By Kellys Kaunda
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED TO RUN FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT
The late Ben Mwila once told the story of how Frederick Chiluba reacted when results came in and confirmed he was going to become the second President of Zambia.
Several senior MMD officials were in the living room celebrating when they noticed that Chiluba had disappeared.
“I found him in the kitchen crying”, BY narrated.
Asked why he was crying when he was supposed to be celebrating, BY reported Chiluba as saying, “How am I going to be President? When we campaigned, it was like a joke but now it’s real”.
BY said he comforted him assuring him that he was not alone as there were men of vast experience to help him run the country.
As BY told this story, the room was eerily quiet. It was as if everyone was processing the awesome nature of the office of the President.
Undoubtedly, the office represents awesome responsibilities.
And understandably, when the dust of campaigns and rhetoric has settled down, the cold hard truth revealing the depth and breadth of the office hits the new President real hard.
But intimidating though it might be, it’s an office meant for ordinary mortal men and women.
It may be presented in mystery and mythology but it’s not any of these things.
It’s a leadership, administrative and management position like any other.
It has a physical office and members of staff who carry the orders of the office holder.
It doesn’t take long before the office holder realizes that all the mysterious talk associated with the office were lies.
How do I know this? Because they begin to enjoy the office so much so that they fight tooth and nail to remain there.
If the job were as hard as they make it out to be, why would anyone even seek to amend the constitution and seek a third term?
“Power is sweet” is the honest truth revealed to us by a man who, ironically, cried in fear of assuming it’s awesome duties in the first place!
It’s in the interest of those in power to exaggerate the qualities required to hold the office of President.
It is intended to scare off contenders, narrow the competitive field and increase chances of retaining power.
The privileges of being President easily get to the head of the office holder.
From mundane things such as the fancy title itself, fellow adults opening doors for you, saluting you, carrying everything and anything for you to substantive stuff like hiring and firing people and deciding public policy and laws, being President is literally being the alpha and omega on earth.
And the temptation to use these powers and privileges to fix opponents and those that abused the now incumbent is almost impossible to resist.
So, don’t be lied to and don’t be intimidated. There is nothing special about the brothers that have occupied the office of President.
There are no special skills that are available to only a select few to become President.
All you need is to step forward and announce your availability for office.
And the rest is up to the voter to decide.
A boy and American MAN
Says the former president of which country?