Our leaders just dress badly

Tumie Modise | Monday November 30, 2015 14:48

While I am alive to the fact that our legislatures have more serious and I imagine, even pressing business to attend to once elected into political office, to some of us, even to many impressionable young people out there, we all look up to these people. The worst thing about looking up to somebody is that you don’t choose which parts to look up to, heroes and heroines have to act and even look the part. The flip side of this age-old adage of looking good forewarns the hazards of snap judgements made on the basis of outward appearances alone, but truthfully speaking, image is still everything whichever way you look at it.

How many of us have come back from the doctor healed instantly even without a Panado, after being to a well-groomed doctor’s office? A couple of years ago, there was one such young doctor at GPH. Word spread like veldt-fire and soon the whole town had even discovered that he freelanced at the hospital only after hours. Before we all knew it, that hospital emergency room was soon the ‘it’ place for most females in this city. Everybody looked forward to having that cold stethoscope down their back, being ‘commanded’ to breathe three times as it was placed on strategic places on your back was the ultimate highlight of such visits. Nobody could be bothered to pass through the dispensary after such visits.

So our August house opened for another session a week or so back. By now we all know what happens in parliament, and if you think hard about it, most times you can even predict all that will be said. It is like a badly rehearsed script, the President, or if it is budget speech day, the Finance Minister will deliver the speech and immediately the ones on the opposition side will rubbish everything. That is just the way it is, even after half a decade. Some things you just know, like you just know it when at church the preacher starts preaching feverishly about, totally unprovoked! So this year I decided I will pay little attention to the speech, because in any case I knew I could always get it at a later date. This is a decision I made after watching the ‘honourables’ as they filed in into parliament, red carpet and all the trappings, the decorum that defines the day. Filing in is an understatement; a few waltzed in, others staggered while some tried unsuccessfully to sneak in, hoping that nobody would be watching! I have an odd eye, the outfits immediately caught my eye, which I must add, sewed together would pitch an impressive humongous marquee! I don’t profess to be fashionable myself, but then again I don’t lead anybody, so I can get away with it.

How about you improve yourself before you talk of improving me? It has always been my motto. So I was seriously distracted, not by anyone at the public gallery but by some of the VIP people, some of who looked like witchdoctors on vacation. I have already noted at the beginning of this piece that this time around my editor gave me the leeway, this being festive and all, to write anything on my mind without any fear or favour, or did I? No beating about the bush here, our legislatures simply dress very badly and for lack of a better word, they are not stimulating at all! The latest session was no exception. Most men were just hilarious in their oversized Spiderman cape-style suits.

This being another month of no-violence against women (again), I am likely to get a beating over this, but think I have earned the right to write about this. After all, my eyes were abused, I am a victim! Can we then blame our sons for walking around with half their pants down on their knees? Can we blame them for idolising jean-wearing, tattooed international sports and rap stars? Somebody please ask these ‘honourables’ to up their game already. I look forward to the new opening of that house and this time around, a TV crew will be there, just in case someone doubts my story! Admittedly, some put in a little effort, but it is the ones who don’t that got all of us worried here.