Our fight for Self-determination, our fight for Independence, is our fundamental right. Unity and solidarity: The Restorationist Agenda trumpets Written by Zifiso Gatsheni Snr, uMthwakazi Review News Saturday, 23 February 2013 National aspirations must be respected; people may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent. Self-determination is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action. .....President Woodrow Wilson, 11th February 1918, ‘Self-Determination Speech This must be affirmed as a fact. But we still have shortcomings and this too must be affirmed as a fact. We should not affirm everything about ourselves but only what is correct, at the same time we should not negate everything about ourselves, but only what is wrong. Achievements are the main thing in our work and yet there are not a few shortcomings and mistakes. That is why we need a rectification movement. I quote myself from the interview I had with UMthwakazi Review online paper (12 Feb 2013) The point I wish to make is that the really important thing is the work itself. For that noble work one day is as good as another. The ideal we strive for is to work every day in the task which is ours to achieve. There is great change occurring around us. This is a time of a global transformation that is noticeable at many levels. We can see change unfold as we observed the Arab Spring and the rise of Nations without States. The spark of change we see when we look into the eyes of our youngest, tells us that we are no longer meant to live in a world where we merely follow. We must now lead! Changes of such magnitude are of course reflected in peoples minds. Mans social being determines his consciousness. These great changes in our modern world are reflected differently among people of different classes, strata and social groups. The masses eagerly support them, for life itself in Mthwakazi past 32yrs has confirmed that restoration is the only way out of Zimbabwe. “The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good, in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive other of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.” John Stuart Mill As Rome was not built in a day, hence Mthwakazi will not be served on platter. Mthwakazi call for Independence has just been established and requires time for its consolidation. Time so the people will get to understand why we need our Independence. It must not be assumed that the call for self-determination can be completely consolidated the moment it is established; that is impossible. It has to be consolidated step by step. To achieve its ultimate consolidation It is necessary not only to bring about Unity amongst pro Mthwakazi groups, but reachout to the many back home in Mthwakazi. Persevere in the revolution on the fight for our fundamental right in the front; carry on constant and arduous socialist revolutionary struggles and socialist education on the political and ideological fronts. Moreover, various complementary international conditions are required. In Mthwakazi the struggle to consolidate the call to our independence, the struggle to decide whether Secession or Devolution will prevail be it in a long historical period. We should all realize that our Independence will come forth and unquestionably be consolidated. How long it takes, is not the issue in question, for instance it took 40years for Sudan; now North & South Sudan. Our call for Independence depends on us for leadership. There is a need to rectify our way of thinking and style of work, thereafter we shall enjoy greater initiative in our work, become more capable and do a better job. Our Nation has need of many people who whole-heartedly are prepared to serve the masses and who are determined to bring about changes. One-sidedness One sidedness means thinking in matters of absolute that is, taking a metaphysical approach to problems. In the appraisal of our work, it is one-sided to affirm everything or to negate everything. There still are quite a few people inside all pro Mthwakazi groups and many outside it who do just that. Analysis is necessary: To affirm everything is to see only the good and not the bad, and to welcome only praise and not criticism. To talk as though our work is good in every respect is at variance with the facts. It is not true that everything is good; there are shortcomings and mistakes. But neither is it true that everything is bad; that too is at variance with the facts. To negate everything is to think, without prior analysis, that nothing has been done well and that the great task of fighting for self-determination, the great struggle in which hundreds of millions of people are participating, is a complete mess with nothing commendable about it. Although there is a difference between many of those who hold such views and those who are hostile to the cause, these views are very mistaken and harmful and can only dishearten people. It is wrong to appraise our work either from the standpoint of affirming everything or from the standpoint of negating everything. We should criticize those people who take such a one-sided approach to problems, though of course we should do so in the spirit of learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the sickness to save the patient, and we should give them help. I hear always that we should learn from our mistakes, but I beg to differ if we learn from mistakes only we are but inclined to learn only errors, hence there is a need to learn from our successes as well. Since everyone is asked to express his opinions, one-sidedness is unavoidable, and therefore it seems that in calling for the elimination of one-sidedness, you really dont want people to speak up. Is this assertion right? It is naturally difficult for everyone to be free from any trace of one-sidedness. People always examine and handle problems and express their views in the light of their own experience, and unavoidably they sometimes show a little one-sidedness. However, shouldnt we ask them gradually to overcome their one-sidedness and look at problems in a relatively all-sided way? In my opinion, we