Leadership

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said in his hadith, “kullukum ra’in wakullukum mas ulun ‘an ra’iyyatih” which means “every one of you is leader and every one of you is responsible to your subject”

The above hadith is actually self explanatory. It shows that we are all leaders. Leaders are not restricted to only politician, ministers, prime ministers, prefects, class monitors, etc, etc. A father is a leader to his family members, a mother, in the absence of the husband, is a leader of her family members, a boss is a leader in his office. Even though, a lot of people like to become a leader, as more often than not, leadership comes with great remuneration, please do not forget that it also comes with a very big responsibility.

The higher the leadership level, the heavier the responsibility is. So, it is not easy to become a leader especially when it is a matter of our own choice. As Malaysians are now in election fever, we always read in the newspaper that this fellow and that fellow is willing to become a candidate in his constituency. Willing is still ok. Some people in fact offered themselves. But the question is whether they have what it takes to become a good leader? A good leader amongst others are those who fight for the people and put the people’s priority over themselves, who ensure that their subjects are well equip with religious knowledge, who ensure that the welfare of the people is well taken care of, who will attend to the problems faced by the people and most importantly is those who carry their responsibility with sincerity.

Remember an MP who brought up an issue against customs and excise department because he did not get the Mercedes of his choice? Well, obviously that MP has put his interest over that of the people in his constituency. How could he fight in parliament about his own personal interest? He should be fighting for the people and not for himself. Is he a good or bad leader?

Do we have a leader of good quality nowadays? May be yes, may be no or may be very little. I am not sure about that. But whether we have quality and good leaders or not, election will still take place. So, what choice do we have? Like it or nor, we still need to cast our votes. That is our responsibility. To choose a leader. So, whether we are going to have a leader with a good leadership quality or otherwise, we will decide. If we make a wrong choice, we will have to bear with it for at least four years. So, cast your votes wisely.

Remember of this song?

marilah mari
pergi mengundi
tunaikanlah kewajipan
pada negara…