INTRODUCTION
POLITICAL cadreism is now a popular and widely used term in Zambian politics. Recently, the term has received negative reactions and views from the public. These negative public opinions have been brought about by the behaviour of the political cadres.
There are many examples of the conduct of political cadres which has brought public resentment and these included but not limited to forceful acquisition of public property like land.
Political cadres have been authorities unto themselves. They could have taken over people’s land and demarcated into plots which they could sell to interested individuals without any compensation to the owner who had legal titles to the land. Many people lost their valued properties to the cadres.
Political cadres took charge of the markets and bus stations which were legally under the control of the local authorities as mandated by the Markets and Bus Stations Act of 2007.
Cadres took control of the running of markets and bus stations and charged fees which they deemed fit. The levies charged ended up in their pockets. Trading space along the streets in urban areas were under the control of political cadres with individuals calling themselves “commanders” as the designated authorities who allocated space to would-be traders and charged them fees.
In extreme cases political cadres left government institutions powerless because they could storm into a
Government office at will if they were not happy with how operations were going on.
Evidence through media abound of cadres storming police stations, government offices and media houses and harassing and molesting officers on duty.
There have been incidents of harassment of mourners at graveyards by the political cadres with mourners sustaining injuries from their beating. Political assemblies, meetings or rallies of political parties were disrupted at will by political cadres and in some cases people sustained serious injuries and in certain instances lives were lost.
Ordinary citizens ended up being embarrassingly harassed in public, a classical example being that of a young lady who was publicly stripped naked at a youth parade in Lusaka.
Political cadres instilled fear in the wider public because in places like Lusaka they could at various times be seen loaded in mini buses with some waving pangas.
The social media has been flooded with videos of political cadres that displayed huge sums of money in their possession whose sources was not known. These are but some of the few examples. This behaviour displayed by the political cadres exhibited a climate of lawlessness. The conduct of political cadres have instilled fear in the lives of ordinary citizens especially in urban areas. The behaviour of political cadres was a major issue in the August 12, 2021 general elections.
The negative views expressed on the political cadres resonated very well with the voters and accepted it as a major problem affecting the lives of ordinary citizens. This is the background to this article.
The article focuses on the need for civic education for political cadres to instill in them behaviour that is in line with the dictates of life in a democratic society. It is the hope of the writer that the article will be seen in the context of our strive as a nation to build a more democratic society.
It is not every citizen of our republic who has opened a book on democracy and enlighten themselves with what a democratic society is. Equally, not every one of our citizens has opened the constitution and read it and understand how it relates to democracy and constitutionalism.
We still have a long road to travel in building a democratic nation. To some of our people winning a general election means it is time to settle scores. To some it means it is time for exercising political power and control over the lives of everyone even if this amounts to gross violation of human rights and the dignity of individuals.
There is still a lot of work to be done by all political parties to bring their cadres to a full understanding of what democracy is and how every citizen should live and conduct their lives in a democratic society. Democracy like development is not an event but it is a long process of building a society in which each and every citizen will feel that their rights, freedom, security, dignity and welfare are respected in line with the law of the land.
- WHAT ARE CADRES?
Various dictionaries define cadre as a specially selected group that is trained, and capable of forming and leading an organisation.
Cadres are a unified qualified group. Cadres are expected to be knowledgeable and competent in the field for which they have been trained. This is the ordinary understanding of the term cadre.
It is because of this positive definition of cadre that the term is used in many sectors of life like military, health, industry and many others. From this definition, it is in fact a pride to be called cadre because one is being associated with a special core or nucleus group upon which the organisation depends.
In political circles the term cadre has taken on a different meaning. In the Marxist Leninist view a cadre was a member of that group which stood out as the vanguard of the party. Cadres were a group of intellectuals who shared a common ideology of a revolutionary movement. China and other communist countries broadened the concept of cadre to mean staff that are trained to perform a number responsibilities in the party, state, military, business and other organisations in the country. The Communisty Party of China is the legal authority over the country.
Cadres are trained personnel who carry out the goals of the party and enforce its ideology. In short, cadres control the country in different sectors. This is the communist system. This is not how a democratic society is organised.
- DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
Democracy rests on the recognition, acceptance and acknowledgement of the fundamental worth and dignity of the individual in themselves. Democracy is
based on the belief of the value, worth and importance of each individual person. Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected in their own sake and to be treated ethically.
One of the major indexes of the recognition and respect of the worth of individual persons is the respect of their human rights. These rights are inalienable meaning that they are not subject to being taken away.
