Forum appeals for Malawi leadership responsibility based on Biblical principles
Dynamic Leaders and Gatekeepers Forum (DLGF) has emphasized on the need for leaders to take responsibility by reflecting on issues that they can do as leaders in order to shape the political and socio-economic landscape of the country in a faith perspective that is based on Biblical principles.
The meeting which drew leaders of various sectors from across the country was held in Lilongwe over the weekend under the theme ‘Leadership and Faith in our World.’
One of the facilitators at the meeting, Rev. Dr Zacc Kawalala told journalists that leaders need to identify what they are going to do and impart the same to their subjects in order to build a strong network of leaders and those leaders the society is raising.
He said such principles would go a long way in shaping the country in a way that all would benefit.
“I believe that if we are going to have any development; any change, any transformation whether it is socio-economic transformation, requires leadership that fears God,” he said.
Kawalala, who is General Overseer of Word Alive Ministries International, said time has come that leaders from all sectors should not only be God fearing but also leaders of integrity saying those attributes are ideal for a better future of the leaders as well as their subjects and those who are raised to become leaders.
DLGF has been in existence since 2015 as an all sector network of executive leadership and society influencers. It has since then been organizing such meetings.
Rev. Kawalala said since 2015 one of the things which has kept the forum intact are the regional meetings which provoked a debate on what needs to be done as a country hence this national meeting.
“One of the things which I’m encouraged with and has kept us to have the momentum, and even to have a national forum like this, is that in the small groups in the regions we started seeing a coming together of the individual gates discussing what is wrong with us as a people and what needs to be done,” he said.
He said if the country moves that way people would stop blaming one grouping of people saying they have done blame games for a long time and time has come for taking action.
The Republic of South Africa Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng who was the keynote speaker concurred with Kawalala on leadership responsibility saying one cannot assume leadership because he or she likes it but must learn to lead.
He said capacity building for leaders is critical if the world is to raise vibrant leaders.
Another facilitator at the forum, Justice Dr Chifundo Kachale who sits as a judge in the High Court of Malawi observed that leadership is not pointing the right way but becoming the right way saying leadership is about what the leader is and not about the people the leader is leading.
Since its inception, DLGF has worked towards creating circles called Gates through which professionals with relevant skills identify issues, discuss them and find solutions with the involvement of respective stakeholders.
The Gates are Church, Government, Family & Education, Media & Communication, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Business & Economics and Health, Science & Technology.
In recognition of 2019 being an election year, DLGF thought of providing a platform for an in-depth look at leadership in Malawi and how to move forward with a newly elected government and the existing leaders in all spheres of influence.
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Za chani izi? DEMO MAWA!!!!
“…leaders need to identify what they are going to do and impart the same to their subjects.” True, but this is where religious people get things wrong. Company managers, political leaders, church pastors are simply not going to steal cash because of their religious conviction. Religious preachers think that if you proclaim that you are a God fearing person, then everything should be good. In the business of running government or running companies, God does not exist. What exists are internal controls that should detect, or prevent an improper activity. What exists are strategies to make profits, or sustainability plans. So you want to run a church, then go and get a religious course, but if you want to effectively run a company, go and get a strategic management course. Likewise, if you want to run a government then you need to learn public administration. People are not going to stop stealing because they are Christians, no. People will stop stealing because they know there are controls put in place to catch the thieves, and those controls are working 90% of the time, (remember controls do not work 100%) and when the thieves are caught, they will pay a heavy penalty, the loot will be forfeited and looters will be jailed. Until that happens, religious people will congregate and talk as if they are talking sense while they drink fanta and coffee. At the end of everything, they achieve nothing with their zero-sum game. Kaya!!!!!!!!
Izinso nde zakumidimatu izi!! which business and government can operate without God? Which definition of the word business are you using? A business and or entrepreneurship is a creative act that brings higher levels of satisfaction to people, results in more order, and finds ways to create greater value than existed before and the Bible gives a lot of examples of entrepreneurs not your distorted understanding! Some of them are as follows:
Abraham
We know from Genesis 13 that Abram was very wealthy in livestock, gold, and silver. By the time he had to rescue Lot in Genesis 14, he had over 300 trained men, presumably trained in the use of arms.
