Research has shown that worldwide, poverty, unemployment, lack of economic opportunities, and illiteracy breed a population that can easily turn into anything that ensures that a group of the population finds a means of getting out of the crows of these deadly chains.
Throughout history, flattery has always been an instrumental means of self-promotion in the political order, used to obtain favours from the political elites who are believed to have the power to help the less privileged with economic opportunities, appointments, or promotions.
Flattery is simply excessive and insincere praise given especially to further one’s own interests.
And in politics, Political flattery is no exception.
“Flattery has accompanied political discourse throughout the ages, at least from document classical times, (Kapust, 2018).
With the wide prevalence of poverty and unemployment in today’s world, it is not difficult to see why people from all walks of life are flattering the ruling class with whatever pleases the ruling class.
For example, in Tanzania, with a population of over 18.28 million youths aged 15 – 24 and over 12.6 per cent of the youth labour force available without work and seeking employment, according to the 2021/2022 Integrated Labour Force Survey—Analytical Report from the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics and from the Age and Sex.
Key findings from the Ministry of Finance and Planning, National Bureau of Statistics (December 2022 publication) showed a majority of youths wallowing in abject poverty and unemployment.
We will surely see youths, poor people, and the illiterate engaging in flattery toward leaders, especially for self-promotion and economic opportunities.
Political flattery in some authoritarian regimes throughout the world is necessary for some people to survive these regimes as one criticism of these authoritarian regimes’ leadership could land one prison term or forced disappearances.
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So, people turn to flattering their leaders for survival. Political flattery is prevalent in democratic societies, too, and the trend is becoming rampant by the minute.
Why Political Flattery is Here to Stay?
As we have seen, poverty and unemployment are breeding and fertile ground for political flattery and also as a technique for people to avoid political prosecutions in authoritarian regimes; people are employing flattery for self-promotion and resorting to flattery to obtain favours.
They include political appointments, promotions, tenders for different projects, investment opportunities, tax reliefs, judicial justice relief, workshops and seminars, employment opportunities for themselves or/and their children, relatives, congregations, people of their tribe, and religious or political affiliations.
Flattery is not limited to poor and unemployed people, leaders, or political elites. It goes way deeper.
From religious leaders to politicians, civil society organisations, government officials and employees, business leaders, and the community, if you pay attention, you will realise that almost at every level, everyone flatters his or her immediate supervisor to obtain certain favours, be it promotions, appointments, workshops, tenders, or other favours.
The situation is even worse when flattery is shown to our country’s leaders, as the spread of flattery towards leaders is rampant.
As Tanzania approaches election seasons in 2024 and 2025, political flattery is in full swing. Individuals are flattering the political elite, hoping for favours, as they plot to vie for different political offices in the country.
It is very common to see a religious leader, a professor, a musician, a senior government official, a business tycoon, or a politician flattering a public official with all kinds of blandishments for their interests and, in most cases, with hidden motives.
Why Should Political Flattery Be Fought by Every Means Necessary?
In his paper ” The Democratic King: The Role of Ritualised Flattery in Political Discourse”, Volume 32, Issue 6, Roni Danziger 2020 concludes, “Political flattery is not just meant for self-promotion in the political order but manipulative and antidemocratic exploitation of epideictic rhetoric.
Furthermore, the implicit requirement of ritualised flattery hinders accountability, deliberative decision-making, and integrating differences of opinion or interests towards a collective and impartial political practice”.
He continues by saying ‘leaders who surround themselves with sycophants encourage opinion-and action-conformity to whatever pleases that specific leader.”
In Tanzania, this disease of political flattery has been gaining momentum even further, especially in politics, where individuals are looking for promotions, tenders, employment and economic opportunities, political careers or political appointments, and/or contracts for economic opportunities.
Recently, political flattery has gained the popular name “Chawa,” meaning individuals willing and ready to shower excessively and, most of the time, insincerely praising their interests.
Shortly after independence, Tanzania started self-rule with its limited indigenous Tanzanians.
Graduates from various colleges were given opportunities to serve in important posts not because they were masters of political flattery but because the government under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere believed in their abilities and patriotism for their country.
