I AM dismayed that endemic and debilitating corruption has plagued the effectual and efficacious discharge of duties in our country. It is no secret that our beloved country is faced with leadership problems of monolithic proportions. It is equally true that poor people who are no doubt the majority of the electorate are rational beings. We all know that public officials are entrusted by the people to protect their interests. However, the majority of the people do not speak up or hold these leaders to account. Weak, powerless and isolated, they are often reluctant to push themselves forward. In Paul Devitt’s words: “The poor are often inconspicuous, inarticulate and unorganised. Their voices may not be heard at public meetings in communities where it is customary for only the big men to put their views. It is rare to find a body or institution that adequately represents the poor in a certain community or area. Outsiders and government officials invariably find it more profitable and congenial to converse with local influentials than with the uncommunicative poor”.The poor are residual, the last in the line, the most difficult to find, and the hardest to learn from.It is therefore because of this that I earnestly and sincerely ask our leaders to embrace servant leadership for the sake of the poor. Let’s serve one another and stop thinking only about ourselves. True fulfillment comes not through ego satisfaction but through service to others. I hold that each person has an obligation to alleviate the pain of other people.The silent majority have, as a result, become a compost heap upon which criminal tyranny flourishes. It is, therefore, my moral duty to Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless. Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy.Jesus Christ, the outstanding personality of all time came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. “A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act” (Mohandas K Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India).
Mutsa Murenje,Nairobi, Kenya.
