To lead is to serve - nothing more, nothing less

To lead is to serve; nothing more, nothing less
By The Post
Sun 05 Feb. 2012, 12:00 CAT

IT is said that to lead is to serve; nothing more, nothing less.
We are also told that "whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all" (Mark 9:35).

And Reverend Peggy Kabonde, the secretary general of the United Church of Zambia, says government leaders must rid themselves of greed and selfishness if they are to deliver meaningful development and that development in the country would only be tenable if leaders strove to make the lives of the people better by not embracing selfishness.

She says "selfishness should not be entertained by any leader because when leaders become selfish, they tend to put their interests first, forgetting that they are in government because the people put them there. We hope that the new government will be different in their way of governing the country by getting rid of the urge for self-enrichment".

Rev Kabonde further observes that selfishness and greed were the main reasons why our politicians were the only ones benefitting from the country's economic gains and that "it is unfortunate that some people go into politics without the intentions of serving the people of Zambia. Most of them think politics is a way of accumulating wealth but they should always remember that their position in government is to benefit the people they serve".

In the run-up to last September's elections, we repeatedly urged the Zambian people to vote wisely and only for people who were known for their honesty, ability, dedication and concern for the welfare of all. We also reminded the Zambian voters that politics needed people with high credibility. This was so because we were aware that politics is an area of great importance for promoting justice, peace, development and community among all.

This was so also because we were aware that what people were seeking was genuine democracy in which the leaders are servants of the electorate and not its masters. Good governance only occurs when we have honest and humble leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people, a way of building up society for the common good. Political leadership is needed to guide the energies of all towards the common good. And politics is a genuine way of being at the service of others for the integral development of the country.

What our country needs is a political leadership that is ready and able to serve the Zambian people heart and soul, wholeheartedly and one that never for a moment divorces itself from the masses, one that proceeds in all cases from the interests of the people and not from one's self-interest or from the interests of a small group.

Our country has seen that type of leadership before in Kenneth Kaunda. Comrade KK's spirit, his utter devotion to others without any thought for self, was shown and continues to be seen in his boundless sense of responsibility in his work and in his boundless warm-heartedness towards the people. All our political leaders must learn from him. They must learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit, everyone can be very useful to the people.

A politician's ability may be great or small, but if he or she has this spirit, he or she is already noble-minded and pure, a politician of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a politician who is of value to the people. All our politicians, whatever their rank, are servants of the people, and whatever they do must be to serve the people. Their duty should be to hold themselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy of theirs must conform to the people's interests.

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. We need saintly politicians who profoundly love their own people and wish to serve rather than to be served. Leaders should exercise stewardship and uphold the common good.

We should not allow the work that is going on here to benefit just a few. As Rev Kabonde has correctly observed, "development should be felt by every citizen in the country. And this is what government should strive for. It may be a big challenge, but it is achievable if our leaders are focused".

There is need for eternal vigilance to ensure that our political leaders perform to our expectations and in accordance with their electoral promises.

We should not wait until they are out of government to make them accountable. We should start watching over them now and see how fast they are acquiring wealth, how fast they are changing themselves without changing our conditions, how quickly they are bettering their lives without bettering our lives. And we should make it clear to them that we deserve their very best.

In asking our leaders to be selfless, we are not in any way asking them to be weak. No one wants a weak leader, and no one should have to tolerate one. Selflessness is about strength, and it's not for the faint of heart.

Weakness, on the other hand, takes the path of least resistance; and as humans, that means being selfish - wanting all the credit, all the benefits and none of the blame, burden or sacrifice. The real strength of leaders is measured by what we are able to accomplish as a people through their service to us, not by the pressure of their grip and the weight of their demands.

It takes heart and soul to lead in a manner worthy of the respect of the masses of our people. Our leaders need to be where the people are and learning what the people really need from them. That's how they become leaders worth listening to. Being selfless is one of the hardest things they will ever do as leaders, and it requires competence.

Leaders who set their hearts, minds and hands to selflessly serve the people will always have their respect and admiration endure. And without regulation, all our politicians are vulnerable to leading selfishly. Again, we remind our leaders: to lead is to serve; nothing more, nothing less!