Maravi

Muteteka's observations on our ministers

Muteteka's observations on our ministers
By Editor
Saturday May 31, 2008 [04:00]

Former lands deputy minister Moses Muteteka says some ministers easily forget why they are in office and only want to please the appointing authority. Muteteka also says that some of the ministers are not sincere in their work and are not doing anything as they are only spectators. And he has advised ministers to serve the Zambian people instead of concentrating on protecting their jobs.

If what Muteteka is saying is true, then we have a serious problem as a nation. To be a leader is not merely to put your name on a ballot paper and get elected, but to work and live in a way that respects and enhances the lives of others.

Those in the government have to work very hard and deliver all the necessary services to our people.

There is nothing which makes people more appreciative of a government than that it should be able to deliver services. But of course, we should not ignore the fact that the ways in which we achieve our goals are bound by context, changing with circumstances even when we remain steadfast in our commitment to our vision.

The mark of great leaders is the ability to understand the context in which they are operating and act accordingly.

For us, true leaders of the people are those who are always worried about socioeconomic questions. What is important for our leaders is to do their duty to their country and their people. The important thing is to give happiness to the people.

And instead of just concentrating on pleasing the appointing authority – the President – they should concentrate, as Muteteka has correctly advised, on serving the people. There is need for our leaders to realise that obligations to the people take precedence over loyalty to an individual, over pleasing an individual.

Leaders must follow the dictates of their conscience irrespective of the consequences which might overtake them for it.

And it is not good for the President to surround himself with yes-men and women. It is important to surround himself with strong and independent personalities, who will tell him when he is getting things wrong; who will tell him the things he may not want to hear. We need ministers who are able to criticise the President if criticism is valid.

Ministers are not supposed to be servants of the President. Although he is the appointing authority, ministers are not his servants, but like him, are servants of the people.

Moreover, none of us, regardless of what positions we may occupy, can be described as having virtues or qualities that raise him or her above others. It is a fact of human condition that each shall, like a meteor – a mere brief passing moment in time and space – flit across the human stage and pass out of existence.

Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to our responsibilities.

However, we shouldn’t expect our leaders to do more than is humanly possible. No single individual can assume the role of a messiah. Those who are ready to join hands can overcome the greatest challenges. And there is no need for our leaders to pretend they can deliver everything or that they know everything.

They should never pretend to know what they don’t know, they should not feel ashamed to ask and learn from the people and they should listen carefully to the views of the people. They should try to be pupils before they become teachers; they should try to learn from the people before they issue orders.

It is said that the people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of history. The masses are the real heroes, while the leaders are often childish and ignorant, and without this understanding, it is impossible to acquire even the most rudimentary knowledge. The masses have boundless creative power.

We have always maintained that the progress of our country must rely on the masses, on everybody taking a hand, and we have opposed relying merely on a few persons issuing orders.

We need leaders who, in everything that they do, are doing so in the interest of the people. This means that our leaders must link themselves with the masses. And to do so, they must always act in accordance with the needs and wishes of the masses. All work done for the masses must start from their needs and not from the desire of any individual, however well-intentioned.

Our leaders’ point of departure is to serve the people whole-heartedly and never for a moment divorce themselves from the masses, to proceed in all cases from the interests of the people and not from one’s self-interest or from the interest of a small group.

All leaders, whatever their rank, are servants of the people, and whatever they do should be to serve the people.

Their duty is to hold themselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy must conform to the people’s interest – that is what being responsible to the people means.

At no time and in no circumstances should a leader place his personal interests first; he should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses. Hence, selfishness, slacking, corruption and so on and so forth, are most contemptible, while selflessness, working with all one’s energy, whole-hearted devotion to public duty will command respect.

True leaders must be ready at all times to stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interest of the people; true leaders must be ready at all times to correct their mistakes, because mistakes are against the interests of the people.

And our leaders should set an example in being practical as well as far-sighted. For only by being practical can they fulfill the appointed tasks, and only far-sightedness can prevent them from losing their bearing in the march forward.

Those who want to be leaders should be the most far-sighted, the most self-sacrificing, the most resolute, and the least prejudiced in sizing up situations, and they should rely on the majority of the masses and win their support.

Therefore, the issues raised by Muteteka deserve serious consideration by all our people, by all our leaders, including the President. No one should occupy public office, or indeed any leadership position, simply to fulfill an ambition or pleasure.

These are positions of great importance because they deal with people’s lives, they deal with the destines of communities and of the nation itself.
We hope Muteteka will not be singled out for hatred or victimisation. If criticism is valid, it must be made.

Labels: MINISTERS, MOSES MUTETEKA

posted by MrK @ 3:01 PM