Political Input to ANCYL on ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL “An apple does not fall far from its tree” The proverb which says, an apple does not fall far from its tree is equally truthful to organisations and their youth leagues. Therefore, by analogy the African National Congress (ANC) is a tree and the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is its fruit. Although ANCYL is administratively autonomous, nevertheless, it remains an integral part of the ANC in a form of ‘political preparatory school’, and a ‘body of opinion’ for its young generation. I therefore, wish to forward this political input of organisational renewal based on the above supposition. The ANCYL as a mass political youth organisation of the ANC with the constitutional mandate to reinforce the programmes of the ANC in the society should respond to the call of organisational renewal by its mother body. ANCYL should not only consider the resolution of organisational renewal, but it should, or perhaps must leap contemplations of the ‘call above’ and decisively, robustly, and militantly respond in a dual protocol. That is, 1. Prioritising the ANCYL organisational renewal in this phase of rebuilding its organisational and political machinery. 2. Participating in ANC organisational renewal, in this second phase of transition of the National Democratic Revolution. This call is more urgent and pivotal for ANCYL as the youth are more accurate and relevant beneficiaries of organisational wellness and prosperity. Generally, the correlative renewal of ANC and ANCYL will afford the ANC as a ‘Political Democratic Tree’ to produce the ANCYL as a ‘Political Democratic Fruit’. It is indeed the moral and legal duty of the ANC to politically train and educate ANCYL both cognitively and experientially. Does a fruit suddenly appear without participation of the tree? Does a tree produce a fruit different from its type? Does a fruit fall from a tree randomly by chance? The correct answer to these triple questions is a definite NO. The right political consciousness would then be; the acceptance by the ANCYL to politically and organisationally be mentored by the ‘Mother Body’ on all structural levels. The ANCYL should further agree to the position that it is not and it is not meant to be the hegemony in the ANC. Nor is designed to be king maker’s in the ANC. Deeper still, it is not intended to aggressively lead the ANC, as the ANC has its own leadership. For the contrary, remains and would be a political misconception, power mismanagement, and misleading of the youth. Just as a reminder, the Julius Malema ANCYL was disbanded due to this misstep and malpractice, which also saw him and his associates suspended and expelled. It is a matter of principle that a tree produces a fruit of its kind, and that by the principle of gravity it falls, and falls next to it. By the same token, it cannot be that the organisational renewal and development of the ANCYL is left to unconfirmed political principles of ‘natural selection and random mutation’. The above argumentation should not be mistaken to presuppose for the robotization of the ANCYL. Nor do I suggest the interruption and neutralisation of the autonomy of the ANCYL. As a matter of clarity, I propose for a compulsory political education, not only for executive committees of the ANCYL structures, but also for its entire branchs. In addition to its own political education, the mother body should conduct a special political education, and joined programmes to empower and develop the youth wing. This should be accounted for in a political report of all structure of the ANC. To produce a fruity and well reaped fruit, in accordance to the 2012 resolution of raising cadres and based on ANC values, the political education for ANCYL by ANC should be conducted once a semester. On one hand, the purpose should be to raise and assist ANCYL: 1. To have a solid and a dynamic character to lead the youth 2. To continue the task of social transformation 3. To be the vanguard movement of both organised and unorganised progressive youth of our country 4. To be a front rank combatant in the fight for the victory of African Renaissance 5. To participate and monitor the implementation of National Youth Policy 6. To participate in the phase of radical economic shift 7. To defend the gains of; and deepening the democracy 8. To realise its aims and objectives On the other hand, the outcome or focus should be to raise ANCYL members to be: 1. Drives for change 2. Revolutionary democrats 3. Developed and disciplined young carders 4. Socioeconomic activists and entrepreneurs 5. loyal members of the liberation movement 6. and Good and law abiding citizens As a result, the ANCYL will be a responsible and prosperous organisation. In its renewal ANCYL should embrace interdependence, shared vales and co-prosperity with the ANC. It should be rooted in a democratic culture. The organisational renewal should answer, and provide for the ANCYL with proper direction and revived political will. This rationale is within the context that organisational renewal will also serve as campus for ANCYL to realise its mission of reproducing ideas of ANC among the youth by bringing or leading them into a struggle of real political, economic, and social freedoms under the broad political ambit of the ANC. By Reece Phatudi Note: This article is written in consultation with ANC and ANCYL archives from their website. (2014-06-30)
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 05:29:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015