Much has been said recently about our political leaders using threatening blue light police escorts. The blue light scandals have left KwaZulu-Natal reeling from the shocking behaviour of our political elite that has become a predatory and reckless burden on society.
This clearly leads us to question the quality of our leadership. We all know that real leadership is about humility, gentleness, patience, self-sacrifice and public service. We all know that the work of real leaders is to inspire ordinary people to believe in themselves and their society by bringing out the best in people. A real leader lives simply and listens more than she or he speaks. A real leader is there for other people.
But here in KwaZulu-Natal we have to contend with the monumental arrogance and reckless machismo of politicians who are literally willing to risk the lives of their people in order to create ridiculous spectacles to show off their power. The cartoonish strutting pomposity of our politicians is surely embarrassing.
There are no good security reasons for the blue light cavalcades. On the contrary; they endanger the VIPs as much as anyone else. There is no meeting that is so important that it is worth terrorising and risking the lives of ordinary people to get there on time. There simply is no excuse for the cavalcades that are, quite clearly, nothing but a crude display of power.
It is never acceptable for a politician to engage in an enormous display of his own power. It is never acceptable for a politician to put the lives of ordinary people at risk so that he can look like a big, powerful man. These are basic democratic principles that are simply non negotiable.
The struggle against apartheid was not to replace one big man with another, albeit of a different colour. The struggle against apartheid was to replace one kind of society with another. This was why the whole world recognised its enormous moral power.
The kinds of power displays that we have seen recently are, like the husband who lords it over his cowering wife, quite clearly signs of a profound inner weakness. A leader who was confident that he was doing the best for his people, and that he had earned their respect, would never have to terrorise them into respect. One could hardly imagine Barack Obama or Evo Morales, not to mention Luthuli, Biko or Mandela, treating their people like some sort of vermin who should be shot off the roads.
The blue light scandals are just one sign of a deep crisis of leadership. All the ridiculous self-promoting newspaper adverts taken out by politicians are another sign of this crisis. The penchant for bodyguards is another. The damaging arrogance with which the road naming process was handled is another. And we can add the blue flag debacle, the repression of poor people’s movements and numerous other incidences where politicians have behaved with a ridiculous machismo, more like the high school bully than leaders with a capacity to inspire.
Perhaps the reason for the inner weakness of a political elite that has to compensate by acting like caricatures of tin pot dictators in B grade movies is that in fact they are not serving their people and they know it very well.
For example, our housing policy comes straight from the World Bank. It is designed to force the poor out of the cities to free up land for speculation by the rich. Our development plan for the eMacambini area comes straight from Dubai and is designed for Dubai developers to steal our heritage. Our politicians have no vision of their own. While they career off to the next meeting with the World Bank or Ruwaad Holdings, ordinary people are getting poorer. Deep down, the politicians must know that they are betraying us, their people, when they expel the poor from the cities and hand over the ancestral land of a community for a theme-park.
Sometimes the way a person lives and how they do things is much more important than the ideology that they profess. I’m sure that most readers wouldn’t really care if the blue light cavalcade tearing up behind them carried a Zuma supporter or an Mbeki supporter, or whether it carried a socialist or a capitalist. The thought likely to be foremost on the mind of the average citizen when confronted with a blue light cavalcade is simply whether or not they would get out of it safely.
If we do not all, across party lines and ideological divides, unite in the demand for a political leadership animated by principle rather than a desire for the most base displays of power we’ll be the laughing stock of the world. The time to stop this madness is now.
Perhaps a first step would be for us all to unite in the demand that politicians spend the next month using public transport. Maybe that would bring them down to earth and give them some much needed humility.
…and those leaders who are in doubt as to the legal powers of their drivers – they can have a look at Section 58 and Section 60 of the National Road Traffic Act which clearly states that even if a traffic sign or speed limit is to be ignored, the driver “shall drive the vehicle concerned with due regard to the safety of other traffic; and …”
This will spare frustrated South Africans from the excuse that “we did not know”!From these drivers a even higher degree of care should be expected than those of the ordinary motorist!
