What KIND of political leader will you elect?

 

Do you ever wonder why so many popularly elected leaders turn out to be an outstanding disappointment during their parliamentary term? Many serve their time in the august house without contributing to any meaningful debate, leave alone speaking about the issues that concern their people. These leaders represent a wasted five years of your political life pursuing interests that have left you stunted and scandalized. But, perhaps the problem is you, rather than them. You may have elected whom you wanted, but did you get what you wanted? Before you renew your political vows with your parliamentary representative for tribal, filial or other non-sense reasons, it may be useful to reflect on whether your proposed political representative or governor has the capacity to fulfill your expectations.

The answer to the above distress is self-evident. Politics is not popularity. Popularity can be used to herd cows out of town or attract people to a social gathering. It is next to useless when it comes to skills required to make good laws or introducing and implementing policy that makes the people’s lives better. Before we describe the kind of political leader you may be looking for we need to appreciate that politics is not leadership and leadership is not politics. Politics is a discipline like football, engineering or military science. Each of these disciplines needs effective leadership to succeed in their respective endeavors. While all leaders draw from a general pool of leadership theory, military leaders must have an understanding of the chain of command, security and the art of war. Political leaders must have a minimum understanding of representation, governance and the rule of law.

Human resource experts tell us that in order to identify a suitable person for a job, you need to examine the job to understand its demands and dimensions before looking for the kind of person to match its tasks. Successful leaders not only have the will to succeed, but also have the skills necessary to succeed in following through with the requirements of political office. For example, the skill of debate is essential. If you cannot debate, your points will not cross the floor of the house. However, to debate is not shouting, it is crafting and articulating a logical argument with an astute amount of emotional intelligence to convincingly communicate your core message on the collective way forward. There are two sets of skills a political leader needs - politics and governance.

A political leader clearly articulates and interprets the national dream. Political leaders are charged with moving the nation from one level of glory to the next. They must therefore be familiar with the nations aspirations and articulate the dreams and wishes of the people in that context. This calls for an aptitude for public service and stewardship of resources. Being a political leader is not a job in a private company where the benefits are paid to the individual. In public service, the benefits must pass on to the electorate. The astute political leader must understand the principles of representation. The politician carries forward the aspirations of the people and presents them in the august house for resolution on behalf of the people. Like an ambassador who holds brief on behalf of his home government, the politician is accountable to the electorate who will judge his performance based on their expectations.   

Governance requires a thorough understanding and continuous development of technical competencies to manage the execution of the political process. Examples can be drawn from governors who have achieved above average value for their constituents. In all cases these governors have a superior competence and understanding of the process of governance, policy design, law making and community empowerment. These governors are well versed in the mechanics of wealth creation, resources management, economics and the rule of law. Politicians find it a popular gimmick to tell a crowd that they will reduce taxes. But the governors tell the people what they will do with the money they take from the public. Government cannot run without tax. Good governors understand finances and develop sound economic plans to utilize resources for the benefit of the people. Clearly governors require an ethical personality, have a heavy public calling on their lives and need to be not just astute leaders, but readers of documents, interpreters and implementers of policy as custodians of national strategy and the peoples dreams. If you want effective representation, then political skills may suffice for your choice of a leader. However, if you want to see a change in your circumstance and environment, then look for a leader who understands governance.

 

Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer teaching leadership at Ashesi University, Ghana

WHY YOU MUST VOTE IN AN AFRICAN DEMOCRACY

 

The period preceding, and after, general elections in African countries is accompanied by a heightened sense of political excitement, social tension, personal insecurity and depressed economic activity. During these times citizens anxiously wonder, “What will happen this time round?”. While the voting season presents an opportunity to register a vote for social change, many people would wish that the season passes quickly so that they can get back to “normal” life. The big concerns are for peace, security, civility and hopefully the emergence of competent leadership after the ordeal. Curiously, not many citizens anticipate or even look forward to any real change in their lifestyle, yet the power to determine these very outcomes is given to each registered voter. Some people become so disappointed with previous election experiences that they vow never to vote again. Nonetheless, global statistics show that up to 25% of all eligible voters fail to cast their vote at the ballot box in a general election. Unfortunately, voter apathy in Africa casts a long, dark shadow of political uncertainty, social insecurity, civil unrest, poor governance and corrupt resource management in the aftermath of election outcomes. This post, summarized from the journal article WHY YOU MUST VOTE IN AN AFRICAN DEMOCRACY, outlines eight reasons why every eligible voter in Africa must cast their ballot in a general election. 

