*This content is brought to you by Kagiso Trust
Written by Paul Smith*
Active Citizenry: Unleashing Your Power to Shape Political and Community Leadership Behaviour and Foster Community-Centric Development
“In a democracy, every nation has the government it deserves.” These profound words, attributed to Joseph de Maistre, highlight the importance of active citizenry in shaping the government and local communities. The choices made by engaged citizens exercising their voting rights directly influence the composition of local governments. However, when communities remain passive, they become vulnerable to corrupt and narcissistic leadership. To combat this, active citizenry must be embraced as the strongest tool for effecting change in political and community leadership behaviour to promote community-centric development.
While Kagiso Trust has witnessed numerous commendable civic initiatives throughout South Africa, many suffer from what can be termed “Insular Active Citizenry.” These initiatives, despite their quality, impact, and relevance, often focus narrowly on issues important to specific interest groups. Influenced by historical inequalities, racial geography, belief systems, and political affiliations, these initiatives fail to serve the common greater good of the community.
James Patrick Kinney’s poem, “The Cold Within,” aptly captures the destructive nature of polarization and insular active citizenry. When actions and agency are driven by prejudice, selfishness, and indifference everyone bears the brunt of an undesirable fate. Communities must recognize that for power to be effectively exercised by those in authority or leadership, there must be willing submission by those they govern. To prevent self-interest from jeopardizing collective well-being, polarization and insularity must be avoided and dismantled. It is our responsibility to choose leaders wisely and actively participate in shaping our futures.
To achieve true community-centric development, a shift from insular to collaborative active citizenry is necessary. This shift entails embracing a mindset focused on the community’s well-being rather than self-centred thinking. It also requires a behavioural shift towards “Radical Collaboration” – genuine communal engagement and ideation for the greater good. Collaborative active citizenry significantly influences political and community leadership behaviour, shaping individual and collective engagement with political processes, decision-making, and policy outcomes in the interest of inclusive governance and community-centred development.
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The Makana Circle of Unity (MCU): A Model of Radical Collaboration: In its infancy, the MCU serves as an exemplar of radical collaboration. This “A Political” civic coalition adopts a distributive leadership model to empower the community in addressing local development issues while working harmoniously with the local Municipality. The MCU provides a structure that strengthens the collective voice of the community within the local governance framework, enabling them to influence local development programs and hold both the municipality and the community accountable for their role in development. To foster radical collaboration and civic coalition, individuals within the community should:
- Embrace collaboration and active participation.
- Recognize and celebrate our shared humanity.
- Overcome prejudice and biases.
- Foster selflessness and cooperation.
- Build social cohesion.
- Advocate collectively for positive change.
While not all active citizenry requires radical collaboration, it all begins with exercising our individual democratic rights. We must choose to be part of the solution by voting prudently in elections, volunteering, supporting and contributing to initiatives, getting involved, advocating for change, and promoting collaborative engagement. Active citizenry, both individually and collaboratively, is vital for a healthy, community-centric democracy. It promotes increased responsibility and accountability among all stakeholders, ensuring that the voices and concerns of individuals and communities are heard and responded to by those in positions of authority. Collaborative active citizenry empowers all individuals to actively contribute to the prosperity of their community, foster positive change, and build trust among stakeholders.
Kagiso Trust urges all South African citizens to Get Involved and be an Active Citizen. Contact Paul Smith on [email protected] to find out how you can play an active role and #GetInvolved. In the renowned words of James Patrick Kinney:
The Cold Within
By James Patrick Kinney
Six humans trapped by happenstance
In bleak and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood
Or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs
The first man held his back
For of the faces round the fire
He noticed one was black.
The next man looking ’cross the way
Saw one not of his church
And couldn’t bring himself to give
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes.
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought
Of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned
From the lazy shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge
As the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood
Was a chance to spite the white.
The last man of this forlorn group
Did nought except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave
Was how he played the game.
Their logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.
