Change of mindset: Ask what you can do for your country

These famous words were said during his inaugural address on January 20, 1961.

As part of his moving speech, he said the following: “Now the trumpet summons us again – not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are – but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation – a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.”

Kennedy’s speech, made during a time when the Vietnam war was heating up, called for a nation to stand as one and to fight the common enemy, be it in a time of war or of poverty.

Sure, it was sort of a cheap psychological trick to make the US citizens feel guilty at their lack of civil duty, but it did instil a truth that a country can prosper and thrive only when all citizens work towards such a common goal.

Our President can learn from Kennedy’s stirring call to place a country’s interest above a personal parade of self-interest.

Zuma’s recent comments of placing the interests of the ANC above the interests of the country is not a call for unity, but rather a call for the survival of the fittest – or is it a call for the most corrupt to prosper?

Basically his comment (which afterwards has been declared as being taken out of context) demotes all those who are not ANC to second-class citizens and their interests vested in the constitution means as much as the Springboks claiming third place at the Rugby World Cup.

When a President basically admits to being more loyal to the ANC constitution than the constitution of the country, then we are in greater trouble than the reservoirs running low.

While one takes note that his comments might have been misconstrued, where there is smoke there must be fire.

How else can one explain a ”democratic” leader building a home village of more than R200-m, while the country sinks deeper into the mire of poverty?

And what about the supposed R4-billion jet plane needed by Zuma?

Following news of this ridiculous purchase (only Barack Obama’s plane is apparently more expensive, but hey, he is the leader of the free world), support was quickly drummed up for Zuma, just like the Nkandla scandal.

All of a sudden it seems there are no plans to buy a plane that will cost R4-b, since other options are being weighed up.

One, however, gets this weird and nasty feeling, just like when a superbug attacks you, that such an expensive mode of transport (which apparently has to come with all the bells and whistles) was definitely on the cards.

The outcry of the country may have temporarily halted the plane from taking off, but, as proven with Nkandla, it seems what the government wants the Zuma-administration will get.

Never mind farmers struggling to survive, non-affordable university fees, rising unemployment and the Rand weakening to new, dismal lows, as long as our President sits comfortably in a plane sipping plenty of water.

Yes, there is a lot the government can do to help this country, such as scaling down its oversize cabinet and not indulging in all kinds of luxuries, but then this means putting the country above party interests.

Now, also consider the study by global network news channel CNN that scoured through government accounts to compare salaries paid to heads of state.

Not surprisingly, Zuma ranked fourth overall, his R3-million plus a year package squeezed him between Angela Merkel of Germany and David Cameron of Great Britain.

In order to achieve a better reflection of what this means, the study compared leaders’ salaries with the size of the economy they run – for example, according to CNN, how many dollars each President is paid for every $1-bn (R14-b or so) of their nation’s GDP.

Taking this into account, US’s Barack Obama is at good value of around $23 (R322) per $1-bn compared to Zuma’s $638 (R9 000).

Therefore, on a like-for-like basis, Zuma costs South African taxpayers 27 times what Americans pay for Obama, nine times what Merkel costs and a staggering 319 times more than Xi’s cost to Chinese taxpayers.

Isn’t that putting own interests above the interests of the country?

Putting one’s interests above the country is, however, something that happens every day in our beloved land of no rain.

Every time someone steals, murders, rapes or commits fraud that someone is putting own interests above the interests of the country.

Every time someone willingly uses excessive water or electricity in times of drought, or when the grid is under pressure, he/she is not looking out for the interests of others, who will be affected by such selfish actions.

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for great leadership (which is what we need in this country) such as America had in Kennedy or what the All Blacks enjoyed at the Rugby World Cup with senior men like Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

We have Zuma.