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What sort of leader must we have?
By
Our Reporter - 23-07-2002 |
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The failure of the Open Term Bill to go through in Parliament has given way to discussions on what sort of person we should have next as president and leader of Malawi.
As I trudge up and down the streets of Blantyre I come across two types of opinion. There are those who are very happy the bill flopped, “Awa adyapo enanso adyepo” (these have enjoyed let it be the turn of others).
Those who speak like this do not very much think about the welfare of the people at large, but only the pleasure of those in office and their ecolytes.
Then there are those who look gloomy and downcast that their hopes have been frustrated. They say: “The good job he was doing is going to be cut short, the economy is going to suffer.”
What sort of persons become leaders of a government or country? Basically there are three types of leaders. There are traditional leaders who assume their role through accident of birth.
In Malawi we have the chiefs whose roles as leaders have dwindled with the rise of political leaders. But in a few countries traditional leaders do combine both traditional and political roles. For example, in Swaziland.
There are men and women who assume leadership simply because they are constitutionally placed in certain offices and given titles. People do not follow them as individuals, but as office bearers. They may become prime ministers or presidents as a result of compromise between rival candidates. People who fill such positions can be replaced easily. Someone else may be made president or prime minister and perform as well as they have done. When they leave office, they are soon forgotten.
There is the charismatic leader, the man or woman of destiny, the history maker. This kind of leader has gifts which attract other people. In times of trouble he bravely steps forward to save the country or the community.
Like Winston Churchill, the country discovers him when it is under threat of invasion from a powerful enemy country. Many of Africa’s charismatic leaders like, Nkrumah, Kenyatta, Kamuzu Banda, Mandela risked their lives and personal freedom to get their people free.
The charismatic leader is the most revered, though he is not necessarily a good person. Both Hitler and Jonas Savimbi were charismatic leaders but not everyone would call them excellent personalities.
In hunting a leader we must not, therefore, be fooled by the dynamism someone displays. Neither should we be mesmerised by his oratory. We must look for a good leader. A good leader has certain attributes.
He or she is patriotic. This person loves the country as a whole. In word and deed he or she has the welfare of all the people at heart. A person who takes up politics to create privileges for people of his tribe, religion is unfit for the role of president. His favouritism is likely to create divisions in the country. People must shun such a leader as they would a poisonous serpent.
A good leader need not be saintly. But he must respect the truths of religion. Every major faith is built on the ethics which are almost natural to humankind.
He must be kind-hearted rather than cruel. He must have respect for family because most people are born in families, brought up in families and start families of their own. He must not use his position to wreck other people’s families.
A leader must be educated and intelligent. He does not have to be as intelligent as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton or John Maynard Kaynes. He does not have to be a graduate let alone a PhD. But he must have the education and intelligence to understand the problems and issues of a modern developing and industrial society.
He must be interested in reading literature relevant to his profession as a statesman. In this way he will be able to assess the advice he gets from his advisors. A president who does not read will either accept foolishly what ill-motivated sycophants tell him or be auspicious of anyone who seems too clever.
A good president must listen to all who have something to say on public affairs, but reserve to himself the right to say yes or no. There are people who think someone is not a good leader unless his likes and dislikes match theirs.
He must not be afraid to be denounced as obstinate so long as his decision is based on careful weighing of the facts before him. Nothing is easier than for those who are doing nothing to criticise those who are busy.
We all can criticise those playing football even that we are not half as good as they are. A leader must be a leader, not a follower. Every great leader at one time or another has been accused of being a dictator by those who want him to do their bidding.
In all that he does a patriotic leader must consider his country’s needs first. There are times when he may sign protocols with leaders of other countries. Before committing himself and his country he should ask himself: What is there in this protocol for my country? It is patriotic to either associate with some countries or to keep away from them.
A leader is a dispenser of lucrative appointments. Both merit and justice should guide a good president. The best people should be given key jobs, but regional or tribal claims should never be overlooked. To keep the country in a cooperative mood, certain vacancies should be filled by second best men or women to give all segments of society the feeling of belonging.
A situation where some people are over-represented, while others are under-represented engenders feelings on which civil wars have erupted.
How do we identify a leader of such sterling qualities? We must be free from pride or prejudice. There are people who think they can rely only on someone who belongs to the same tribe, religion or region or race as they do.
History has shown that both evil and good people can be found in any category of people. There have been Christian dictators, there have been Moslem dictators. There have been excellent Christian presidents, there have been excellent Muslim presidents. We must judge each leader on his merits.
News that a former president of an African country has been stripped of immunity and will be tried for stealing public funds should guide us in our search for new leaders, if indeed we must replace those we currently have.
The person who mounts the most pitched campaign against present rulers denouncing them of this or that will not necessarily be a better president than the one he wants to unseat.
The ex-president who is to be tried had successfully toppled a veteran freedom fighter and father-figure of the nation. Now it seems he launched the campaign not for the good of the country, but to enrich himself.
Let us not entrust our destiny to persons whose virtues we do not know. Neither should we entrust the country to persons whose vices we know just because they tell us “Now it is my turn”.
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