CORRUPTION appears to have sunk its roots in our beloved country and unless tough action is seen to be done now, it might soon be assumed to be our accepted official modus operandi.
God forbid!
The ruling ZANU PF had guidelines etched in their code of conduct which looked at corrupt deeds as anathema to the wellbeing of a polity.
Indeed during the liberation struggle, the most trying time in our history, cadres at the front accepted Chairman Mao’s military doctrine which guided the Chinese Red Army.
Standing out in both the ZANU PF code of conduct and Mao’s military doctrine is the need to respect people’s property by those in authority.
It could be how soldiers relate to the povo or politicians to their followers.
People’s property includes that owned by the state or by companies.
Mao’s lyrics are quite explicit in directing soldiers to be honest in all their dealings with the people.
The ZANU PF Leadership Code, which must be covered with cobwebs in some drawers, is equally explicit about the need for honesty.
Needless to point out that corruption ranks among the worst levels of dishonesty.
It should be fortunate that this country is governed by ZANU PF; a party whose guiding principles during the liberation struggle uncompromisingly condemned corruption.
Thus hate of corruption should be part of the ethos of our national fabric.
But is it so?
The ZANU PF Leadership Code, which tallied with Mao’s military philosophy opposed to corruption, was an appropriate sequel to that doctrine.
The Leadership Code, crafted soon after independence, was a useful guide in making sure the top brass of the party remained exemplary in their behaviour and conduct.
Surely a leader who amasses wealth corruptly at the expense of the people he is supposed to serve must be cursed.
Mind you, this leadership code should not be confined to Mao’s Red Army and ZANU PF only.
It should include leaders from the Church, parastatals, opposition parties, local authorities, civic organisations and sports bodies, among many others.
Even as individuals, corruption should never be acceptable.
However, there seems to be a renewed hope to tackle this scourge with the rebirth of a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission armed with arresting powers.
An interesting aspect of this commission is that it is headed by a High Court judge.
As we have pointed out already, the effort to curb corruption should be a national commitment, to the extent that any corrupt deed should be rejected whenever it rears its ugly head.
TheZANU PF Leadership Code and Chairman Mao’s doctrine should be taught, not as partisan documents but as national creeds.
This way, we will be honouring the heroes we commemorate on Monday.
These, among them, are our young brothers and sisters who offered the ultimate sacrifice to see that their country was freed from the injustices of colonial rule. They didn’t sacrifice their lives for a few corrupt individuals to milk the nation dry.
We pray the new-look ZACC will help return the country to a corruption free polity as envisaged by Chairman Mao’s military doctrine and the ZANU PF Leadership Code.
Meanwhile, we wish our readers happy Heroes’ and Defence Forces’ days.
Remember, don’t drink and drive!