adminThe electorate needs to avoid the pitfalls of past elections where wrong and strange characters found themselves in positions of power and authority leading to poor service delivery and corrupt dispositions in high offices.
The leaders that the people will choose must be people of high integrity and good repute.
They must be leaders who are motivated to serve the interests of the people and not their personal interests.
The current crop of councillors who are a product of the last election provides a very good example of the catastrophe that can befall a nation or community when people vote blindly.
Here we have some councillors who in the five years of their tenure have exhibited an outrageous and very foolish craving for self- enrichment, including an apparent lack of ability to intelligently comprehend local governance processes and make knowledgeable decisions as expected of them at this level.
“Rats in silo” and “donkeys” should never be entrusted with the running of public office simply because they belong to “my party of choice”.
Today residents in many towns and cities are finding it difficult to come to terms with myopic decisions affecting their daily lives that are made in council chambers by these humdrum councillors who surprisingly are “the residents’ own men and women”.
History shows that among those who seek public office are wolves in sheepskin.
Public office is also sought by people with an uncivilised desire for wealth accumulation, who when voted into office immediately lurch into contemptuous gamesmanship, abusing their positions in pursuit of personal aggrandisement.
The impostors begin to show their true colours once elected, and sometimes the criminal intent in their thoughts drives them to commit horrendous crimes against fellow human beings in order to protect their turf and achieve their personal agendas.
These are the people who become experts in praise singing their leaders in order to cull favour knowing that such “favour” will help to give them the latitude to loot and plunder public resources with impunity.
They are the “people’s representatives” who become accustomed to saying what they think their leaders want to hear rather than stand up for what is right as expected by their constituencies.
Gone are the days when we would have elected leaders who engage in pragmatic and revealing debate, and are honest enough to stand up to defend the truth, including defending the needs of those they represent and the nation at large.
We now have MPs and councillors who suppress their true feelings and thoughts in order to protect personal interests acquired through occupation of political and public office.
We have leaders who are slaves to patronage systems and cannot express thoughts outside that patronage octopus fearing a backlash that may result in the loss of their ill-gotten wealth and the accompanying privileges.
In the House of Assembly, we no longer have robust debate as was the case when we had candid personalities such as the late Eddison Zvobgo, Edgar Tekere, Herbert Ushewokunze, Byron Hove, Lazarus Nzarayebani, Sydney Malunga and others.
These are former parliamentarians who would liven parliamentary debates and draw the public’s attention and interest to what goes on in the august House.
Instead, we now have become accustomed to parliamentarians who are fond of trading cheap insults in the House, including defending flawed and myopic policies as they sing for their supper.
An elected leader should not feign support for ideas he/she does not believe in, and should always make himself/herself heard.
A good leader must be open-minded and assert himself/herself on issues of public interest for this is what his/her constituency expects him/her to do.
An elected leader must be ethical with trust, honesty and integrity being at the heart of defining his/her character.
Dishonesty and deception in leadership is a sign of lacking depth and a demonstration of a weak mind. Elected leaders must lead with sincerity in order to invoke confidence and respect from the people.
Honourable leaders are very sensitive to the interests of the people they lead and always have on their fingertips the needs of their constituencies.
Elected leaders should be truthful and trustworthy all the time, for they owe it to themselves, and their followers.
They must engage in ethical decision-making in order to endear respect from every corner. Ethical decision-making encompasses asking oneself questions such as, what is the problem, who are the stakeholders involved and what are their expectations?
How do I ensure that I respect stakeholders’ interests, and which one of the available options is the most suitable solution given the circumstances?
Transparency, accountability, integrity and truthfulness must anchor every decision you make. A reckless and irresponsible approach to decision-making results in serious harm to the people’s livelihoods and the nation at large.
Elected leaders should understand that intellectual ability is not enough in shaping a good leader.
A good leader must also develop a responsible and honest character free of greed and all other forms of inappropriate behaviours.
Elected leaders must be ethical, and ethical leadership is about developing a character that reveres good governance and habitually respects other people, and strives to protect the rights of all citizens as enshrined in our laws.
As political parties go through their primary elections, it is important that they help save the situation by making sure their candidate selection criteria successfully flushes out the wrong and uncouth so that the electorate can realise value for its vote.
l Bradwell Mhonderwa is an Ethics Coach and Trainer with the Business Ethics Centre. Send feedback to [email protected], [email protected], or call 0772 913 875.
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