Maravi

‘Vote for genuine leadership’

‘Vote for genuine leadership’
By The Post
Sat 30 Apr. 2011, 04:00 CAT

Dr Fred Mutesa, the president of Zambians for Empowerment and Development, says “we want authentic and genuine leadership which is in contrast to the current leadership which usually thinks about their stomachs…We do not want change that just improves the lives of politicians and their small circle of friends”.

Truly, what the Zambian people are seeking is genuine democracy in which the leaders are servants of the electorate and not its masters. And such a democracy can only occur when we have honest and humble leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people.

And no one deserves to be elected unless they love their country more than themselves; a leadership that regards politics as a vocation, a way of building up society for the common good. The ruler is supposed to be God’s servant working for our good (Romans 13:4).

Therefore, politics is an area of great importance for promoting justice, peace, development and community among all. And for these reasons, we must vote wisely and only for people who are known for their honesty, ability, dedication and concern for the welfare of all. Therefore, we have to make full use of our right to vote and consider it a great responsibility to do so. And our participation in the politics of our country should be guided by noble sentiments and ideas.

As for those who want to lead us, continue leading us, we remind them of Mark 9:35: “Whoever wants to be first must place himself as last of all and be the servant of all.” We need people who care for others in government; we don’t need selfish people in government. We say this because the government is the instrument by which people co-operate together in order to achieve the common good. And as such, government is supposed to act for the benefit of all; it has a duty to serve the people and to equitably distribute goods and services among all of the people. To do this, people with high credibility, people who are conscious of their specific and proper role in the political community, are needed in government and in politics.

Political leadership must aim at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people. We read in the scriptures that “…You know that the men who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, he must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, he must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people” (Mark 10:42-45). Politics should therefore focus on programmes to improve the life of the nation rather than on personality issues.

The proper role of political leaders is to serve the people and not to serve themselves; to pursue the interests of the people and not their own interests. They do this by creating opportunities that benefit all citizens without discrimination. And overall, citizens should be concerned with the way leaders lead them and administer public affairs. That is why elections are very important.

There is need for our political leaders to conduct their business with love and respect for one another. A person chosen for political responsibility as a leader must remember that he or she is simply a servant or steward entrusted to offer humble service to others as opposed to owning power or the people he or she is serving. Our leaders should therefore be accountable to the people who chose them; they should work for the common good. The greatest challenge for bringing about justice and peace in our country consists in good administration of public affairs, in politics and the economy. We need leaders who profoundly love their own people and wish to serve rather than to be served. We don’t need leaders who are preoccupied with: ‘what is in it for me?’ We need leaders whose mission is to serve the people wholeheartedly and never for a moment divorce themselves from the people. We need leaders who in all cases proceed from the interests of the people and not from one’s self-interests or from the interests of a small group. We need leaders who are above vulgar interests, leaders who are of value to the people. We need leaders whose every word, every act and every policy conforms to the people’s interests. We need leaders who have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart.

We don’t need leaders who are not willing to hold themselves responsible to the people. This is why for us, democracy means that governments are closely linked to the people, arise from the people, have the support of the people and devote themselves entirely to working and struggling for the people and the people’s interests. Democracy implies the defence of all the rights of citizens, including the right to dignity and honour.

And corruption, abuse of people and their resources by those in power must disappear before we can have real democracy. As long as there is corruption, abuse of people, power and public resources, there can’t be any democracy.

Therefore, to us, democracy is both a promise and a challenge. It is a promise that if we work together as free human beings, we can govern ourselves in a manner that will serve our aspirations for personal freedom, economic opportunity and social justice. It is a challenge because the success of the democratic enterprise rests upon our shoulders as citizens of this country and no one else. Government of and by the people means that the citizens of a democratic society share in its benefits and in its burdens. If things are not well in our country, we should take responsibility for that and work to correct them. If we have bad leaders in government, it is our duty to correct this by voting them out and selecting better ones in their stead. We must take responsibility for the fate of our country. In the end, we get the government we deserve.

Labels: FRED MUTESA, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 11:30 AM