The Conduct Of Some Political Leaders

THE moral weakness of some of the people we have appointed as our political leaders is quite shocking.

Whereas, true political greatness stems from wisdom, maturity, honesty, humility, and respect, qualities that define exceptional leadership, these are the qualities sorely lacking in many of our political leaders be it in government or opposition.

While corruption still of course contributes to many social ills, political arrogance or simply incompetence is a rising demon in our society that is hindering our country's development.

Most of our political leaders seem to be obsessed with personal glory more than anything.

But before we condemn politicians whose seem to be interested only in furthering their political ambitions , perhaps we should first  examine the priorities of the voters who put them into office, and those who didn't care to vote.

If ours is a democracy, then our political leadership is to a certain extent a mirror of our people.

From my observation, good leadership qualities are not necessarily considered good electable qualities by most Zambian voters.

Instead, Zambian-style campaigns or rather voting pattern usually favor those candidates who are masters at political rhetoric. It favours those with money.

Honesty and humble candidates often don't have that chutzpah that makes them stand out and grab voters' attention.

Simply put, an average Zambian voter prefers candidates who will make unattainable promises and those that are entertaining.

And while entertainers or rather sweet talkers may not be the type of leaders needed, they are the type the electorate end up voting for.

Perhaps if we elected people who are believed to be smart policy analysts, shrewd negotiators, and hard workers we wouldn't set ourselves up for so much disappointment.

Perhaps if we elected leaders who are not blinded by partisan politics, we wouldn't end up with leaders who are obstacles to progress.