should. We would be stagnating and we would be approving one-sidedness and contradicting the whole purpose of rectification if we did not make the demand that from day to day and from year to year more and more people should view problems in a relatively all-sided way. One-sidedness violates dialectics. We as Mthwakazians must gradually disseminate dialectics and to ask everyone gradually to learn the use of the scientific dialectical method in Mthwakazi Nation. Some of the articles appearing today are extremely pretentious but empty, without any analysis of problems or reasoned argument, and they carry no conviction. There should be fewer and fewer articles of this kind. When writing an article, one should not be for ever thinking, How smart I am! but should put oneself on a completely equal footing with ones readers. You may have been in the revolution for a long time, but if you say something wrong people will refute you all the same. The more you put on airs, the less people will stand for it and the less they will care to read your articles. We should do our work honestly, take an analytical approach, write convincingly and never strike a pose to overawe people. Some people say that while one-sidedness can be avoided in a lengthy article, it is unavoidable in a short essay. Must a short essay inevitably be one-sided? As I have just said, it is usually hard to avoid one-sidedness, and there is nothing terrible if it creeps into a certain extent. Criticism would be hampered if everyone were required to look at problems in an absolutely all-sided way. Nevertheless, we do ask everyone to try to approach problems in a relatively all-sided way and try to avoid one-sidedness not only in long articles but also in short articles, all related to Mthwakazi cause. Some people argue, how is it possible to undertake analysis in an essay of a few hundred or one to two thousand words? The analytical method is dialectical. By analysis, I mean analysing the contradictions in things. And sound analysis is impossible without intimate knowledge of life and without real understanding of the relevant contradictions. We must make a distinction between ourselves and the enemy, and we must not adopt an antagonistic stand towards comrades and treat them as we would the enemy. One must speak warmly and sincerely with a desire to protect the cause of the people and raise their political consciousness and must not indulge in ridicule or attack. What if one dare not write? Some people say they dare not write even when they have something to say, lest they should offend people and be criticized. I think such worries can be cast aside. If what you say is wrong, then criticism can help you correct your mistakes, and there is nothing bad in that. In most societies, militant revolutionary criticism and counter-criticism is the healthy method used to expose and resolve contradictions, us Mthwakazians we out to adopt that. Two alternative methods, of leading our Mthwakazi Nation to Independence or in other words two alternative policies, can be adopted: to open wide or to restrict. To open wide means to let all people express their opinions freely, so that they dare to speak, dare to criticize and dare to debate; it means not being afraid of wrong views or anything poisonous; it means to encourage argument and criticism among people holding different views, allowing freedom both for criticism and for counter-criticism; it means not coercing people with wrong views into submission but convincing them by reasoning. To restrict means to forbid people to air differing opinions and express wrong ideas, and to finish them off with a single blow if they do so. That is the way to aggravate rather than to resolve contradictions. To open wide, or to restrict? We must choose one or the other of these two policies. We choose the former, because it is the policy which will help to consolidate our call for self-determination and develop our revolutionists to a formidable force, and forge unity. We as Mthwakazi pro groups should use the policy of opening wide to unite all organisation and change their present outlook. As I have said above, the overwhelming majority of Mthwakazi organisations want to make progress and remould themselves, and they are quite capable of being remoulded. Mthwakazi National Transitional Council/ Mthwakazi Nation Coalition Council Since the 3rd quarter of 2012 I have constantly called for a possible council of all pro Mthwakazi groups. To my surprise some have headed my calls and taken steps to form something similar which I stand to support throughout. Having said that those for Secession it’s high time we wake up and smell the coffee the Devolutionists have united. In this connection, the policies we adopt will play a big role. The question is above all one of ideology, and it is not helpful but harmful to resort to crude and heavy-handed measures for solving ideological questions. The remoulding of all organisations and especially the changing of their world outlook is a process that requires a long period of time. All comrades must understand that ideological remoulding involves long-term, patience and painstaking work, and we must not attempt to change peoples ideology. Persuasion & Coercion Persuasion not coercion is the only way to convince people. Coercion will never result in convincing people. To try to make them submit by force simply wont do. This kind of method is permissible in dealing with the enemy, but absolutely impermissible in dealing with comrades or friends. What if we dont know how to convince others? Then we have to learn. We must learn to conquer erroneous ideas through debate and reasoning. There are many things we dont understand and are therefore unable to tackle, but through debate and struggle we shall come to understand them and learn how to tackle them. Truth develops through debate between different views. The same method can be adopted in dealing with whatever is poisonous and because in the struggle against the tshabi will develop. This is development through the struggle of: opposites, development conforming to dialectics. Havent