Please - Do not malign your leaders

I am in no way protecting despots, charlatans and hooligans, but maligning our leaders does us more harm than good. The ease with which people sling barbs, jibes and snide remarks at leaders discredits the office of leadership. It disorients society and spreads a malaise of hopelessness among us all.  It also leads to the impression that leadership is not a noble calling and can only be obtained through underhanded dealing for office.  Mudslinging your leaders discourages those who would aspire to the noble office of social guardianship. Indeed, mudslinging leaders results in the same kind being elevated to office again and again and visits the same sins on society again and again. Good leaders will not want their name dragged in the dung by a mischievous chorus of ill-informed discourses.

Here is an assignment. Take time to celebrate good leadership, service and good governance and raise the profile of those who are doing what they can to make things better for everyone. Let us raise the office of leadership to a point that it will encourage our youth to appreciate the value of leadership and know that leaders are not a tribe of hooligans, but people who in good faith look out for the interest of others. A bank manager told me that because they only train staff using authentic currency, staff are able to quickly identify counterfeit bank notes. If the bank wastes time teaching staff about fake notes, staff will spend their time looking for fake notes! Let us not waste our time teaching our children about fake leaders and start giving them examples of good leadership!  

Leadership is a valuable social commodity essential for the success of a society. Leadership is no easy task. It is difficult and sacrificial; it is dependent on others, it is a service to humanity. We are privileged to have good leadership and good leaders need and deserve our support. We must nurture our leaders, train them and protect them from the vices of evil. Let us not be flippant and careless about it. There is no celebration in the summation of the number of corrupt leaders we find. Indeed it is cause to mourn, distress and of grave concern that our children see nothing good in our leaders, because then they see nothing good in us.  Please let our children aspire to be the good leaders they see in us. If all they see is what they should not be, there really is not hope for humanity. And may those whose business it is to bring down, discredit and disdain those who try and make an effort to lead and serve sacrificially burn with shame.