code as outlined in Rule 22 of the APC Constitution (Green Book).

 

Discipline must be observed at all levels

 

The Word Discipline originates from an ancient Word Disciple which means a follower as it is used biblically.

 

Then Discipline means the ability to follow.

 

A disciplined person is one who can follow the rules to the latter and able to function within the framework of those rules and other regulations.

 

APC Revolutionary discipline means the ability to carry out all the resolutions of the Party promptly and faithfully.

 

The requirements of that discipline are that the Individual is subordinate to the collective; the minority is subordinate to the majority, the lower structure to the higher structure and the entire membership to the higher leadership.

 

This should be the theory and practice of our Democratic Centralism that must serve as the hallmark of the APC’s ethos of good conduct.

 

Discipline does not only create an orderly and decent conduct but also ensures Party security and security of information.  This means that Party Leaders must be protected and defended at all times and sensitive/classified information of the Party must be disseminated on the Principle of the Need to know.

Information must be passed over to the relevant individual/s or to a structure only for the purposes of performing official duties and execution of Party activities efficiently.

 

It is also in line with Party protocol and discipline that inquiries and queries of all sorts be directed to the relevant Party Official or Structure so as to avoid unnecessary confusion and counter productive practices. Orders and resolutions from higher levels must be unconditionally and strictly carried out. There is a Chinese proverb that says "military orders are as firm as mountains,” that is whenever an order from a higher level is issued, it must be carried out at any cost. Don't misunderstand democracy. When no decision is yet taken, we are free to discuss. But when a decision is taken, we should not discuss any longer. Any discussion then could be only discussion on the ways and means to carry out the decision quickly and not to propose that it should not be carried out. We must prohibit any such act of unruly freedom. Negative and destructive rumours and gossip mongering are counter revolutionary tendencies that must not be tolerated in anyway. Factionalism, anarchy and roving bands in the revolutionary movement are like a deadly virus and must be avoided at all costs; their manifestations must be aborted at their earliest stage.

They are the enemies of unity and thus threaten to tear the party apart and reduce it to a collection of small interest groups characterised by anarchy and disruptive behaviour. Combat all forms of opportunism manifested in day-to-day work. We must especially combat empty talk, arrogance, formalism, routinism and all acts which sabotage the fine traditions of the Party.

APC Motto: Discipline, Respect and Hard-work – Should always be one’s guiding principle of good conduct.

 

 

Prepared by:

Hlabirwa Mathume.

APC Secretary General.