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Happy New Year everyone!!! Yeah, yeah I know I’m late; but better late than never, right! I was gone for a minute, now I’m back amongst the fold.

Over this period, I read a very interesting book written by Dr. Stephen R Covey - one of the world’s leading management consultants- entitled “Principle-Centered Leadership”. One of the chapters that stood out the most to me was- Chapter 7- “Seven Deadly Sins”; which I am going to share with you over a series of Articles. 

These seven deadly sins were given to us by Mahatma Gandhi- one of the leaders of India’s independence movement, known to Indians as the Father of the Nation and to rest of the world as “the man of the millennium”. Mahatma Gandhi said that seven things will destroy us. These are:

• Politics without Principle
• Religion without Sacrifice
• Science without Humanity
• Commerce (business) without Morality (ethics)
• Knowledge without Character
• Pleasure without Conscience, and
• Wealth without Work

The one that I will be focusing on today is that of “Politics without Principle”. Take a look at the following front page news since the start of the year:

Excerpt # 1 Jamaica Gleaner, Wednesday January 3^rd, 2007:

Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas has warned the nation that Jamaicans could be faced with a violent general election in 2007. Mr. Thomas said he had evidence that suggested the general election, which is constitutionally due this year, could be bloody.The Police Commissioner’s comments come only a month after some members of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) raised concerns over what they said was an accumulation of guns in some inner-city communities. The PMI worried that the accumulation could lead to an outbreak of political violence, which the country has not seen since 1980 when 600 people were killed during the general election that year.

Excerpt # 2 Jamaica Observer, January 21^st, 2007 Sunday:

For the better part of this week, we have been bombarded by press reports alleging ‘conflict of interest’ in several areas of public life. In the Jamaican landscape, this is not news, as for sometime, we have been trying ‘to come to grips’ with this issue.

Politics without Principle

Without principle there is nothing you can depend upon. Even though there are guidelines and precedents with regards to conflict of interest in public organizations we still see numerous evidence of this yearly. Why? This is because in our political system in Jamaica there is no principle. Everyone holds there our value system and they all seem to be centered around greed, wealth and status. 

Some or our politicians go to great lengths to portray to us a particular image even though this is superficial, lacking substance, in order to get our votes and gain office. They then turn around and use this power for selfish reasons easily forgetting that they are there to represent the interest of the citizens.

While others, gains office with a sick social will behind there political will, and wreck havoc on communities. They leave scares that live on for decades by issuing money and guns; thus buying and intimidating residents into giving them there votes.

Values and Principles

Some of you are probably saying what are principles, and may even consider them to be relative; as your set of principles may not be mine. But my answer to this is, do not mistake values for principles. Values are subjective and internal while principles are objective and external. Even a criminal gang has values. Their highest value being, don’t squeal or inform on each other; be true and loyal to each other.

On the other hand there are basic principles which we all can agree upon and live in harmony with such as fairness, equity, justice, integrity, honesty, charity, and trust- these are all universal beliefs. Principles are not invented by us or by society, they are natural laws of the universe that pertain to human relationships and human organizations.

Principles and Practices

Principles are not practices. Practices are specific activities or actions that work in one circumstance but not necessarily another. If you train people in the practices of customer service you will get a degree of customer service, but the service will breakdown whenever customers present a special case or problem. However if they were trained in the principles of customer service there would be no situation presented, by a customer, that they cannot fundamentally handle.

In the movie The Ten Commandments, Moses says to the pharaoh, "We are to be governed by God’s law, not by you." In effect he’s saying, "We will not be governed by a person unless that person embodies the law." In the best societies and organizations, natural laws and principles govern –that’s the Constitution- and even the top people must bow to the principle. No one is above it.

Vote for Principles

The basic principles mentioned earlier need to be incorporated into our school programs/curriculums and embodied by the leaders of our society. If this should be done our political system- in terms of legislation, decision making and delivering services through the public sector- would become a model one for this side of the hemisphere. But it’s not instead its one that is ridiculed by both locals and foreigners.

According to Dr. Covey the key to a healthy society is to get the social will, our value system, aligned with correct principles. Thus for the upcoming election, please vote for principles and not politics- thereby getting rid of deadly sin number one from our society.  

Until next time remember to educate and obey your conscience.

Damion This article was written by Damion and added 1 year, 10 months ago to Perspective-only for thinkers.
Damion says... Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things first, Think Win/Win, Seek first to understand-then be understood-, Synergize, and always take time out to Sharpen the saw..