This has been included on the Road Safety & Arrive Alive Blog for reference purposes:
http://roadsafety.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/introduction-to-road-safety-for-our-blue-light-officials/
In a movie from way back called “The Fixer” the story has Alan Bates in prison being questioned by the magistrate.
“Do you know what respect is?” he is asked.
“Yes. You must have it to get it.” he answers.
@ Imraan
This is the first time that I have read one of your posts. May there be many more. Congratulations.
Great article. I had the privilege to sit next to (and have a great chat with) Kader Asmal on an economy flight. True leaders are humble, superbly intelligent and wise people like Kader – what a superb experience. The blue light brigade show off their massive inferiority complexes and complete lack of any wisdom, humility or intellect. Like the idiotic neighbour who flaunts his big car and loud music because he himself is a neurotic weakling, our new leaders are pathetic caricatures whose crass vulgar cars, bodyguards and shiny shoes emphasize what hollow men they are. SA needs a new revolution, and an entirely new kind of leader. Lekota is that kind of leader and I truly dream will be SA’s Brarack Obama.
Imraan
Well done and weel said.Recently our rural area was paid a visit by a provincial minister.No less than 32 vehicles in his convoy.From blue light Bully’s to SAPS to ambulances to EMRS vehicles to sidekicks and their sidekicks.When I saw this trail of dust I thought Jesus himself was coming,but Agh no,it was just some provicial parasite.
We often suffer at the hands of these blue bully,s as Jacob Zuma passes through on his way to his traditional home.Man they scare me .At least 160 km/hr with a few cars driving in the middle of the road.Robot — What robot?Maybe he is in a hurry for some kanga-time ,Who knows what the rush is all about.
Do not get caught complaining after these blue light drivers have A)Run you over B)Shot at you C)Crashed into you D)Assaulted you.
You will be accused of racism.
Johan’s post sort of sums it up. You have to care about other traffic first. The blue lighties don’t care – like Mugabe they think they rule by divine right and everything belongs to them, to do with as they please. It’s part of the ANC Zanufication of SA.
You have put down clearly and concisely everything I feel about the ‘blue light’ brigade – they are a manifestation of all the worst characteristics of government. I had always thought of them as expressions of selfishness, arrogance, self importance and a complete lack of respect for the people. But you have shown me something else – that they are mainly a display of weakness.
Why do things by half measures?
Taking pot shots at peasants? Feeble!
Let’s fast track ‘transformation’ by eliminating all ‘colonial’ influences.
Suspend the constitution and dissolve parliament.
Reinstate the tradition of absolute rule by one ‘strong man’.
Inaugurate number one on the party list as ‘Emperor Chief of All Southern Africa’ in some glittering self coronation which consumes a third of the national budget, outdoing Jean-Bédel Bokassas’ outrageous (1977) display of ostentation and self agrandisation.
Let Him rule over the lives of His subjects by divine right till the ‘second coming’
, when terms can be renegotiated with the divinity.
Let them bow and scrape in His presence, and grovel at His feet, under pain of immediate execution and at His pleasure.
Perhaps then our pretenders to high office will finally have ENOUGH POWER to satisfy an apparently boundless ego, and we can all get on with the business of ignoring such maniacs and be citizens in charge of our own lives.
Well written, Imraan. Like Anton, I look forward to more of your postings
Thanks for a very pertinent and accurate piece on the poor state of the current political “elite” (the use of those two words together makes one feel ill)in SA. Lets use the ballot box next year to take back the country for the citizens of SA and topple these little people off their self-constructed pedestals.
I wish I was still in South Africa. Nothing would give me greater satisfaction right now then to place my cross next to the name of some real leaders, not the ANC.
Why can’t South African citizens abroad cast their votes at their closest embassies. I know some Americans and they were all able to vote in ther ecent election, despite being outside their country?
Didn’t know you were on Thought Leader Mr Boss
Nice post . . . oh well, i guess that is your writing style – always outdoing yourself