The Campus Students' Parliament is a primary accountability and policy development unit. It is the basic and nuclear unit of expression of students' aspirations politically and otherwise. It is important that as revolutionaries we begin the attempt to seize the CSP and make it a true arena of the masses at a campus level. The University of Fort Hare EL-Campus has displayed that there are still revolutionary elements within the campus during the fight against the Direct Payment System which was aborted by the ISRC and its vacillating leadership. It is of significant importance that this Organ of power is positioned in a manner that will make it a driver of Student Activism not only within the East London Campus but across the Institution.
State of Activism in UFH-EL Campus
The state of activism in UFH-EL Campus can be best described as the kicks of a dying horse. This CSP session is a make-or-break due to how it can either kill activism and sell students to the highest bidder or genuinely revive student activism. In this space of activism, the flame has been kept alive by individuals who are mainly found in PASMA and in the main, EFFSC members. It is not a secret that the fight against the Direct Payment System was a non-partisan effort; however, we would be politically dishonest if we were to minimize the role played by EFFSC Cadres, particularly the author of this article. The State of Activism is being kept alive by individuals like Cde. Kamva Mtayisi (PASMA), Cde. Ludwe Mbeceni (COPESM), Cde. Sakhele 'Sakza' Sololo (AZASCO), Cde. Lundi Mkhosi (EFFSC), Cde. Onikwa Maqhubela (EFFSC), the author of this article (EFFSC), Cde. Londeka Ngcungama (ANCWL), Cde. Zizipho Mbasa (ANCWL), Anathi Mjoji (PASMA), and a plethora of other Comrades we cannot mention in this article due to limited space. This is one of the rare occasions in history whereby the subjective factor takes precedence over the objective factor. To paraphrase Leon Trotsky, individuals are pushing history and without them, some of these moves would not have become possible.
It is through social media campaigns led by many young cadres who did not hesitate to adhere to the call of putting the SRC under pressure and DHET in the spotlight that we saw student activism resurrect. In the words of Marcus Garvey, conditions mobilized the people behind the banner of activism even though it was sabotaged by the reformist and reactionary ISRC. Based on this brief analysis we can tell that activism on this campus is on the rise due to fresh layers of students who have been ushered into the space through the school of struggle and poor social conditions. The Interim SRC has opened a vacuum that must be filled by either revolutionaries or reformists who are ultimately counter-revolutionary.
Towards a Revolutionary Secretariat
It is on this basis that we must ensure that we elect a revolutionary CSP Secretariat. However, we know the law of politics, the law is that the most mediocre and the most politically backward will be escalated due to their gullibility. It is this layer of student politicians we have to wage a bitter struggle against all with the aim of restoring the dignity and the revolutionary character of the CSP. It is no secret that CSPs have been rendered useless and functionless due to the political machinations that have gripped our body politic. A revolutionary Secretariat will bring back that sense of revolutionary purpose and will ensure it stretches the limits of this reformist system. A revolutionary Secretariat is the only subjective tool that can be used to stretch the limits of the system given the state of reaction in our institution. It is only a revolutionary Secretariat that can deliver the constitutional aspirations and vision of what the CSP should be and how it should function. The SGC sees CSPs as a necessary complement to the ISP, thus, they must at all material times reflect such. As Bolshevik-Leninists, we must use the CSP as our tool of reinvigorating the body politic. The Bolsheviks in the Duma from 1912 - 1914 tactically used the Duma to awaken the consciousness of the Russian Proletariat against the Tsarist regime. It is a pity that World War 1 occurred. However, the seeds of revolution were sown, and the tree shot up to life in 1917. A revolutionary Secretariat will play that function.
What is to be done?
We need to ensure that going to CSP we unite Societies and Revolutionary Organizations under one bloc to ensure that the representation in the Secretariat is a true reflection of the revolutionary character of our campus. We have no room for compromise and no time to resurrect dead dogs who see this as their political comeback. We must also ensure that we protect Student Activism by ensuring that CSP doesn't become a haven for reactionaries and counterrevolutionaries who masquerade as revolutionaries. The only way to do that is to elect the revolutionaries who have been at the forefront of every struggle in our campus and in our institution. CSP Delegates owe it to students to elect Revolutionary Leaders, that is the best thing they can do for the revolution at this juncture.
No comments:
Post a Comment