Ruling party should strengthen its overall leadership

By Farai Mabhara

In Zimbabwe, the ruling party – Zanu-PF – often asserts that the organisation is bigger than Government.

This principle is not only logical for the governing party, but is also steeped in the traditions of Zanu-PF and similar parties globally.

However, there are times when this principle appears not to be held in practice as the business of running the country is placed firmly in the hands of Government, with the ruling party seemingly a bystander.

For the record, a party like Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF has many arms and departments that replicate central government, from youth wing, to finance and international relations.

At this point, the question is, does the party stand at par, below or above Government?

In the case of Zimbabwe an objective assessment would show that the ruling party appears to be playing second fiddle to central government when it comes to the running of national affairs.

This is an aberration.

Zanu-PF, as the ruling party, must be more assertive and strengthen its overall leadership.

The Communist Party of China, China’s governing party and ally of Zanu-PF, provides a perfect example of how the ruling party can – and should – strengthen its overall leadership.

The CPC has over the years established itself as the engine room of China, with its ideas, philosophies, plans, programmes and leaders dominating the vast Asian country.

The 20th National Congress, held less than two months ago, showed us how methodical the party is in its national leadership and shaping the giant China has become as it marches towards attaining a modern socialist status and undergoing national rejuvenation.

A look at the party’s Central Committee Report highlights some of the key areas that CPC has been clear on.

These include among others:
Historical, philosophical and ideological direction

Politics and democracy

National unity of all ethnic groups

Development, economic policy and programmes

Peace, stability and security

Global affairs and geopolitics

Emerging problems such as the Covid-19

According to the report of the Central Committee of CPC, a number of milestones have been achieved – with the party at the centre – to institute “well-coordinated efforts to advance our great struggle, our great project, our great cause, and our great dream…to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic while also promoting economic and social development, and to both pursue development and ensure security”.

With the party at the centre of Chinese affairs and with President and General Secretary Xi Jinping at the leadership core, China has achieved what many developing nations, including Zimbabwe can only dream of.

The Central Committee observed in its report:

“We have remained true to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. We have devoted great energy to finishing building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, focused on promoting high-quality development, and worked to create a new pattern of development.

“We have pursued reform at a swift and steady pace, made solid progress in developing whole-process people’s democracy, and advanced law-based governance across all fields of endeavor.

“We have actively developed advanced socialist culture. We have worked to ensure and improve public wellbeing as a matter of priority and pooled resources to wage a critical battle against poverty. We have made a big push to enhance ecological conservation. We have worked with firm resolve to safeguard national security, fended off and defused major risks, and ensured social stability. We have devoted great energy to modernizing our national defense and the armed forces.”

This demonstrates that the CPC is in charge, and doing it in a ruthlessly efficient fashion.

Other parties in the world should emulate this.

The political question

The quintessential function – or raison d’etre – of political party, one would argue, is not just govern but also maintain culture and advance its philosophies and worldviews.
The CPC has done well in this regard, and continues to assert itself much more with President Xi at the leadership core.

The central committee report noted that, “Over the past decade, we have fully implemented the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic policy. We have adopted a number of strategic measures, developed a range of transformative practices, and made a series of breakthroughs and landmark advances.

“We have withstood risks, challenges, and trials in the political, economic, ideological, and natural domains, secured historic achievements and seen historic changes in the cause of the Party and the country, and taken China on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects.

“The great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era marks a milestone in the history of the Party, of the People’s Republic of China, of reform and opening up, of the development of socialism, and of the development of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China has tempered itself through revolution and grown stronger.

The Chinese people are filled with a stronger sense of history and initiative. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course.”

The CPC clearly understand its mission, steeped in history and desires of Chinese people.

Commendably, the party is not relaxing, despite its recent sucesses.

At the Congress the party challenged itself to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

Interestingly, among other requirements identified by the party to achieve socialist modernisation of China, upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China is at the top.
The party makes no apologies for leading.

It does not shirk its responsibility of moulding China after its image.
Zimbabwe’s ruling party, and other liberation movements in Africa and elsewhere should emulate this not just for their own survival, but also for the great benefit, which the successes of China have shown to be attributable to a stable ruling party, the CPC.