A nation may be in tragedy without even realising it. The signs are everywhere, yet those in power seem blind to them. The greatest tragedy is not only in the suffering of the people but in the hypocrisy of those entrusted with leadership. When leaders create policies and allocate budgets for schools, hospitals, roads and other essential infrastructure, but do not trust or use them, then the country is already walking towards destruction.
It is a bitter truth that many leaders speak loudly about improving education while their children attend private schools or are sent abroad. They commission new hospital projects, yet when they or their families fall ill, they fly overseas for medical treatment. They sign off on budgets for roads but prefer to travel by air, leaving ordinary citizens to face the danger and frustration of broken and neglected highways. By distancing themselves from the very systems they are meant to strengthen, these leaders reveal their lack of faith in their own nation. The result is that projects are routinely underfunded, corruption spreads through every stage of delivery, and the final quality of work is poor because those responsible do not depend on it themselves.
A nation is in tragedy when what should be abnormal becomes normal. Citizens live with insecurity while leaders surround themselves with convoys of armed guards. They urge the public to believe in their country and speak positively about it, yet they themselves look outside for every form of comfort and service. They announce policies to improve power supply, but at the same time grant waivers for generator importers and even secretly hold shares in the very companies that profit from national failure. They encourage people to buy local products but drive fleets of imported cars. This double standard is not only an insult to the citizens but a slow poison that kills trust in governance.
The tragedy deepens when politics is placed above governance. Leaders focus their energy not on serving the people but on winning the next election. Development becomes secondary to party loyalty. The situation is even worse when elections are won with less than 40% of the registered vote, producing unpopular leaders who govern without the true support of the people. In such a system, appointments and jobs are not given on merit but through connections, while those with poor records are rewarded with government positions. Committees are set up to investigate problems and produce reports, but these reports are shelved and forgotten, left to gather dust rather than guide solutions.
No country can stand strong when its justice system is broken. The rule of law collapses when certain individuals are above it, when the police cannot protect the citizens, and when the oppressed are recruited by the powerful to defend and sing praises for their oppressors. The judiciary, often described as the last hope of the common man, becomes compromised and unreliable. Elections are repeatedly declared inconclusive, and final results are not trusted until they are decided in courtrooms rather than at the ballot box. When justice is for sale, hope fades, and the people lose faith in democracy itself.
The signs of tragedy are also clear in how society values wealth over integrity. People celebrate riches without asking how they were made. Politicians earn far more than professors, doctors and other professionals whose work sustains the economy, shapes the future of young people, and saves lives every day. In such an environment, honest service to the nation is undervalued, while the pursuit of political power and ill-got wealth becomes the fastest road to fame.
Even deeper harm comes when ethnicity and religion are placed above national unity. When people see themselves first as members of a tribe or a faith before seeing themselves as citizens of one country, divisions widen, trust breaks down, and the nation struggles to move forward together. These divisions are often exploited by leaders who prefer to benefit from disunity rather than build a common identity.
A nation in tragedy is one where leaders promise change but live lives that contradict their words. It is one where public policy exists only on paper, while private choices show complete mistrust in the system. It is one where committees meet, reports are written, budgets are allocated, but the people see little improvement in their daily lives. It is one where elections lack credibility, where the law serves only the rich, and where ordinary citizens are left vulnerable. It is one where the values of honesty, service and hard work are pushed aside while corruption, greed and self-interest flourish.
Yet even in the middle of such tragedy, a way forward is possible. A nation can recover if its leaders choose to lead by example. If they are serious about change, they must begin by using the hospitals they fund, sending their children to the schools they support, and driving on the roads they commission. They must earn the trust of citizens by sharing in the same realities, not hiding from them. Governance should prioritise service, not election victories. Appointments should be made based on merit, not loyalty or connections. Laws should protect every citizen equally, regardless of wealth or influence.
The measure of true leadership is not in speeches or policies but in action. A leader who tells people to buy local must himself buy local. A leader who speaks of improving education must be willing to place his own child in the schools he funds. A leader who demands faith in the country must himself live with that same faith. Anything less is hypocrisy, and hypocrisy is the deepest wound of all.
Until leaders begin to live by the standards they set for others, the nation will remain in tragedy. The people deserve leaders who embody the values of honesty, service and accountability, not just in words but in deeds. The question is whether those in power dare to break away from the habits that keep the nation in decline, or whether they will continue to allow tragedy to define the story of their people.
