Maravi

Chief Chisunka is leading the way, let’s follow

Chief Chisunka is leading the way, let’s follow
By The Post
Thu 03 Feb. 2011, 04:00 CAT

“This is an election year and it is very important for the whole country. We, as traditional leaders, are encouraging the people to think carefully before elections. Our subjects will not be cheated because you buy them tujilijili and Shake Shake.

We will insist that politicians come up with good manifestos on which they will deliver. The people of Luapula Province will not be deceived by politicians who try to entice them with money to win their votes.

The electorate in Luapula Province will ensure that they usher into office political leaders who will show the ability to deliver on election campaign promises. Traditional leaders in Luapula Province are sensitising their subjects not to be lured into electing leaders based on gifts.

We don’t want divisions in the country. We are One Zambia, One Nation and we should do everything possible to discourage tribal differences. The country needs to get back to the core of the One Zambia, One Nation slogan which had united the country for a long time since independence. Political leaders should dwell on issue-based campaigns and desist from politics of insults.”

These are the views of chief Chisunka of the Ushi people of Luapula Province. It is said that “a skilled craftsman is admired for the things he makes, a leader’s wisdom is proved by his words” (Sirach 9:17).

And “show me a righteous ruler and I will show you a happy people. Show me a wicked ruler and I will show you a miserable people” (Proverbs 29:2); “When the king is concerned with justice, the nation will be strong, but when he is only concerned with money, he will ruin his country” (Proverbs 29:4).

And truly, as we have stated before, the individual does best in a strong and decent community of people with principles, standards, common aims and values.

We shouldn’t cheat ourselves that democracy is an easy form of government.

It isn’t.

Democracy is a demanding form of government, and neither leaders nor common citizens are naturally prepared for it.

A long process of moral and civic education is required in order to understand and implement a real participatory democracy.

And it is pleasing to listen to traditional rulers like chief Chisunka giving moral and civic education to his people, to all our people.

This is what good leadership entails.

These are the ethics our leaders, traditional or otherwise, should be inculcating in our people instead of corrupting them with money, tujilijili, Shake Shake, chitenge materials, mealie-meal and sugar, bicycles and so on and so forth. Ethics must begin at the top of our society. It is a leadership issue and our leaders must set the example.

A leader of real character is consistently courageous and imbued with a basic integrity and a firm sense of principle.

Good leaders motivate and inspire their people to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.

One can’t lead anyone else further than oneself has gone.

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision.

You can’t play an uncertain trumpet. And it is said that those who stand for nothing fall for anything.

Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision.

And we shouldn’t cheat ourselves that having multiparty elections every five years guarantees us anything.

Multi-partism can indeed further democracy but cannot always guarantee it.

Democracy, like any other human institution, is vulnerable and fragile.

Authentic democracy is possible only in a state ruled by law and on the basis of correct conception of the human person.

A fundamental condition of democracy is, therefore, the recognition of the rights of the person and social groups, be it children or adults, men or women, rich or poor, without any social, tribal or racial discrimination.

A real democracy has to be built on the basis of justice and moral values and has to look to the common good.

And this common good is not simply the addition of particular individual interests; rather it involves an assessment and integration of those interests on the basis of a balanced hierarchy of values; it ultimately demands a correct understanding of the dignity and rights of a person.

The advice of chief Chisunka needs to be heeded because good elections require the intelligent and responsible participation of all.

You can’t have intelligent and responsible elections where votes are being exchanged for money and where tribal politics dominate.

Ours is a nation where we may freely choose those who will represent us, where we may now review the performance of our present representatives, weigh them in the balance of truth, justice and unselfish service, and if we find them wanting, reject and elect others in their place. This is our inalienable right.

But this gives rise to another issue, namely, the character of the candidates themselves.

Our vote can help eliminate the unworthy and improve the quality of political leadership in our country.

Once every five years, the law puts this power in our hands.

Let us use it wisely and bravely and in line with the values and standards chief Chisunka is advocating.

Our vote is a powerful weapon for unity, an instrument of liberty, justice and peace. For this reason, our vote should never be exchanged for money, tujilijili, Shake Shake, mealie-meal, sugar, chitenge materials, bicycles, fertilisers and so on and so forth.

Our vote should never be given to anyone on the basis of their tribe, region of origin but solely by consideration of which of the conflicting issues for candidates is better for the community, for the nation.

We should select our candidates strictly according to the good we think they can do. The interests of the political parties should be kept subordinate to the public good.

As chief Chisunka has advised, let’s not allow character assassination and insults to dominate our election campaigns.

Campaigns must be carried out in a peaceful and honest way, devoid of any violence and slander of other opponents.

We must all be guided by the truth, integrity and justice which are anchored on God’s commandments.

We shouldn’t forget that the primary purpose of our votes is not the political survival of any individual or political party but the good of all our people and our country.

Candidates must be evaluated on the basis of their political parties’ manifestos and their own personal vision.

Those who offer themselves for re-election ought to be evaluated against the record of what they have or have not achieved.

As chief Chisunka has correctly put it, we should ask ourselves: did they fulfil their promises? Did they offer quality service to all our people and not only those who voted for them into power?

Were they available to listen to the concerns of the people and were they selfless in responding to the needs of all, especially the poor?

Those who have not yet held office should be evaluated in terms of their competence and their reputation for honesty and self-dedication of the common good, courage to speak out the truth, disposition to use power for service, especially service of the poor and underprivileged, openness to dialogue, good moral standing, transparency and accountability to the electorate.

No one should be voted for on the basis of the money they dish out, of the gifts they give out. Doing so will be a serious crime and betrayal of our country.

We say this because it is the duty of every voting citizen to choose leaders who will serve the country with justice towards all.

We should be conscious of the crucial role which each individual citizen should play in choosing the leaders who will create the Zambia we want to live in.

We therefore urge all our traditional leaders and other civic leaders to educate our people on the lines being advocated by chief Chisunka so that we can have good elections.

Labels: CHIEF CHISUNKA, LUAPULA PROVINCE, VOTERIGGING

posted by MrK @ 4:48 AM