Our country is passing through the worst phase of true leadership. This appears to be quite evident from what has transpired in the last days, where the manipulation of the media and journalistic postings are the prerogative of political leaders.
Malta desires true leaders who should always prove themselves as the country’s leaders.
A true leader must have an honest understanding of who he is, what he should know and what he can do. He has to keep in mind that it is the followers who determine if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful, a leader has to convince his followers, not himself, that he is worthy of being followed.
Integrity and honesty instil mutual trust and confidence, create a culture that fosters high standards of ethics, make one behave in a fair and ethical manner toward others and demonstrate a sense of corporate responsibility and commitment to the people at large.
Public service is a public trust. Every political leader is vested with authority. The highest obligation of every individual in politics is to fulfil this basic trust with professional and personal integrity. The values which a political leader proclaims should be justice, equality and morality. A leader further pledges to “well and fully discharge the duties… of office”.
Fair and ethical behaviour and following through on commitments and promises are integral to the ability to build trust. They are prerequisites to being effective in all roles of service to the people. These competencies and/or behaviours are closely allied to the concept of “servant leadership” and are needed from the foundational roles through all levels. If one is not ethical and trustworthy, one cannot be in a position of trust. One should not even be considered to become a team leader without having demonstrated the integrity, honesty and trustworthiness to have and maintain a position of public trust. Journalists and media people have a great responsibility to the people. Being employed by a body and/or an institution irrespective of one’s personal political/religious convictions, one must always give loyal reportage in terms of the employer’s mission statement. This is the individual’s loyalty and integrity.
Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy.
The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility.
I do think that some journalists recently made a faux pas, which was quite evident from e-mails that were brought to light.
As the election campaign beckons let us hope that no sleaze would come out so that the end justifies the means.