Leaders must never assume to know what people want
THE article “Fighting land invaders... and ‘unwanted’ politicians” (POST, August 22 – 26) resulted in me conducting a self-introspection exercise to find out whether I am actually serving “my people” or serving some selfish agenda. As public servants we take a vow, whether overtly or in secret, to assist and empower the people we are elected to serve. That should never change.
Our driving force should always be “meeting the needs of the people” and never about ourselves. The publicity, photoshoots and public appearances mean little if no concrete evidence exists of the work we profess to do. People live on bread and butter, not ideologies and grandstanding.
And as civil servants, ours is to ensure that people have opportunities to get their bread and butter. We often come in the firing line; that is expected but only those of consummate passion will be able to fend off the naysayers when these difficult times come.
The public should always have access to us and we should be willing to engage with them when they feel that we have not met their expectations. An astute politician masters the art of dialogue, shares ideas and much like the common consumer law, the tax (“customer”) payer is always right.
It is never too late to say, “I did what I needed to do in the moment and it was what was best at the time”. I have come to understand that people will respect you more for defending what you believe in, with the proviso that you accept that it could have been done better in hindsight.
But they will never respect you once you believe that you know it all. After all it is at grassroots that great politicians are made.
When people begin to notice our dependability and work ethic, they will pass along more responsibility to us, and eventually we win their support.
The fluid political climate makes it difficult to keep favour with our constituents. However, I have learnt that you can never go wrong if you keep in touch with them and find out how they feel about a particular matter, policy, programme or legislation. Never assume to know what the people want. Always listen to the voter. If you fail to listen during your term of office, you will have to listen at the time of your re-election.
As politicians we represent the political, financial, administrative, economic, educational and other interests of our communities, and attempt to become elected to represent those interests on a legislative level.
It is therefore important to never lose sight of the primary objective – the people and their desire for service delivery and a better life.
It is said that the first step to becoming a politician is to gain an understanding of the issues that are affecting your community. When we enter politics most of us are relatively unknown in our community; we align ourselves in the world of politics sometimes as a volunteer for a political party, or as an aide to an elected official.
Our actions then depict the policies and outlook of the party we represent. They either give the notion that our party tolerates ill-discipline, poor public relations and ultimately is a party that has only one thing in mind, and that is the insatiable thirst for power – and this ravenous desire can often lead to unpopularity and the demise of a exciting political career.
Or they show that we are well-grounded servants of the people, willing to go the extra mile to ensure the satisfaction of the people we are elected to serve.
As politicians it is our duty to perform constituency work, which involves visiting individuals, community groups, educational institutions and businesses in order to provide information related to the party’s political mandate and vision as well as to ensure that people have access to basic services and amenities.
We are expected to respond to inquiries from the media and the general public and to maintain a current knowledge of political issues affecting the constituents. This means treating all individuals with respect and dignity regardless of their political affiliations or their political or social beliefs.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the job is communication. We need to say the right thing at the wrong time in an effort to defuse what can seem to be toxic situations and at the same time think about the negativity that will come from the decisions you make and plan on how to combat it. Communication is critical. A politician’s career can end with one wrong statement, an incorrect perception or a biased comment.
Politics is much like crisis management. As the go-to person in the community, everyone will turn to you for a plan in the event of a crisis. Before we can fix anything, we need to analyse how the problem appears to constituents. Then evaluate how to rectify the situation in a manner that will come across as genuine. Whether that means a heartfelt public apology, an honest explanation, or even a public display of support, decide what makes sense for the situation.
People generally love a comeback story. It is always important to remain relevant. Therefore we must make sure to catch problems as early as possible by listening to constituents’ complaints, prioritising transparency, and hiring effective staff members.
I have discovered that it is important to develop a variety of key skills so you can be as effective as possible and avoid common pitfalls.