Maravi

Respect for the people

Respect for the people
By The Post
Thu 08 Nov. 2012, 13:40 CAT

Michael Sata's advice to Stephen Masumba to be humble and have respect for the people if he wants to be a good leader should be heeded by all our leaders and all who aspire to be leaders in any way or at any level.

Truly, "leaders that want to work for the people must have respect for the people at all costs in spite of politics being a provocative business".

Michael's advice to Masumba is very similar to the advice Dr Kenneth Kaunda gave to the leaders of UNIP in 1968: "To be a leader at any level at all and in any scheme of things, you have got to love your fellow human beings, you have got to be ready to sacrifice for their good, you have got to be able to learn to respect the feelings of your fellow men."

Moreover, people respect those who respect them. People treat with respect those who treat them with respect; they are loyal to those who are loyal to them.

And this is why we have consistently stated that the exercise of power, that is leadership, must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty.

No individual, whatever aptitudes they may be said to have, will ever be superior to the collective capacity. Therefore, any evidence of pomposity, arrogance, lack of respect for the people must be radically avoided. Being great is not achieved by boasting, by proclaiming oneself to be great; one does not achieve greatness by claiming greatness. The greatness of a leader comes from the respect he enjoys from the people. And this respect can only be earned by a leader equally respecting the people.

There is no need for a leader to be going around boasting about this or that. It is said that a person who boasts is a like a goat that sucks its own milk. There is no need for a leader to be showing off to the people he or she is elected to serve. It is said that if a deity begins to show off, just show it the tree from which it was carved. How can one show off to one's employers without risking being kicked out? If a leader has no respect for the people, they will show him

or her where power really lies at the next elections.
Democracies rest upon the principle that leaders exist to serve the people; the people do not exist to serve the leaders. In other words, the people are citizens of the democratic state, not subjects of the leaders.

While the leaders protect and advance the rights of citizens, in return, the citizens give their leaders their loyalty and respect. Under an authoritarian system, on the other hand, the leaders demand respect, loyalty and service from their people without any reciprocal obligation to do the same.

Persons chosen to represent the masses in positions of authority are, precisely, chosen to serve. The primary motivation for a person seeking a position of authority should be a deep desire to help others, to serve others. Attentiveness to the needs of the persons being served is essential to an understanding and fulfilment of this deep desire to help and serve others. Therefore, those who govern should have respect for the people they are chosen or elected to govern.

The proper role of a leader is to serve the people and he or she does this by creating opportunities that benefit the people he or she is elected to serve. Therefore, citizens should be concerned with the way their leaders behave towards them or treat them.

In a democracy where leaders are chosen by the people and for the people, such leaders should view themselves as being representatives of the people at all levels. These leaders should listen to the people, respect the people and work for the welfare of all the people.

Leaders must be honest, compassionate, hard-working, wise, selfless and have a profound love and respect for the people, especially the poor. Let those who lead do so with respect and care for the people.

There is need for leaders to respect the dignity of the people they are elected to serve or want to serve. This is so because all people are created in the image and likeness of God and this gives every person great dignity.

Therefore, all citizens are equal in dignity and have equal rights. No human person, situation, event or thing can take away this dignity. Leaders who respect human dignity guarantee basic rights to the people they lead and create opportunities for citizens to exercise their responsibilities. A just society can exist only when it respects the dignity of the human person. Leaders must invariably work for the benefit of the human person and the promotion and protection of their dignity.

As we have stated before, 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.

The owner of authority and people is God. Leaders, therefore, are accountable to the people who chose them; they work for the common good.
You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to respect and follow you, unless you know how to respect and to follow, too. You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself. If you have no respect for others, you can't expect them to have respect for you.

The ear of a leader must ring with the voices of the people. You do not lead by despising people, disrespecting people, by demeaning and denouncing people - that's arrogance, not leadership. Hot heads and cold hearts cannot lead.

There is nothing noble about being pompous, arrogant, boastful, superior to some other man. The true nobility is being superior to your previous self. Greater is he who acts from respect and love than he who acts from fear. Great leaders respect others and motivate large groups of individuals to improve the human condition.
And it is said that he who has great power should use it with respect, should use it lightly. He who has never learnt to respect, to obey the people cannot be a good leader.

It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people's lives. But if you keep cool, and you are respecting of others, you will command everyone. The highest proof of virtue is to possess boundless power but still use it with respect for others and without abusing it. Leadership is the ability to do good things for others. And this being so, leadership is action, not possession.

Labels: LEADERSHIP, MICHAEL SATA, PF, STEPHEN MASUMBA

posted by MrK @ 6:29 PM