people discussed the true, the good and the beautiful all through the ages? Their opposites are the false, the evil and the ugly. The former would not exist without the latter. Truth stands in opposition to falsehood. In society as in nature, every entity invariably divides into different parts, only there are differences in content and form under different concrete conditions. There will always be wrong things and ugly phenomena. There will always be such opposites as the right and the wrong, the good and the evil, the beautiful and the ugly. The same is true of fragrant flowers and poisonous weeds. The relationship between them is one of the unity and struggle of opposites. Only by comparing can one distinguish. Only by making distinctions and waging struggle can there be development. I am for the policy of opening wide; so far there has been too little of it rather than too much. We must not be afraid of opening wide, nor should we be afraid of criticism and poisonous weeds. There will always be things that are wrong, and that is nothing to be afraid of. Recently, ghosts and monsters have been presented on the stage. Some comrades have become very worried by this spectacle. In my opinion, a little of this doesnt matter much; within a few decades such ghosts and monsters will disappear from the stage altogether, and you wont be able to see them even if you want to. We must promote what is right and oppose what is wrong, but we need not be frightened if people come in contact with erroneous things. It will solve no problem simply to issue administrative orders forbidding people to have any contact with perverse and ugly phenomena and with erroneous ideas, or forbidding them to see ghosts and monsters on the stage. Of course, I am not advocating the spread of such stuff, I am only saying a little of this doesnt matter much. It is not at all strange that erroneous things should exist, nor should this give any cause for fear; indeed it helps people learn to struggle against them better. Even great storms are not to be feared. It is amid great storms that human society progresses. In all the revolutionary struggles they will always be people who are bent on deluding the masses the ghosts of elmtree like Freddy (in the 80-90s Horror sit-com) they will soon disappear. Dogmatism and Revisionism For a long time now people have been levelling a lot of criticism at dogmatism. That is as it should be. But they often neglect to criticize revisionism. Both dogmatism and revisionism run counter to Mthwakazi cause. The fight for our Independence must necessarily advance; it must develop along with practice and cannot stand still. It would become lifeless if it were stagnant and stereotyped. However, the basic principles of Mthwakazi cause must never be violated, otherwise mistakes will be made. It is dogmatism to approach our cause from a metaphysical point of view and to regard it as something rigid. It is revisionism to negate the basic principles of Mthwakazi Nation and to negate its universal truth. Revisionism is one form of bourgeois ideology. The revisionists deny the differences between secession and devolution, between the dictatorship of the proletariat and the dictatorship of the Zimbabwe establishment. In present circumstances, revisionism is more pernicious than dogmatism. It is an important task for us to unfold criticism of revisionism on the ideological front now. It is imperative for all Mthwakazi organisations and committees of the provinces, traditional leaders, municipalities and autonomous regions to tackle the question of ideology. This is a point I want to stress to all comrades. In many places, the Mthwakazi committees have not yet tackled the question of ideology, or have done very little about it. Mainly because they are busy down playing the good work they are all doing, to set us free. But tackle it they must. By tackling it I mean that it must be put on the agenda and studied. In the main the large-scale, turbulent power struggles of Mthwakazi leaders, a waste of time, during the preparation of revolution in our Mthwakazi Nation, must come to an end; nonetheless the power struggles chiefly on the political and ideological fronts must remain to enable us to keep the zest/adrenaline junk going, very acute too. The question of ideology has now assumed great importance. The first secretaries of all Mthwakazi organisations and committees in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions should personally tackle this question, which can be solved correctly only when they have given it serious attention and gone into it. Meetings on the way forward for Mthwakazi Nation work should be held in all these places to discuss local ideological work and all related problems. Such meetings should be attended not only by comrades in Mthwakazi Leadership, but also by people outside the organisations, and people with different opinions should be included. This madness, by the tshabi labelling our call for self-determination, treason, tribalism and vile corruption cannot go on, people of Mthwakazi rise up, and rise up! Throw off the shackles of oppression and rise up in the name of freedom, do it not for you, but for those who lay in mass graves and our forefathers, who to this day are turning in their graves. Do it for your families and for your children and your all your loved ones, and the next generations to come. Take this power hungry tyrant and string him up! It’s we, the ones who have been disregarded, trampled and oppressed, who are take the initiative of vengeance and restore our beloved Mthwakazi Nation. People ask: is there someone fit to be our leader? Our task is not to search for that person. Either God will give him to us or he will not come. Our task is to shape the sword that he will need when he comes. Our task it to provide the leader with a nation which is ready for him when he comes! Gatsheni snr, based in London, can be contacted via miffs12@gmail & [email protected]. Legal field sector.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 16:45:34 +0000
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