The inalienable rights of individuals in a democracy are: the right and freedom of holding an opinion and expression, the right and freedom of assembly, the right and freedom of movement, the right and freedom of religion and conscience, the right of equal protection before the law. Inalienable rights are natural rights.
In a democracy, Government rests on the foundation of a limited government. This means the government cannot do what it wants without the consent of the people directly and or through their representatives.
Democratic decisions entail that there should be accountability and transparency in decisions that leaders make. Co-existence, tolerance, respect, rule of law, human rights, social justice, equality, equity, among others are the key values and ethics which form the bedrock of a democratic society.
4 THE ZAMBIA CONSTITUTION
The Zambia Constitution has been framed on the guidelines of a democratic society. The Bill of Rights section of the Constitution firmly acknowledges its adherence to democracy and constitutionalism.
It is important to refer to some of the key tenets of the Bill of Rights to highlight the point. What does the Bill of Rights prescribe which every citizen must know, understand and strictly obey?
- Every person in Zambia shall be entitled to the fundamental rights and freedom of individuals whatever their race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, creed, or marital status.
- The rights and freedoms set out in the Bill of Rights are inherent in each individual and protect the dignity of each person. These are:
i) Protection from discrimination. A person shall not be discriminated against except under the law that provides for affirmative action.
ii) Right to Life. A person has a right to life. The right to life begins at conception. A person shall not be deprived of life intentionally, except for a capital offence the sentence of which is death subject to limitations, defences and extent presented.
iii) Freedom of the Person. A person has the right to freedom of the person, which includes the right not to be deprived of that freedom arbitrarily.
iv) Security of the person and protection from inhuman treatment. A person has the right to security of the person which includes the right not to be subjected to torture or punished in a cruel, inhuman and degrading manner.
v) Political Association. A citizen has the right to participate in political activities
vi) Freedom of association. A person has a right to freedom of association which includes the right to form, join or participate in the activities of an association.
The constitution emphatically states that these rights and freedoms shall be the basis of Zambia’s social, political, legal, economic, and cultural policies and state action.
These rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution are binding on every person residing in Zambia and must be obeyed and respected. They are the basic tenets that should shape our conduct and inter- personal relationships and interaction.
Political cadres like every other citizen must know, understand and apply these fundamental tenets of the constitution in their daily lives. There should not be any ground to justify the violation of these constitutional provisions which ought to govern our lives and conduct.
- CIVIC EDUCATION FOR POLITICAL CADRES
When measured against the basic tenets of the Bill of Rights discussed here, the conduct of political cadres outlined earlier are in fact a gross violation of the constitution which is the supreme law of the land.
The behaviour of the cadres as discussed earlier amount to criminality because they go against the Bill of Rights as prescribed in the constitution.
The question is why they conduct themselves that way. The answer in my view is lack of civic education which has resulted in deep ignorance of the legally binding rights of individuals. Political cadres join or consider themselves as members of a political party without being inducted in the basic tenets of the Bill of Rights. What they know, believe and practice is political militancy. This is the more reason why they demand for and wear party combats so that they appear authoritative, frightening and intimidating.
The despicable conduct of political cadres is an indication of the failure or lack of civic education in political parties. Most political parties lack or have no programmes of educating their cadres about the dictates of the national constitution especially the Bill of Rights.
How many political parties have produced booklets on the Bill of Rights in the local languages for their cadres.
In the same vein, do political parties conduct education programmes on the Bill of Rights for their cadres from the national level down to the Wards? I am is not aware of such programmes. Political parties should as matter of urgency embark on civic education programmes for cadres at different levels. Such programmes should place heavy emphasis on the Bill of Rights.
Building of a democratic does not begin and end with general elections. It needs educating the members of a political party about the underlining values, principles and beliefs of a democracy as spelt out in the constitution. The conduct of political cadres discussed earlier, which the public has resented, is an indication of the failure of political parties in civic education of their members.
- CONCLUSION
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Democracy like development is not an event but a process. The establishment of a society which is firmly grounded in democratic values, beliefs and principles requires concerted efforts on the part of the leaders and concerned citizens.
Civic education of citizens and political cadres is a necessary condition for the development of a democratic society. The conduct of political cadres thirty years after the introduction of multiparty politics is not only an indictment on party leaders but should be embarrassing and shameful.
Political party leaders should embark on programmes of civic education of their members through workshops and seminars, and through radio, television and newspapers.
Ends.
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In Kantian philosophy individuals are noumena that is beings in themselves that are not reduciable to anything else. Penoumena are things as they appear to the human conscious.
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