adminwork will no longer be acknowledged as a means of doing business, instead, vices such as corruption, bribery and fraud become fashionable, determining the way things are done.
Today, we are witnessing mediocrity in the country through poor leadership in different sectors of the economy.
We now experience it everyday through uncaring attitudes of those whose job is to provide public services but now tend to focus more on extracting bribes and kickbacks from the public.
We have apparently become used to living with unreliable supplies of public utilities such as water and electricity, and we even celebrate when potholes are filled with gravel instead of tar.
We are witnessing situations where people can literally do nothing and still get paid handsomely including enjoying perks that are out of this world.
We have tricksters and praise singers who compete to be heard by the powers-that-be in order to gain their favour.
Words are being twisted and their meaning changed to suit the selfish needs of individuals and certain sections of the society. It is even now common to here apparent fraudsters unashamedly calling themselves patriots, or people who never participated in the war of liberation grandstanding in public as war veterans.
You see it in schools where the high standards of education we had become known for are on a downward spiral. In public institutions corruption has become endemic such that those who don’t engage in corrupt activities are ridiculed and viewed as impotent by colleagues.
People have become obsessed with personal gain without any due regard for the sustainability of their organisations and the economy as a whole.
Substandard infrastructure has become commonplace, and basic services such as health, transport and roads are now in shambles.
Sadly, one thing we seem to have learnt perfectly well is never ceasing to point a finger at each other.
The last 10 years or so have seen older generations in the country being decimated by HIV and Aids besides the brain drain. The country today is thus inhabited by a largely youthful population that seemingly lacks the sophistication of a modern society.
Like lost sheep, the youths look feeble in the eyes of the challenges facing the country.
They resemble a lost generation, always chasing after the wind. They covet corrupt dealings and are seized by the act to the extent that they view it as the panacea to poverty. Some have even become cheap pawns in the game of hate politics being played out in the country.
Then we have the politicians who always have someone to blame except themselves for all the problems in the country. Politicians who cannot spare a minute to look at themselves in the mirror. We have a generation of Government ministers and MPs who only think of lining their pockets at the expense of public good.
Ministers and MPs who drool over driving very expensive cars and demanding huge pay perks.
We have ministers and MPs who have the temerity to abuse agricultural inputs meant for the poor and still has the guts to stand up in public and condemn corruption.
And many businesses are run much the same way. We have in the business sector the untamed minds of those who exhibit insatiable greed, and are determined to take the slightest opportunity to milk their firms and engage in business conduct that destroys the sustainability of their organisations. We have business leaders whose predatory
instincts and “resourcefulness” has become distinguished where personal gain is evident.
The supposedly societal moral stewards refuse to be outdone in this societal madness.
We have churches that pray for members who are cross border traders, providing “divine coverage” so that they are able to pass through international borders with their merchandise without being detected by the authorities.
We have church organisations that have chosen to remain holed up in their religious cocoons seemingly advocating for a non-committal attitude when they should actively participate in the fight against corruption.
The flooding of the Zimbabwean market with fake and non-durable products is continuing unabated.
Consumers and their watchdogs all seem helpless in the face of this fragrant invasion of the Zimbabwean market. They cannot even protest. Expired food is sold in shops and cooked food is recycled and no one seems to bother.
Newspapers avoid reporting true and real stories that has a bearing on the lives of the people preferring to feed their readership with falsehoods and cooked headline stories.
Surely, no one seems to care about standards and ethical values as greed and cynical gamesmanship takes precedence.
The fallacy is, “it’s time to make money”, never mind how that money is made.
If you think I am wrong stop a bit and take a look around yourself and see what is happening in your workplace, in businesses, in public institutions, in schools, in hospitals, on the roads, etc. Look even at what you doing yourself, and tell me if I am wrong.
You obviously know that what is happening is wrong and that it is mediocre, but you want to pretend all is well.
You have also become hooked to the blame game, and you have decided to go along with the wind thinking that change is some other people’s responsibility.
You don’t want to accept the reality that you are part of the answer you are seeking.
Get up and do something about it.
Rise up to the challenge and salvage the little honour that is left of the country’s ethical standards.
You are the change you want to see in the country. You are the change you have been waiting for.
Do something for Christ’s sake.
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Online Reporter