South Sudanese people; is it leadership or vision that we lack?
By Mading Abraham Majur, Kampala, Uganda
October 20, 2015 (SSB) —- One may say, South Sudan has arrived at the current situation because we do not have enough of the right kind of people in political leadership. Political leadership character does not come out from academic and professional prerequisite, it just require honest and straightforward individuals who have particular for his/her country and who want to have a inheritance in, it require fellow-feeling that is not imparted through formal education. It comes out of one’s upbringing and personal values acquire through experiences during those formative years.
These tend to shape personal traits and beliefs and make you want to make difference in the country, a responding political leadership does not rise out of corrupt and selfish mindsets, it comes out of people who know this country well’ have experiences and know it problems since during the party struggle and who feel so strongly about the country problems to want to make difference for the better.
A mechanism to a political office should therefore, be a calling, it should not be considered as a shortcut to riches and gains, frankly, once has no business of going into South Sudan politics if the aim is not serve and to better the lives of fellow South Sudanese citizens. It does not take long for anyone coming into political office without a cause to be found out. Eventually they make no impact at all and they leave no last legacy. There is enough evidence of this in all African countries and more so in South Sudan.
We need in political leadership people who are willing and eager to challenge the straight ways of doing things. It is very difficult to find such people in South Sudan with our vindictive politics and especially when our leaders live like Dr. John Garang by sycophantic courtiers.
This then brings me to the question of vision- what actually is it? Vision flows out of good leadership and for me it is analogous to a dream that extends into the future based on realities and potential of today. Visioning involves the imagination of good set situations in all facets of national life, wishing it so badly for your country and working systematically. Vision does not have to be positioned in the conceptual, they have to be stated simply such that all can understand, imagine and believe in it even if they have no tangible idea of how the ultimate would look like. We need selfless leaders in South Sudan who will paints.
It does not require calls to tighten belts whilst the leadership classes feed fat and live lives of luxury at the expense of the citizenry. It does not require empty talk; neither does it require meaningless slogansing. In South Sudan we are very good in describing the problems, which in itself is not bad. Ordinary it should not be difficult to paints, a vision where problem abound, and we have lots of them. Where we have failed is how to come out with an appropriate vision because the people with right character have not been attracted into politics, it may also be that our political system does not bring such people to frontline politics.
So at last, to answer the question we really do need the right kind of leadership. The right kind of leadership which will bring forth visions, will reform institutions and system to deliver, will respect the independence of institution and will uphold the principles that all are equal before the law.
I wonder, though whether the potential patronage system, we are now practice will bring to the fore individuals with the right kind of leadership character who will lead South Sudan to realize those ideals.
The author can be reached on this email majur20155@gmail.com
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