First, Your vote is not your own. It does not belong to you. It is held in trust. It is your ethical duty to vote for the wellbeing of your family, under age children, the sick, dying, ill-treated, uneducated and the disenfranchised in society as well as for those who, for one reason or another, will not vote. Those with interests in the country, but cannot vote, depend on you to vote wisely. The generations that established the nation before you prayed that you would realize the dreams they had for you. Similarly, they hoped that you too would help shape the dreams of the generations that come after you. It is your ethical responsibility to honor the trust bestowed upon you and pass on a blessing to the next generation.

Second, Democracy does not work by itself, it needs your vote to direct it. In 1948 The National Party of South Africa was voted into government by a slim 31 seat majority in a 150-member house. Before the election, the National Party’s apartheid agenda was derided in the press locally and around the world. Everyone knew it was a bad idea and "could not possibly work" in government. But that year the electorate did not come out to vote for the good idea. So the National Party took power and apartheid took root for nearly fifty years until Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Democracy does not work by itself. It can pass bad ideas into law. It needs your vote to make sure that good choices are made. Democracy is not perfect, it needs your vote to perfect it.

Third, Voter apathy leads to contested elections. The post-election violence in the 2007 general election in Kenya resulted in the loss of over 1000 lives, the displacement of thousands of others and the loss of property worth millions of dollars. The contested vote was 0.16% of the ballots cast for the presidency. However, what is not always fully appreciated is that 30% of the registered voters in that election did not vote!  The voice of the people would have been much clearer if the apathetic 30% had cast their ballot and saved the country immeasurable loss!

Fourth, The vote gives voice to the minority and the marginalized. In 2006 the people of Liberia voted in Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the first woman president in Africa in modern times. Four years earlier, Leymah Gbowee and others, tired of years of civil war in their country, mobilized the women vote in the markets, churches, mosques and homes to put an end to the violence. They added their voice to the national debate in the name of peace for their nation and prosperity for their children. If you do not vote, your voice is irrelevant in national affairs.

Fifth, In a democracy, the people hold political leaders and government officials to account for their actions. This privilege is not offered in dictatorships, autocratic forms of government and military rule.  A 100% voter turnout gives full voice to the mosaic expression of the will of the people, their needs, their representation and what they expect of government. If you don't vote, elected leaders are free to make assumptions about what you want and how you want to be ruled. If you don’t vote, you still come under the same rule, but do not really have anything to complain about.

Sixth, There is a lie that is pedaled by well-meaning unschooled leaders and sly politicians alike that says, “politics does not put food on your table”. The consumers of this lie see no need to vote or engage in the democratic process of selecting suitable leadership for society. However, politics determines whether 1) you have the opportunity to look for food, 2) enjoy the security to eat it, and 3) have the freedom to own a table. Ignorance of the power a vote places in the hands of voters to determine their future has led to the loss of personal freedoms in weak democracies. It behooves each of us to use our votes wisely to choose leaders who will guard our democratic freedoms?

Seven, Religion in Africa is big! There is a myth that religion and politics are separate. However, both have an important role in the welfare and maintenance of the state and accountability of government. While some might argue that religion is a personal and private affair, members of religious communities have a critical role to play in the identification, selection and election of values oriented leaders for society. Denying society the vote of your virtuous wisdom, is to endure the trials of pedestrian deception.

Eight, If the world is ruled by mankind, should not men and women determine who should rule? In this matter there are only two options; the vote or violence. Much violence and civil disorder addressed by the United Nations in African countries, has been resolved by the restoration of the vote. There is no need to lose something to know the pain of retrieving it. If that be so, then it is both urgent and important that you vote to improve the state of your nation and shape the development of democracy in Africa for the benefit of generations to come.

Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer teaching leadership at Ashesi University in Ghana.

Forgiveness is a one sided coin.

 

Forgiveness is a one sided coin.

Thank you - President Uhuru Kenyatta !

 

Thank you, President Uhuru Kenyatta,

 

Mr. President, I know you have your own ideas about your Big Five Agenda, but to evaluate your legacy we must look beyond building projects. We must look at the anchors you have prioritized that will aid the establishment of the nation for generations to come. Now that you have been counted as one amongst the Shepherds of Africa, we must assess your global accomplishments.

First, you have held the nation together – Thank you. You took over following a period of more than a decade of great division among the people of Kenya. Social scientists, in future, may consider that time to be an extended period of civil strife where the nation seemed to be at war with itself. But you reached out and shook hands quickly with other leaders. You have been keen to work with all patriots in the interest of the people.

