All over the world, leadership is such an arduous task, especially as it involves directing, managing and controlling dynamic human beings, who don’t know what they want many times and are incurably insatiable.
It’s a given that no human being is ever content with everything. We can only have people who are selectively contented. Yes, I don’t know what’s contentment, except in some selected areas of life.
For instance, I don’t want to be content with my spiritual and academic pursuits. It therefore means I can do anything to have more degrees till I see death. I will also scoff at cynics and naysayers alike who try to dissuade me in the pursuit of what my soul yearns for spiritually. Some could be materialism. Yours could be anything other than what I have mentioned. So, it will be safe to say nobody is ever content.
In civilized climes, politics is a vehicle to redistribute what nature has distributed dismally. We sometimes have a negative skewing of things and that calls for a responsive and responsible leadership to ensure that nobody is shortchanged in the scheme of things.
The nature of leadership prevalent in any clime is directly proportional to the quality of value systems in that clime. The truth is, every society has a distinct and different leadership, which must first be endorsed by the people, the highest decision making body of any society.
This is because no LAW is legitimate, unless it’s a general WILL and a consensus of the whole community. We have endorsed any kind of leadership prevalent in our society. Good or bad, we signed it directly or indirectly. We fed it. We nurtured it and it has grown unabated. The culture of any society is good or bad in consonance with the definition such so ciety gives it.
That’s why it’s difficult to judge any society based on external values, except for when a mortal sin is committed on some rights and privileges that are beyond borders. The Joe Biden tales are fascinating. Touching. And quite instructive.
It reveals to us another twist to what government and governance should be in a sane clime. We quickly had to compare with what we have here at home. Most of us took the politicians to the cleaners.
Some even cursed our accursed leaders. We were right but not in entirety. We hurriedly forgot many things about us. We didn’t remember that our society has been gifted with our kinds. We forgot our numerous endorsements directly or indirectly.
How best did you want Joe Biden to behave in a country, where premium is placed on names, rather than inordinate and primitive accumulation of wealth? What could he have done differently in a society where nobody would see him as god, because he wields some political powers?
The culture of any society is good or bad in consonance with the definition such society gives it. That’s why it’s difficult to judge any society based on external values
Why would he steal, when nobody would ask him for stomach infrastructure, pay bills, school fees or help get illegal contracts? What would Biden do with government fund, when the train works and it would be needless buying some exotic SUVs?
What would Biden have done differently when he knew his party wouldn’t even support or absolve him of any corruption charges if found culpable? What else was available to him except to present himself a chaste virgin?
He acted in line with the dictates of his society and there was no better and glorious option available to him. According to Lee Kuan Yew, one of the reformers and former prime minister of Singapore, the major prerequisite for a honest government is that politicians must spend nothing to get elected. Elections must not be expensive.
It must cost them less to get to power. This is the only time politicians can be accountable to us. Do you expect them to serve you after spending their fortunes to get to power? Do you want electricity, education, roads, water and other good things that come with a free and less induced election, even after placing a price tag? You must be kidding me.
You won’t even get such in heaven. Take my words to the bank. How much did Biden pay to be a senator? How much did he pay to get elected as vice president of the United States of America? We are all culprits. We encouraged and endorsed whatever we have in Nigeria.
Abire, a post graduate student of Theatre Arts and Mass Communications, University of Benin, writes from Benin City
