Pray for a New Generation of Leaders
Jubilee Centre June 8th, 2009
Something is not right.
Things just take a long time to get done in Zambia. The nurses and medical personnel are on strike as well as the teachers because the government promised salary increases have not been honoured. The donor countries are withholding their support to the Ministry of Health because of corruption. But who cares? Everyone is acting like business is usual. But it isn’t. People are dying in hospital because of withdrawn labour for medical care. People cannot bury their dead in time because the mortuary attendants are also on strike and it is taking ages to release the bodies for burial. Children are bored and despairing because they don’t know how they will pass their examination. We just don’t seem to care. We are very tolerant of bad things.
Are we short of human resources who can bring solution to these problems? Do we have men and women who are able to fashion a democracy that is depended on the industry of every citizen so that never again shall Zambia be dependent on donor funding? The abundant natural resources and fertile land for agriculture Zambia possess demands for leaders who can inspire Zambians to hard work, instils the dignity of hard work and sense of pride in being Zambian and for being able to contribute to the betterment of our nation.
Since Zambia is a deeply religious nation that has enshrined in its Constitution a “Christian Nation” clause, the church should be providing a model for service to people’s spiritual and physical needs alike. With this background one would think Zambia would be a nation with strong work ethic, prospering industry, and a dignified political freedom. It is not.
But the very things that are supposed to liberate us from economic poverty and the people who are meant to help us shape a Constitution that guarantee our freedom have become our problems. We have policies that make it easy for natural resources to be in the hands of brutal multinational corporations and greedy landowners than in the hands of local and patriotic citizens. Our work ethics are at the lowest because our system rewards our ruling bureaucrats with lavish fringe benefits while hard working citizens struggle for the barest essentials of life. No wonder every one wants to be a politician.
We need a leader who can provide the strength for us to face the fear of unknown and who has the ability to call us together and to provide us with a common vision and purpose. We need a new generation of leaders with burning resolve to vigorously restore justice, compassion and morality in our nation. Let us cry to Almighty God for new vision and leaders who appreciate the tension between faith with works, evangelism with social action and leadership with servanthood and can do both. Let us pray for leaders whose compassion for others flows from a Christ-like lifestyle.
Lawrence Temfwe
