No worse fate can befall a country than to have a leader who has no sense of history and easily hands off the birthright of his people for personal gain or to right the wrongs that he has committed.
When this is coupled with having a leader who is regarded as corrupt, a people’s fate accelerates on a downward spiral.
For a long time, the nation would prefer to believe that leader’s flowery, ‘made to fit’ speeches; that nation would bend over backwards to give that leader the benefit of the doubt, for just as it is difficult to believe that a neighbour, friend, colleague, boss, teacher or student could be anything but the person they show themselves to be, if that leader is cunning and forceful, his dominant personality will prevail.
The more successful that leader becomes, the more insensitive he will behave towards his colleagues as he rides roughshod over their feelings, and this will radiate outward towards his people; they will see their heritage (like the sugar factory and the sugar lands) being ‘given away’ with little or no thought of succeeding generations, and the common history all nationals in the country embrace appears to be hardly of any consequence.
We cannot go by what a leader says, only by what he does. Therefore when promises are not kept, whether they relate to salaries, taxes, electoral reform or victimisation, people not only feel betrayed but become unsure of what the leader really stands for; they doubt the clarity or constancy of his vision and they begin to feel that they have been made to look like fools.
They wonder how they could have been so wrong and their self-confidence and self-esteem waver. So whereas the leader should have been lifting them up, he instead begins to drag them down..... a country’s worst fate.
Corrupt Leaders refuse to step down...
But history is replete with examples of corrupt leaders who refuse to step down. More recently we had and have several examples in the Arab world.
We remember Nixon’s last days; how adamant he was that he was above reproach. He was to be seen as innocent simply because he said so. Netanyanu, former and present leader of Israel was once accused of fraud and breach of trust. He retorted that no matter what charges are brought against him, he would not resign.
Yet another leader, Mobutu of Zaire had plundered his country and amassed a personal fortune assessed to be about 57 million... but did he use this money to assist the starving thousands who were succumbing to all types of diseases? No. He used his private wealth to hire mercenaries to kill and drive back the freedom fighters who dared to try to take back the country for its people.
Reasons for failure
Keith Richburg, in his book, OUT OF AMERICA, ponders on the reasons for the failure of some African states e.g. Zaire, Rwanda and Somalia. After spending many years as a reporter in Africa, he attributes the failure of these states to these factors:
Rampant tribalism; Corruption of Officialdom; A Culture of Dependency, i.e. the acceptance of suffering while waiting for outside deliverance.
These factors are not strangers to our shores. Never has political tribalism been so intense here in St. Kitts and in Nevis since this government assumed power. Not even in Bradshaw’s day was so much contempt shown to fellow citizens simply because they chose to sympathise and support an opposing Party – a right which the Constitution allowed.
In the meantime our people become bystanders, observers ... waiting for outside deliverance by Divine or DEA intervention.
When we cannot trust our leaders, we revert to a state of mental and moral chaos. Life loses its meaning and we swing aimlessly in the breeze.
We must find those still among us whom we can trust, who have a proven record of actions and whose words mean something. These are the ones we must support and in whom we must place our hope.
We cannot allow our children to swing aimlessly in the breeze. Can we sacrifice their future and their potential?
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