Still, these youths, especially, did not become flatterers of Mwalimu to keep their posts. Various testimonies of these youths constructively criticise the once-powerful father of the nation with facts and expert recommendations.
Recently retired Chief Justice and former Prime Minister Judge Joseph Sinde Warioba, while addressing the launch of a book by professor Issa Shivji of former Prime Minister Joseph Sokoine, as a minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs (also Attorney General) then, Judge Joseph Warioba in the 13 members committee in the cabinet responsible for laws.
He disagreed with the four petitions for a special tribunal for economic sabotage, hearsay evidence to be accepted in the courts, cases to be heard in privacy, and no bail for economic sabotage crimes.
e is quoted as saying no to these petitions as a minister of laws and attorney general and was ready to resign for what he believed in 1983. Later, he disagreed with his boss, Prime Minister Joseph Sokoine.
It is very unlikely for Tanzanians, especially the youths in government posts of this generation, to constructively disagree with facts and make strong arguments against their bosses or immediate supervisors.
There are many testimonies of these youths of Judge Warioba and his compatriots standing firm to the principles of what they believed in, not mere political flatterers and shoe-licking politicians and leaders in the one-party system under the once powerful Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Unfortunately, today’s youths, especially, are masters of flattery, mostly because they are incompetent and know they do not have the abilities and necessary character to deserve tenders, promotions, employment opportunities, or appointments. Thus, they resort to political flattery, hoping to obtain favours.
How Do We Fight Against This Crippling Disease of Political Flattery in Our Country?
In a democratic society, where people of all races, creeds, political affiliations, religious affiliations or economic status have rights to freedom of opinion and expression without interference and seek, receive and impart ideas, then individuals from all spheres of life will be in a position to constructively provide views and recommendations to state matters and in their respective sectors freely to their bosses or employers without fearing reprisals or prosecutions of any kind.
Our country needs to become more transparent, inclusive, and democratic. We need a real liberal democracy that ensures an orderly process of leadership succession and change, an independent judiciary and courts, and the rule of law.
The country should have free and fair elections, equality, accountability, respect for human rights, political tolerance, diversity management, opportunities and constitutional reform.
This will provide a platform for people to have constructive discussions of matters of state, and in the long run, collective and impartial political practice will be assured.
Rewards and punishments should be directed to those who deserve merit, abilities, and capabilities, not because of their mastery of flattery in all spheres of our country.
From political appointments to promotions, awarding tenders and projects, employment and economic opportunities, and workshops and seminars.
Shoe lickers and master flatterers must not be considered for posts, opportunities, promotions, or award tenders as they are usually not capable of delivering results.
Rewarding those with merits and punishing the corrupt thieves of state resources. However, masters of flattery they may be, in the long run, will create a culture of individuals with firm beliefs in principles.
They include those with the guts to constructively criticise leaders wherever they are not adhering to the rule of law, respect for human rights, accountability, proper resource management, diversity, and opportunities to build a country of justice, prosperity, and the rule of law.
It is unfortunate that in most cases in our country, those with opposing views against their leaders in government, political parties, religious organisations, private and public enterprises, or civil society organisations are punished, however constructive, sincere, and factual their opposing views may be.
Individuals with opposing views have been punished by their respective authorities. We have seen members of political parties, employees, members of the general public, government employees, and employees from the private sector expelled, warned, prosecuted, demoted, jailed, and sometimes killed for airing opposing views against their respective employers or their bosses.
Roni Danziger concludes that “habitual public flattery towards democratic leaders has not received scholarly attention, even though it can provide insight into the danger authoritarian discursive rituals can have on the democratic process”.
If this trend of political flattery continues, the country will continue to appoint unpatriotic leaders, promote individuals not based on merits, award tenders and projects to less qualified companies and individuals, and provide employment opportunities to unqualified individuals simply because they are good at flattering leaders or appointing authorities.
This results in individuals who are not fit to hold senior posts or offices, projects not implemented to the specified standards, and poor delivery and execution of projects and plans, hence hindering the country’s vision in the long run of realising economic freedom, inclusivity, the rule of law, liberal democracy, and equal economic opportunities.
It also includes respect for human rights, proper management of opportunities and diversity, an independent judiciary and courts, and accountability for the welfare of our country as we strive for economic freedom for our people.
