HICHILEMA AND INTEGRITY
I don’t know a person who has contradicted himself or negated what he had previously stated as his firm belief like Mr Hakainde Hichilema. No wonder Mr Levy Mwanawasa and Mr Michael Sata, among many others, have questioned his integrity. One wonders what Mr Hichilema really believes in.
Integrity is the noblest possession. The integrity of the upright guides them.
In 2 Corinthians 6:6-8, we are told, “…by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honour and dishonour, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors and yet are true.”
By integrity, I do not mean simply sincerity or honesty; integrity rather according to the meaning of the word as its derivation interprets it – entireness-wholeness-
soundness: that which Christ means when He says, “If thine eye be single or sound, thy whole body shall be full of light.”
This integrity extends through the entireness or wholeness of the character. It is found in small matters as well as great; for the allegiance of the soul to truth is tested by small things rather than by those which are important.
Integrity originally means wholeness. A leader who can attain within himself a unity or wholeness of drive and outlook will possess integrity. The acquiring of this quality is thus no little thing, and the process requires no minor adjustments. It is a major problem of the whole life philosophy and character of the individual.
What do we mean when we speak of a man of integrity? One who will be true to the highest he knows; who will never betray the truth or trifle with it; one who will never make a decision from self-regarding motives; one who will never yield to the persuasion of friends or the pressure of critics unless either conforms to his own standards of right and wrong; one who will face the consequences of his attitudes, decisions and actions, however costly they may be; one who will not be loud in self-justification, but quietly confident and humbly ready to explain.
Let your actions speak; your face aught to vouch for your speech.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party