Nelson Mandela
Born as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on 18 th July 1918, Mandela led a nonviolence anti-apartheid campaign to become the first black president of South African from 1994 to 1999. Mandela became active in the anti-apartheid movement when he was in his 20s and his entire life; he directed his energy towards nonviolent and peaceful campaigns against the racist policies and laws from the British government. Mandela was then incarcerated for 27 years for political crimes. In 1997, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize for his endless determination to dismantle the apartheid system from his country ( Read, 2010) . Through his persistence, Mandela won the hearts of many, and for future generations, Nelson Mandela will forever remain the sole source of inspiration for civil rights activists all over the world.
The life of Mandela’s life and qualities are transforming the hearts of men in the world. Having made it through trials in love, civil rights and politics, Mandela’s choices have created a new and magnificent world. The leadership qualities of Nelson that facilitated his journey all through include thirst for knowledge. No one succeeded in challenging Mandela on the importance of education. As a leader, Mandela attended six different higher institutions, including the University of England, University of South Africa, University of Fort Hare, and many more. Mandela defined education as “the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world.” ( Read, 2010 ) Second, Mandela resisted all forms of conformity.
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Nelson Mandela’s decisions and how he demonstrated ethics
Nelson made two crucial decisions that made him succeed in fighting apartheid. The first decision was a life sentence. Due to Mandela’s commitment to non-violent movements, he was dealt stealthily by the British colonial government. This was not the plans of the ruling government, which was violence. This made Mandela go prison to ease the tension. Second, Mandela decided to face the opposition heads on. He did not fear the opposition government at any point in his life. He called out in public anyone willing to stand with until they obtain their independence. Mandela did not break any law in his entire struggle. Instead, he democratically ruled his party until he succeeded. The ethical framework that Mandela used is the Blanchard-Peale Framework.
What factors influenced Mandela’s moral decisions?
The critical aspect that significantly contributed to Mandela’s moral decision is his vast knowledge. Mandela always believed that with education, nothing was impossible. He had attended a total of six higher learning institutions in his pursuit of knowledge and power. He was aware that he needed the education to run his ANC party and strategies on how to drive out the white man from his country. Mandela was visionary. Serving a prison sentence did nit shook him. It hardened him and gave him the strength to write a book.
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi is an Indian Idol, who was born on 2 nd October 1869. Today, Gandhi’s birthday is celebrated in India as the International Day of Non-Violence in his honor. Despite the controversies over chooses he made at times, there is a treasure of wisdom that can be learned from Gandhi. He described his life as a message when he was asked what he would like to give the world. Some of the qualities that make Gandhi a great and exemplary leader include persistence and resistance ( Rao, 2017) . He said that as a leader, must be prepared for all sorts of insults. But when you get to the ring, demonstrate that you know what you believe in by winning the battle. At all costs, Gandhi stood up for his course. He thought that when doing the right thing, nothing can stop you from achieving it regardless of the opposition one faces. Giving up was never a solution to Gandhi. He reasoned that oppression is meant to strengthen a person.
Mahatma Gandhi’s decisions and how he demonstrated ethics
Gandhi’s most excellent decision was his non-violent path, which he vowed to stand with regardless of the pressure from his followers who had chosen violence. Gandhi persistently continued working for the betterment of his country until when the British were driven out of India. The ethical framework he used was the Markkula Center Framework which is centered on the rights approach and utilitarian
Factors that influenced Gandhi’s Moral Decision
The first factor is truthfulness. Gandhi believed that if he stood with the truth even in the absence of public support, he could succeed in his endeavors. Before the struggle, Gandhi was already a lawyer which most people believed that once you are a lawyer, you must lie at some point. He promoted truth in his entire life ( Rao, 2017) . . When he made his decisions, he made them on a sober mind, and that is why he referred the truth as the most influential tool
Iddi Amin Dada
Amin Dada is perceived to be among the cruelest leaders the world has ever had. Amin Dada was born and raised in Koboko, Uganda in 1925. Amin only received a primary education amid joining the Kings African Rifles (KAR), a British colonial army. By 1959, he acquired the highest rank an African solder has ever attained within the KAR, and by 1966, he had become the commander of armed forces. In 1971, Amin overthrew Obote’s government who had gone to Singapore to attend a Commonwealth meeting. Amin Dada was known to be authoritative. There is no single day he dealt with conflict. Instead, he causes conflicts, havoc, and suffering to the innocent Ugandans and Asians. Amin wanted to control everything and everyone in Uganda. He led a terror regime where he started executing the Lango and Acholi tribes which were loyal to Obote. Through his internal security such as the Public Safety Unit (PSU), he began terrorizing the general public and eliminating those who were against his leadership.
Amin failed to provide support of investors in Uganda. Instead of creating an enabling environment for investment opportunities in the country, he contributed to the collapse of Uganda’s economy after taming an Asian population, which is believed to be 50000 to 70,000 thousand.
Idi Amin did not portray any positive leadership in his regime. First, he joined the British colonial army to learn the ways of conquering Uganda when the British finally leave the country. Upon withdrawing Obote from the presidency, he started exposing his violent dictatorship. He ended up butchering over 300,000 innocent Ugandans ranging from the elderly to children dictating everywhere. He even forces Obote in exile due to his cruel leadership. Amin introduced a materialistic way of life to his followers
Factors that influenced Amin Dada’s Moral Decision
Amin did not make any moral decision. He represented a symbol of naivety and semi-illiterate and underprivileged who rose to become a hero in the third world countries. He was egocentric, a cheat, killer, and deceiver. In the west, he was known as a jovial psychopath in his eight years on power. This demonstrated a moral cleavage and an economic gap between developing and developed nations (Bagire et al, 2017). Amin used the Issue-Contingent Model of Ethical in arriving at his decisions.
The main lesson obtained from Mandela and Gandhi is to live free or die. No one can thrive in fear. The best way to fight our fears is by facing our challenges head-on and without looking back. This is the greatest lesson that kept Mandela alive in prison for all the 27 years. Similarly, Gandhi was ready to die if his followers insisted on buying the violence idea that opponents were using to fight for independence. Although generations may not live to see a new Amin Dada being reborn again, no one needs to live or walk in a thin rope that segregates insanity form political satire.
References
Bagire, V., Begumisa, D., & Punnett, B. J. (2017). Leadership in Uganda. In LEAD: Leadership Effectiveness in Africa and the African Diaspora (pp. 125-140). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Read, J. H. (2010). Leadership and power in Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom. Journal of Power , 3 (3), 317-339.
Rao, M. S. (2017). Soft Leadership: An innovative leadership perspective. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership , 10 (1), 9.
