Why young people should be in local governance

12 Nov, 2017 - 02:11 0 Views

The Sunday News

Micheal Mhlanga

For most of the time the young politician is constantly reminded that he is the leader of tomorrow to the extent that this socialisation has become normal that he no longer thinks that in his youthful days she/he can institute cardinal change.

The narrative of “leaders of tomorrow” is very chronic to the young mind such that it ultimately suggests that one has to grow older to lead which in all its sense lacks probity.

Let me hasten to say that many if not all political movements are nourished by the young and the restless and it is unfair to categorise them as leaders of tomorrow as if their being is less human or capable of doing whatever is required in that instant time and space in politics.

By virtue of one being a voluntary signatory of any political association it reflects their potential and interest in advancing the welfares of that organisation they are part of.

Their value should be measured based on instant capability, not future contributions as if they are an invested stock. This perception of young people in many of our political settings has led to an unnecessary clash of political interests which seemingly over protect the older generation, even the incompetent ones from didactic youthful challenges.

All this is canvassed in a juddered definition of Africanism where young people are reminded that “elders are not challenged”.

In this article, I desire to appeal to young people interested to run for offices in the impending elections.

It has become more of a swag that any young person who wants to propel progress in their community should be a parliamentary candidate.

Even those with little to no political appreciation have suddenly shown up on social media walls or added us to their broadcast list that we should vote for them as Members of Parliament.

I argue that in as much as Parliamentary seats are important, young people can best bring change in Local Governance offices whose effects and failures affect us immediately.

This is hinged on the fact that urban areas are habitants of young people who pay rates, work in those cities and towns even as informal traders (hustlers), whose children attend schools governed by the City by-laws, whose mode of transport is affected by the City Councils which means every aspect of a young person’s life is affected by the Local Government instantly much more than it is by bills that spend months being debated in Parliament.

It comes as a surprise for many to learn that the role of the Parliament in its truest sense is to debate motions and pass bills yet the City Council is responsible for the daily development of the populace habitats.

The City Council is responsible for the building of the bridges in cities and towns, the water we drink, the roads we drive or walk on, the collection of refuse and solid waste and the beauty of the towns and cities we live in.

These responsibilities affect and influence our daily lives instantly and if there is anything to change and have an impact on by young people, this is the office.

The state of youths in Zimbabwe’s political groups

Truth be told, political parties are nourished by youth associations.

Talk of Zanu-PF youth league and its subscriptions, one would not wonder why the revolutionary party still has a grip on the political competition.

The Youth League is the backbone of the party and its influence weighs in so much when it comes to decision making.

This comes as no secret that many of the instabilities in Zanu-PF over the past decades have seen the defected attempting to court the youths.

This is because they understand that the value of the youth in the revolutionary party is principal in its power and resolute.

In fact, the nationalist movement was nurtured by the youth actions.

Maurice Nyagumbo in his book: With the People, narrates how in 1955 he doubted the capabilities of the Youth, perceiving them as an undisciplined city lot with no focused impetus, in fact according to him, he preferred a political party than a youth league yet Robert Chikerema, Paul Mushonga and Henry Hamadziripi were convinced that it is the youth who are affected by any governance misgivings.

Nyagumbo’s memoir serves to teach us that the subsequent bus boycott of 1956 was orchestrated by the youth league.

He also tells us that after the increases in rents and bus fares, the leaders of the youth league, George Nyandoro, Chikerema and Mushonga went to see the superintendent of the Harare Township to challenge the punitive increases on an already suffering black population whose extended family was dependent on.

It is these vibrant young minds who realised that Local Governance by then was already affecting the young and restless and took it upon them to challenge the status quo.

The three represent a young Zanu-PF whose young ones by then did not know of the becoming of Zanu, but were organised to effect change in their immediate spaces.

The three can be taken as luminaries of young thinking that can bolt change in Municipal Councils to contribute to the collective development of our country.

I take it that if young people in any existing political party want to contribute in our development through being elected into offices next year, the zeal and strategy taken by Chikerema, Nyandoro and Mushonga in 1956 would be more than a wise deportment where their influence would best change how we are governed locally.

This goes without saying, MDC’s founding power was a huge nourishment from the youth movements in the form of the student movement and a youth bulge in the high density areas across Zimbabwe.

Its success and decline over the years has been at most, financed by a growing or declining youth participation. For a party whose founding members were mostly youth, it ought to recognise the capability possessed by young people.

Shifting the centre

As the two main political rivals (Zanu-PF and MDC) go to the drawing board to prepare for primary elections, they should put this to mind, Local Governance is best served by a literate and energetic group who appreciate and understand dynamics of City brand marketing, service delivery, modus operandi of Local Governance, architecture, and public administration.

The existing pool of councillors in Bulawayo and across the country is either out of sorts to understand the value and power of Local Governance or has no idea of what to do in that office at all.

This has led to numerous clashes between the council administration and the councillors to the point that the City Council is run by the town clerk in some instances.

If young people occupy those spaces, not through quota system but a deliberate competition within their political parties, the centre of interests in politics would have shifted.

When everyone’s focus is on Parliament, interest will be shifted on the importance and value of local governments where issues that affect us instantly are dealt with.

Sometimes you have to leave the bread and take the butter with you to make people wonder the importance of the butter, bread is much more nice with butter, in fact there are a lot of things you can do with butter than with bread and Local Governance is the butter of our livelihoods and it is high time young people rethink their political aspirations.

A side reminder, Parliamentary campaigns are much more expensive than City Council ones and most brilliant young people who can change the fortunes of our City Councils do not have much to go by, so their political ambitions can still exist if they are ready to contribute to the development of the country through serving in Local Governments.

At least we can reduce complacency exhibited by most councillors who think council-ship is a retirement package for burial society chairpersons.
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