Second, you successfully managed a difficult transition- Thank you. Many may have forgotten that the implementation of the 2010 constitution (a journey that began in 2000) with all of its complexities took place under your watch. Your delicate arithmetic of allocating national resources, sharing power and distributing authority have been unprecedented in Africa. You have overseen the shift from centralized authoritarian leadership to a formulation of a servant leader model that demanded you listened to the will of the people. You have shared power and responsibility accordingly with governors and other accounting officers. Thankyou

Third, you have built on the shoulders of giants and thus you too have become a giant. Vision 2030 was not your dream, but as a good steward you have accelerated the dreams of the people, in spite of their political, tribal or geographic affiliation, with huge foundation programs similar to the laying of the railway by the British across the country more than 150 years ago. You have thus opened up the country to the massive opportunity of unlocked potential hidden in remote corners of the country while multiplying entrepreneurial zeal in urban areas. Thank you

Fourth Mr. President, you have fought COVID-19 in a practical and pragmatic manner. Thank you. The global scourge spared no nation and perhaps has robbed you three years of what you had planned for your presidency. You were on the frontline shoring up human losses, economic fallout and institutional collateral damage. I don’t know the full cost of the vaccines or of the lockdowns to the economy, but it surely is a lot of money. If the reports by the CBK on economic performance during this time are true, then you, your government, army of doctors and economic generals have spared us much greater suffering. As you have said repeatedly – one life lost is one life too many.

Fifth Mr. President you have advanced the country to global middle income economic status. Thank you. The face of taxation has advanced from a mean spirited antagonistic approach collecting money from the citizens to a more humane face. While we are not out of the woods in this area, you cannot make our country rich by taxing poor people. However, if the government facilitates enterprise and wealth creation, not only will the country become richer, but the country will receive more tax to support the services that generate wealth.  

In my estimation Sir, this is your BIG FIVE legacy. You are handing over a nation in a more advanced position than you found it. Finally, Mr. President, not all of us can be president, you are far from perfect, but I challenge you to show me a perfect human and perhaps we should replace you with him or her. However, the amazing thing is that with the level of human imperfection that we all have, God has granted that history record these things about your rule. It is an honor to say Thank you!    

The ABC of Electing Leaders in Kenya

 

The ABCD&E of Electing Leaders

 

It is election season in Kenya again! Both strategic and crafty politicians search and clamor for votes by making white washed promises to gullible voters. This too, is the season when the pendulum of power swings towards the voters to exercise the rights to hire and fire leaders. During this time some politicians, beg, plead and cajole illiterate voters with a tribal charge. But how can the voter be empowered to carry out their sacred duty to elect good leadership? It is no good wasting time moaning if you do not vote. But I propose the we do away with voter education and embark on voter empowerment to bring in a good harvest of leaders. The educated voter knows how to correctly place the ballot in the box, but the empowered voter knows whom to select and elect. The educated voter knows which leader is on the ballot box, but the empowered voter knows whom to select to raise the bar of leadership in the constituency. It is beyond the voters to determine who will stand for any position, but it is in the power of the voter to select the best from among those who present themselves on the basis of Attitude, Benevolence, Character, Diligence and Experience. The empowered voter takes a little time to do some basic research and subjects each candidate to the following test to find the best.

Attitude

One dictionary describes attitude as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about something”. What is the attitude of the candidate to his or her voters? Is it one of affiliation, tolerance and acceptance. Does the candidate despise others as lesser than himself? Is the politicians’ attitude virtuous, arrogant or careless in dealing with the delicate matter of leadership? Most people can pick up an attitude far more quickly than it takes to describe it. It is time to exercise this powerful leader selection tool.

Benevolence

Under normal circumstances, benevolence is charitable, philanthropic and sacrificial. It does not need to dish out money to get attention. Many politicians come to the season with goodies to buy their way back to office with platitudes and practiced emotional gymnastics. If you are having difficulty with this sudden display of affection, take a look into their past for clues as to whether the behavior is genuine or not.  

 Character

While it is listed third in this criteria, character is in fact first and overarching over the others. Does the candidate display a consistent, commitment and courage to realistically address the issues as they are? Do they have the courage and ability to speak the truth to power? Do they act in line with a core and predictable value system? Beware of the Leopard standing among Sheep and promising that he will never eat them. The only evidence of a renewed character is to bear fruits in line with that repentance. If there is no fruit, there certainly is no change of character.

Diligence

Diligence, discipline and determination are human qualities critical for the success of any human endeavor. However, just like character, these must be in evidence long before the person becomes interested in the campaign for office. Even the most wicked dictators can display this quality. so one must examine the principles and vision for which this displayed discipline is assigned. There are corrupt diligent candidates whose master is the satisfaction of their personal lives.

