The legend of the fall from
grace of the great Jewish king David offers sobering lessons for President
Jacob Zuma and his government: the ascent to power is a greater corrupting
force for a leader than any external stimulus to act unethically.
And yet Easter reminds us of the
alternative model of servant leadership lived by Jesus Christ.
David, whose story is told in
the Old Testament, does not so much blame his neighbour’s sexy wife Bathsheba,
for causing him to sin. But, even within a modern cultural context which does
not blame the victim, mitigating features are easy to find, with many, sadly, being
resigned to “he’s just a man, a weak one”.
A paper by
American academics Dean Ludwig and Clinton Longenecker shows that David was
anything but an ordinary, weak man. (The paper,
“The Bathsheba Syndrome, written in 1993, resurfaced last year after the
resignation of United States Central Intelligence Agency director David
Petraeus over an extra-marital affair.)
From a humble background, David was
charismatic, a hugely courageous fighter, an astute and visionary leader with
great organisational skills who went on to achieve success; a man of high moral
character who ultimately was ordained by God as king of Israel .
Yet, despite both the quality of his life and his
moral character, say the academics in “The Bathsheba Syndrome”, King David got
caught up in a downward spiral of unethical decisions that had grave
consequences for both his personal life and his country.
“David's failings as a leader were dramatic even by
today's standards and included an affair, the corruption of other leaders,
deception, drunkenness, murder, the loss of innocent lives, and a ‘beat the
system’ attitude when he thought he had managed to cover up his crimes.”
The record as we know it from scripture starts with
David on the roof of his palace observing his neighbour’s wife Bathsheba
bathing.
But the impetus for David’s misdeeds starts a long
time before he glimpses a naked Bathsheba. His personal and professional
success as a warrior-king:
-
allows him to
become complacent and lose strategic focus - he enjoys home comforts while his
troops go into battle;
-
it gives him
privileged access to information, people and objects – including a social
status and a privileged physical vantage point from his palace to observe
Bathsheba;
-
leads to
unrestrained control of resources to commit adultery and the eventual
orchestration of her husband’s death;
-
inflates his
self-confidence that he can manipulate the situation, including taking Bathsheba
as his wife after her husband’s death.
Not unlike the examples of criminality and profligacy
by leaders in South Africa
In
modern times, we have witnessed the spectacular fall from grace of many high
profile individuals, men mainly, who have been highly successful, acquired
wealth and prestige by dint of their skill or acumen and then orchestrated
their own version of “the Bathsheba Syndrome”.
Golfer Tiger Woods, cyclist
Lance Armstrong, and former presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton espied
dizzying levels of hubris, together with those under George W Bush who
propagated the so-called war on terror, and global bankers.
The strong men of the National
Party ruled South Africa
with absolute impunity. Our failure in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
to uncover all their gross misdeeds suggests they were more successful than
David in covering their tracks. Or maybe TRC chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu was
not as adept as the prophet Nathan who confronted David over his misdemeanours.
Since 1994, a swathe of corrupt
ANC leaders, have been exposed in the fraught arms deal and elsewhere, while
the extent of the Nkandlagate deceit on Zuma’s watch is mind-boggling for its
grotesque audacity.
Communications Minister Dina
Pule has been singled out for allegedly empowering her lover with money from
state enterprises over which she exercises authority. But she is not unusual; time
and again, Cabinet ministers have been outed for extravagant personal behaviour
with public resources, pointing to the justification of the ministerial
handbook when caught out.
SARS commissioner Oupa
Magashula’s wrong-footing over an alleged job offer to an associate of a drug
dealer is just the most recent example of high-powered if not highly-regarded
individuals stepping horribly out of line. He is in good company with Oscar
Pistorius, Joost van der Westhuizen, Schabir Shaik, and police commissioners
Jackie Selebi, Bheki Cele and perhaps Riah Phiyega, if her appearance at the
Marikana hearings is anything to go by.
Against the behaviours of those
who have mimicked what should correctly be called “the David Syndrome”, stands
the example of Jesus Christ, the servant leader, whose death and resurrection
Christians mark at Easter.
His ministry among ordinary
people without consideration of their loyalty or hospitality is in stark
contrast to politicians, other secular leaders and even ministers of religion.
Christ’s entrance to Jerusalem on the back of a
donkey as one of the triumphant moments of his ministry is stunningly at odds
with the paradigm of leadership – both secular and religious - presented over
the centuries. Here humility trumps the elevated status which is the usual mark
of those in power.
His lonely walk towards Golgotha where he was crucified to redeem his world is
the ultimate personification of sacrificial love.
Christ offers his followers now
– as then – a radical turning away from their past lives, a fresh start,
regardless of the extent of the sin and brokenness which may have been their
lot.
Easter offers a chance even for
leaders in our government to eschew the David Syndrome of using power and might
for personal gain and to violate the rights of others. Easter is an opportunity
for renewed reflection on and commitment to Christ’s example of leadership. - RAY HARTLE
No comments:
Post a Comment