Are our African leaders sleeping on the job?
By: Jeisn S Ashimbanga
A lot of civilians and researches could testify that people hardly sleep when they are busy, doing something for themselves or others. Some revelations that have been made by our leaders are baffling: “If I would have known that there were problems during my presidency, perhaps I would have made corrections.” Hearing this from a person who was our president for ten years is surprising. However, it makes you question the work, the awareness and also the responsibility of our African leaders.
In Namibia everyone, even children, knows that we have problems in our country. Problems ranging from poverty, hunger, underperforming ministries and ministers, corruption to unemployment and more. How can my president not be aware of them? Was he not informed? If yes, did he not travel the country to observe and find out as he has been busy doing since his retirement? What has he been doing for the ten years of his presidency if he wasn’t solving these problems? It makes you question the commitment of our presidents to the people’s well-being. It makes you question how well they understand what the presidency or being a head of state means. It means you hold the highest position in the state, you head the government, you serve the public or people who elect you and you are accountable to them. Not knowing their problems is not being accountable.
One thing all African leaders have in common is that they are always at the highest age when they get into office. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, currently the oldest leader in Africa at 93 has been seen sleeping at presidential meetings and even independence celebrations of other countries where he is supposed to be representing his people. So far he has been caught sleeping eight times in public. Perhaps those journeys he makes around the world are taking their toll. Mugabe, despite his age, still travels often. President Lungu of Zambia who is 60 years, perhaps younger in relation to other African presidents, has been caught sleeping through a speech given by President Hage Geingob at the opening of the 90th Agricultural and Commercial show, needing his wife to send people to wake him up and remind him of where he is - without any care of his international standing or the interests of the Zambian people. It also shows disrespect towards a fellow president. Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia was 70 when he took over office in 2005. You could hardly say he was a young man then. And then went on to lead the country for ten years, by then he would be 80 years, so perhaps not knowing there were problems inside our country everywhere shouldn’t be a surprise. Yet he was able to travel and visit other countries, give speeches and perform other functions outside the country, without cleaning the Namibian house first. And then he only woke up after he finished his two terms during which he has slept enough not to realise that the country was facing problems. He has now realised that there are problems in the country after retirement. But by then he had received the prestigious Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African leadership. He has received retirement benefits and has a government-built mansion worth millions of dollars. He left office now and cannot do anything about the problems he has discovered, he could only wish he wasn’t sleeping while in office, as perhaps then, he would have solved these problems.
We are not at all sure why the former president is only saying this now after almost two years in retirement. Maybe it’s a tactic to get himself elected or considered for a third term by showing the public that he has now figured out the problems facing the nation and believes he can solve them, or he just realised his own incompetence and how much he did not do during his presidency. Either way, it is completely baffling not to know the problems facing your own people and the whole nation for the whole ten years you were the president. Perhaps it’s time for African leaders to leave the offices for the young generation who will be part of the long-term future, people who still have the capacity, the energy and the will to listen and find out about the problems of the people, and solve them while they have the power to do so and not when they are two years out of office. In Africa, countries are led by people who are worn out and reaching advanced old age, with excuses or reasons that they have the experience to lead. But with that experience also comes the tendency of sleeping while in office… because they are old. Young presidents are our future, and in Africa we need young leaders to take us forward. The old guard can be given supervisory and advisory roles, even when they are not aware of the problems facing the nation, the energetic young leaders are there to take care of those problems. Giving them enough time to go to sleep - even for ten years. Busy people do not sleep, presidents or head of states never sleep, let alone the whole ten years, as they are always busy doing something for their people.
*Jeisn S Ashimbanga is a student at the University of Namibia studying towards a degree in Education.
A lot of civilians and researches could testify that people hardly sleep when they are busy, doing something for themselves or others. Some revelations that have been made by our leaders are baffling: “If I would have known that there were problems during my presidency, perhaps I would have made corrections.” Hearing this from a person who was our president for ten years is surprising. However, it makes you question the work, the awareness and also the responsibility of our African leaders.
In Namibia everyone, even children, knows that we have problems in our country. Problems ranging from poverty, hunger, underperforming ministries and ministers, corruption to unemployment and more. How can my president not be aware of them? Was he not informed? If yes, did he not travel the country to observe and find out as he has been busy doing since his retirement? What has he been doing for the ten years of his presidency if he wasn’t solving these problems? It makes you question the commitment of our presidents to the people’s well-being. It makes you question how well they understand what the presidency or being a head of state means. It means you hold the highest position in the state, you head the government, you serve the public or people who elect you and you are accountable to them. Not knowing their problems is not being accountable.
One thing all African leaders have in common is that they are always at the highest age when they get into office. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, currently the oldest leader in Africa at 93 has been seen sleeping at presidential meetings and even independence celebrations of other countries where he is supposed to be representing his people. So far he has been caught sleeping eight times in public. Perhaps those journeys he makes around the world are taking their toll. Mugabe, despite his age, still travels often. President Lungu of Zambia who is 60 years, perhaps younger in relation to other African presidents, has been caught sleeping through a speech given by President Hage Geingob at the opening of the 90th Agricultural and Commercial show, needing his wife to send people to wake him up and remind him of where he is - without any care of his international standing or the interests of the Zambian people. It also shows disrespect towards a fellow president. Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia was 70 when he took over office in 2005. You could hardly say he was a young man then. And then went on to lead the country for ten years, by then he would be 80 years, so perhaps not knowing there were problems inside our country everywhere shouldn’t be a surprise. Yet he was able to travel and visit other countries, give speeches and perform other functions outside the country, without cleaning the Namibian house first. And then he only woke up after he finished his two terms during which he has slept enough not to realise that the country was facing problems. He has now realised that there are problems in the country after retirement. But by then he had received the prestigious Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African leadership. He has received retirement benefits and has a government-built mansion worth millions of dollars. He left office now and cannot do anything about the problems he has discovered, he could only wish he wasn’t sleeping while in office, as perhaps then, he would have solved these problems.
We are not at all sure why the former president is only saying this now after almost two years in retirement. Maybe it’s a tactic to get himself elected or considered for a third term by showing the public that he has now figured out the problems facing the nation and believes he can solve them, or he just realised his own incompetence and how much he did not do during his presidency. Either way, it is completely baffling not to know the problems facing your own people and the whole nation for the whole ten years you were the president. Perhaps it’s time for African leaders to leave the offices for the young generation who will be part of the long-term future, people who still have the capacity, the energy and the will to listen and find out about the problems of the people, and solve them while they have the power to do so and not when they are two years out of office. In Africa, countries are led by people who are worn out and reaching advanced old age, with excuses or reasons that they have the experience to lead. But with that experience also comes the tendency of sleeping while in office… because they are old. Young presidents are our future, and in Africa we need young leaders to take us forward. The old guard can be given supervisory and advisory roles, even when they are not aware of the problems facing the nation, the energetic young leaders are there to take care of those problems. Giving them enough time to go to sleep - even for ten years. Busy people do not sleep, presidents or head of states never sleep, let alone the whole ten years, as they are always busy doing something for their people.
*Jeisn S Ashimbanga is a student at the University of Namibia studying towards a degree in Education.
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