Going into politics for money, fame

Going into politics for money, fame
By The Post
Sat 30 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

It is always better to do things for the right reasons. And it is always better to be clear about things. And public office is not something one should take up to fulfil an ambition or pleasure.

Doing things for the wrong reasons has got consequences. There is a sort of chain of events. For if good intentions foster good deeds, bad intentions can foster, on the other hand, bad deeds. It is said that whereas virtue must be nourished, vice springs
up spontaneously like weeds and grows by itself.

Mutale Nalumango’s advice needs to be heeded. Looking at the type of people offering themselves for public office, one wonders what their real motivations are. We are seeing all sorts of characters vying to be councillors, members of parliament or even presidents of our Republic. Looking at their records of public service, their attitudes towards the common good, one wonders what some of these people want in public office. Some of them are clearly selfish, greedy and corrupt elements that care for nobody else other than themselves. But they want to occupy public office, they want to be leaders.

These are people who know nothing about public service. The only thing they know is how to serve themselves.

Nalumango, the deputy speaker of our National Assembly, says “if you go into politics for money, most likely you become corrupt because you won’t find the money you were imagining. If it’s fame and status, then you want everybody to notice where you are. I thought really politics and governance, this power must be power to serve.

Governance must be service, therefore for me I believe you should go into politics, and I did go into politics, based on my conviction that I can do something in my community Kaputa”. For some, political office gives them an opportunity to “eat”, amass wealth. How can this be so when the salaries of those who hold political offices are not that high? This is only because there is abuse of public office to enrich oneself. All sorts of favours are extended to those who hold public office by those seeking government business, contracts.

These give the holders of public offices money and all sorts of things they never give to anybody else not holding public office. People who never used to receive gifts from anybody start receiving all sorts of things from all sorts of businessmen. People they never knew start calling them their friends and their children start referring to them as uncle so and so. How is this possible? This is possible because of money. This is possible because of corruption, because of abuse of office.

Look at Rupiah Banda and his family! Look at the financial state they were in before Rupiah became President! Look at what they are today, what they own today! Look at who are their friends today! What has changed? It’s power! This power has opened so many doors for them to get all sorts of contracts from institutions and individuals doing business with government or quasi-governmental organisations. That’s how they are getting money.

They are selling or peddling influence. Rupiah’s position in government is what is doing the tricks, is what is bringing cash. They are selling government business. There is no secret about the source of the wealth Rupiah and his family have amassed. It’s simply a product of corruption, of abuse of office. It is not surprising that the first thing Rupiah and his friends went for is the removal of the offence of abuse of office from our Anti Corruption Commission Act.

These people don’t see themselves as servants of the people; they see themselves as masters of the people. A person offering himself to take up public office should see himself or herself as a servant or steward seeking to be entrusted to offer humble service to others as opposed to owning power or the people he or she is serving. Those seeking public office should therefore accept to be accountable to the people and work for the common good. This is why it is said that we need saintly politicians who profoundly love their own people and wish to serve rather than to be served; leaders who are willing to exercise stewardship and uphold the common good.

Clearly, whether we will have good laws or bad laws, an upright or inefficient administration will depend on the type of people we vote for in the forthcoming elections. If we vote for reckless people, corrupt elements, people who have no national interest at heart, we are going to jeopardise the future of our country and our children. We must vote for people of integrity, people who place national interest before personal ambitions. Let us use our votes for the good of Zambia, as opposed to the good of a particular party, group or individual. Let’s vote for people who have proved themselves accountable to God and to the electorate. Let us vote for people who are courageous in defending truth and justice for all, people who are completely honest in fulfilling public and private responsibilities.

Our right to vote will only bear positive fruits for the country if we choose good leaders for presidency, members of parliament and councillors who will serve the country with justice towards all. Let us use our vote to help eliminate the unworthy and improve the quality of political leadership in our country.

People who want to use public office to rescue themselves from financial doldrums are not worth voting for. People who see public office as an opportunity for self-enrichment are dangerous to put in public offices. We need leaders who have largeness of mind and who are staunch and active in looking after the interests of the people. We need leaders who are able to subordinate their personal interests to those of the people they were elected to serve. We need leaders who are more concerned about the masses than about any individual and more concerned about others than about themselves. Only thus can they serve our people selflessly.

At no time and in no circumstances should anyone elected to public office in this country put his personal interests first; he should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses. Hence, selfishness, corruption, seeking the limelight and so on are most contemptible, while selflessness, working with all one’s energy, wholehearted devotion to public duty and quite hard work will command respect.

We need leaders who are at all times ready to stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interest of the people; we need leaders who are ready at all times to correct their mistakes, because mistakes are against the interests of the people.

So if there are any of our leaders – and we believe they are many – who are seeking public office so that they can become wealthy and own all sorts of things, they are not worth voting for. And if this is their only motivation, we advise them to withdraw their candidature because, as Nalumango has correctly advised, they are likely to become corrupt, get in trouble and fail to find the money they are seeking through public office.