THE manner with which President Robert Mugabe reminded Cabinet ministers and senior ZANU PF officials during the ruling party’s Central Committee meeting last Friday that they were deployed to their respective positions to serve the people was well timed.
It was also a reminder that Government officials must up the tempo in their efforts for economic revival and development.
His remarks feed directly into growing calls for massive reform processes that Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently advocated to be implemented in the country during his visit to China.
In recent times, there have been justified calls for some Government officials to change their attitude towards the way they ‘handle business’ in order for the country to stimulate the much needed economic growth.
Yet amidst this chorus of displeasure, tenets of ineptitude, selfishness, gross incompetence and general lethargy had, until President Mugabe’s intervention last Friday, become the order of the day.
We had grown accustomed as a country to the fact that positions matter more than the mandate a person was appointed for.
We had almost resigned to the ‘reality’ that we the people are less important than the position given to so and so by President Mugabe.
But somewhere along the lines, common logic dictated to us that the President’s appointees served at both his and our pleasure.
Some leaders forgot that, hence President Mugabe’s hammer blows at the ZANU PF headquarters.
At the ZANU PF headquarters last week, the air of exasperation, despair and somewhat despondency that had engulfed a nation that had seemingly resigned to the fate of watching, to their horror, their leaders focusing mainly on their positions, was crushed by President Mugabe.
Yes it had to be him reminding his appointees that they had a duty to do and a justifiably expectant people to serve because he seemed to be the one toiling alone to work for the people.
This is because some if not most of them are engrossed in the warped mentality of prioritising positions over the people.
It had to be him, in yet another apt demonstration of his famed, widely approbated and overwhelmingly amazing leadership skills taking the gloves off and bringing some of these wayward leaders to order.
Leadership is not about occupying this or that position.
It is not about using the opportunity to massage inflated egos.
It is not about settling cheap scores with this or that person.
It is much more than flexing the little muscles given to you by your appointee or at the very worst trying to outdo he who brought you to that position.
It is about serving and delivery on mandates.
It is about doing your duty to the people, to God and to your country and most importantly, helping other people.
Have our leaders grasped this simple, but eternally compelling fact?
I give the platform to President Mugabe to give us words of wisdom on leadership.
Below is what he says:
“Amongst you (leaders) also, when you are in a position, that position is a party position.
“It does not become your post.
“Just as in Government, you are a Minister of this, Minister of Industry, Minister of Mines.
“The fact that you are that minister does not mean you own that ministry.
“It means you are put as a servant of the people to supervise that ministry.
“You may be changed tomorrow and someone else takes the place.
“And when you are shifted again, you shout ‘why was I changed’?
“I don’t want this ministry which I have been given.
“I preferred this.
“It is me who did this or who did that, now the President does not recognise me.
“I don’t recognise you for working for a place.
“I recognise you for working for the people, for the party not for a post.
“We are not there to work for posts.
“We are there to work for the people and people will recognise us.
“We are there to serve the people.”
There are many critical lessons to be learnt from President Mugabe’s lecture on the basic doctrine of leading and leadership that had seemingly proven elusive to those he was teaching and preaching to on Friday last week.
In the first instance, is his constant and consistent use of the term‘people’.
If there was one telling reminder of how he has gotten to where he is now in his illustrious political career, it is his ability to connect with the people, his ability to touch base with the majority; his ability to resonate with the concerns and wishes of the masses.
This is why his use of the word ‘people’ is so seamless, so effortless that it becomes easy to know that he is well in touch with his mandate that the people gave him and continue to give him.
Secondly, why is Zimbabwe where it is today?
This question is answered by, among others, the following posers.
Minister Walter Chidhakwa, what is happening with the Russian US$3 billion platinum mega deal?
What is happening with the chrome smeltering plant deal?
Minister Bimha, where are we with the Essar deal?
There is no doubt that there is urgent need for some of our leaders to embrace the qualities exhibited by President Mugabe if we are to develop this country.
Let those with ears listen.