Beyond his wealth, Abram was an entrepreneur. The evidence for this is in Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot separate and Lot chooses to go to the fertile plain. This was an area favorably compared to the Garden of Eden. Presumably Abram got a less attractive, less fertile area, yet he continued to prosper. Lot’s material and spiritual condition both deteriorated due to his choice. He started out as wealthy as his uncle Abram, but ended up living in cave (Genesis 19).
After getting the lesser land, Abram’s wealth grew, as did his faith and walk with the Lord. By Genesis 21 Abraham (as God had renamed him by this time) was making treaties with kings and generals. Abraham had a faith and God-given vision of the future, and the perseverance to leave his home, obey, and see the task through.
Solomon
Solomon was unique among Jewish kings, as he seems to be the only one to have seen and profited from the geographical advantage of his kingdom.
Ancient Israel was located on two great ancient trading routes, the King’s Highway and Way of the Sea (the Via Maris), in addition to several lesser routes. Solomon engaged in trade, and he appears to be the only Jewish king to fully exploit the advantages afforded by these routes (1 Kings 5, 9).
The Bible tells us Solomon was extremely wealthy, but he had to create his fortune, as much of it did not exist before (I Kings 3, 4:26). Solomon generated wealth by bringing peace to the kingdom, which allowed him to use his resources for production, rather than protection. In addition, he encouraged trade and was the only Jewish king with a trading fleet (1 Kings 9).
Conversely, Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, had a chance to solidify Israel’s position in the world. Instead, he chose poor advisers and made poor decisions. The kingdom essentially split over tax policy and forced labor (I Kings 12). A wiser, more entrepreneurial man would have reduced these burdens and advanced the kingdom through other means, such as trade.
Lydia of Thyratira
Lydia, a dealer of purple cloth in Thyratira, is largely an unknown figure, and we must be careful not to read more than we know into her story.
What we do know is that Roman women were allowed to own property and conduct business. We also know that Thyratira was a center for dying cloth, especially purple. Thus, Lydia may not have been a pioneer or entrepreneur in her profession, but she certainly was in her personal life.
Although we only get a few verses about Lydia in Acts 16:14-15, 40, we do learn several things. She had a household, she may have been a widow, and her household probably included children and may have included servants.
She had a house large enough to accommodate guests, and was willing to take Paul and Silas in after they had been in jail. In addition, her house also seemed to serve as the center for Christian work in the area. Her hospitality undoubtedly carried some risk with it, and a willingness to take on risk is an entrepreneurial characteristic.
God had been, is and shall be everywhere!! Since the earth is His creation, He is always there participating in everything irrespective the fact that in every business allows interaction of believers, partial believers and non-believers! As such it is illogical for a non-believer to assume that since he is as such or he is a partial believer then the Creator is not there….! If you Notmypresident you’re not a believer, then its better to be quite than cheat people through this page……!!
The good book, The Bible, is not meant to be interpreted literally as some uninformed or uneducated individuals would have us believe. Literal interpretations are results of lazy minds! Many peoples, including Africans, have been caught up or captured in this trap of literal interpretation, possibly accidentally, by the modern Evangelical movement. Bad business!
Advanced thinkers use the teachings from the bible as parables, or guidelines to living the lives of good citizenry. Nothing more nothing less.
You need to understand issues and not distort them. What I am saying is God is religious, business is strategic.This has nothing to do with how religious someone is. In biblical times people run business successfully and unsuccessfully. You can see that Jesus encouraged people to run businesses profitably while not ripping off the poor. Moslems run businesses as well both successfully and unsuccessfully, likewise Hindus, and Buddhists. Millions of people from whom Malawians are importing their stuff from, the Chinese who do not believe in deities run businesses some are profitable and others not. So “central” you can start a business and fast and pray and tell me how profitable you are. Just because you are intellectually challenged doesn’t mean you ignore the obvious. If religion would provide all answers to our problems, there would be no need to conduct cancer research, open heart surgeries. If you want to be a reverend then study the Bible and religion, if you want to be a business person, you need to study strategy. Final thought you said “izi ndi zakumidimatu” pofunika mulowe mkalasi akulu ngati mukufuna mumve bwino. Ikuoneka sukulu yokha ikupelewera. And oh no, I am a presby, a follower of the real teachings of Christ which John Calvin believed. He was not a gullible, so am I.
Where is the use of tippex in all this leadership talk? ‘A Criminal History of Mankind’ by Colin Wilson. My time to go and make money……….