 Experience

Then there are the experienced, educated, exposed and experts in various fields that will also be seeking office. But before you fall for the, “I have long experience” ruse remember that it is possible to work in an organization for a decade, learn nothing in that time and come away with one years’ experience repeated ten times. Experience should translate to the accumulation of valuable wisdom and the establishment of societal benefit.   

Finally, consider that out of the five, ten or twenty candidates they are all imperfect mortals. But there is no need to pick the most voluble or least intelligent in the panel if there is a better option available. My dear voters take time to study these words and give a good account of yourselves as empowered voters to raise the bar of leadership in our land.   

 

Allan Bukusi is an adjunct lecturer of leadership at Ashesi University in Ghana.

allanbukusi@gmail.com

 

One reader observed 

"In 1948 the south African National party threatened to implement apartheid if it won. It also threatened to disenfranchise the coloured population. Due to apathy and lack of understanding the coloured population which could have prevented national party victory did not vote in full numbers. The National party won and removed the coloured from voters roll and implemented apartheid." 

It would take fifty years - Half a Century to get the country back on track!

This is WHY YOU MUST VOTE!

Everybody has Three Economic Assets

 

Everybody has Three Economic Assets.

 

Everyone on the planet has three economic assets; some money, a job and their self. While this might appear obvious, it is in fact for this very reason that these three powerful economic assets are so frequently overlooked. I would have added time as the fourth, but no man has been able to control time. The best you can do is use it wisely. While everyone occasionally comes into the possession of varying amounts of money, not everyone appreciates the power of this wealth creating tool. Those who create wealth and substance from the money they earn are usually good accelerators of money. They save money diligently and carefully with an aim of accumulating capital to fund a venture they have in mind. For these people money has purpose and principle. It is not to be taken lightly or spent on things you do not need. Those who do not create wealth do not consider the little money they get or earn to be of any economic value. They spend it as soon as they get it on things that they want. The immediate gratification of their desires is their primary motivation of using money. The truth is creating wealth lies in the discipline of managing money and using it for long term constructive purposes.

Well not everyone has a job, you will say, so not everyone has access to this economic asset. Indeed, formal employment has jobs on offer, but informal employment has jobs too. In fact, there are many jobs around you that you could do for yourself. You could make your bed, wash the dishes, do your homework or take out the trash. All of these jobs help you live a better life or prepare you for a better life. However, you cannot access the economic benefits these jobs offer you unless you are willing to work. Your mother may ask you once or twice to help with washing the dishes. If you don’t, she will not ask you a third time. While this may seem like a small victory of freedom on your part, what you do not realize is that you have just been fired! What this teaches us is that you can only hold a job if you are willing to work, make some personal sacrifices and create social value that can be paid for. Many people would like a formal job where they are paid a large sum of money without having to put in any effort. It is probably why betting and gambling is so popular. If you want to access the economic value of a job you must learn the discipline and the habit of working in such a manner as to be honestly rewarded for your initiative. You really can’t expect to eat a meal off a clean plate unless it has been washed, you can’t expect to pass your exams if you don’t study, you can’t harvest what you have not planted and you really cannot expect to be paid for work you have not done; especially if you have not created the requisite social value. Learning the skill and capacity to work empowers you to unlock the economic value of any job.

My friend, JB, reminded me the other day that it takes time to create wealth. For a moment I contested his meaning, because I thought wealth is having allot of money. If you look at rich people they have great substance in assets, enterprise, investments and financial savings. It is the kind of substance that takes diligence and patience to accumulate. Then I understood JB’s point. It is the person that makes the riches, not the riches that make the person. To accumulate wealth, you must invest develop and train yourself to make wise economic decisions. You may need to learn accounting, invest in developing a skill, knowledge and understanding of medicine, cooking or brick laying. You will need to equip yourself to extract all the various gifts, abilities, interests and talents you have to make yourself valuable and a person of high net worth. You will have to develop your character, competence, courage and confidence if you want to realize your full economic value as a person. Many people just don’t bother to learn, get themselves an education and develop the capacity to do more with their lives, then wonder why life does not give them much economic value in return.  The human being is the only species endowed with the ability to learn above any other creature and thus has the capacity to lead, change and make themselves worth more in terms of economic value. If you really want to realize your full value of your economic assets, you must make your money work for you, work on your job, but most of all you must work on yourself.

 

What would we do without Poverty?

 

Photo by form PxHere

Poverty

Poverty is the systematic or systemic marginalization, exclusion or isolation of a community, group or section of society from access to public goods.