Let's Not Idolize Political Leaders

THERE appears to be a "grave misunderstanding" that leaders, once elected, change from human beings into superhumans. I'm reminded of the wise words of John Adams, the second US President, who warned his fellow Americans against treating fallible men as faultless idols.

In his retirement, Adams  denounced the tendency to make demigods of men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and, in true Puritan fashion, called for a second Reformation to wash away such idolatry.

A British Psychological Society once conducted a study which revealed that idolizing rock stars can harm your health.

Now, I don’t know whether idolizing political leaders can be harmful to our health. But I dare say that it can be harmful to the political health of the nation.

This self-acclaimed divinity by certain political leaders does not benefit anyone and only lead to the discrediting and downfall of such leaders.

It is one thing giving deserving praise to leaders who spend their entire lives fighting for a good cause and another to idolize them.

Our society should refrain from the habit of idolizing crooks and thugs in suits. Only a crook would want to be idolized because Jesus taught that true leaders should act like servants.

True leaders are those who do not change their attitudes towards others once elected.

Personally, I not only find the act of singing, dancing or prostrating before leaders, shameful and abhorring, but childish.

Let us grow up and be more mature politically. The onus is for all of us who love this land of ours to help get rid of narcissistic and self-conceited leaders. It does not matter which side of the political fence they are from.

Let me end by stating that ignorance, blind loyalty and divine worship of elected leaders have no place in a democracy and are an abomination in a Christian nation like Zambia.

Let's not idolize political leaders lest we create despots that will in turn haunt us.