Governing with honesty
Some people are clowns. They use cheap tricks to fool audiences. They play games of deception. They create illusions to mask reality. They think of themselves only as actors in some sort of spectacle. And they put on masks for audiences. They treat the affairs of this city like a circus. I don't play those games.
I campaigned to be mayor with an honest message of development. In all my years in politics, I have lost count of the number of projects that would transform our society with its historical problems overnight, delivered by those who have been cast as prophets.
Time and again, the people of this city and this country have been presented with smoke and mirrors, always packaged in the grandest terms but miraculously short of detail and timelines. And where has it got us? People are frustrated. They are tired. They are desperate for someone to deal with reality.
Many have reached a point past the traditional cynicism in politics. They have stopped listening to leaders and they have begun looking for answers elsewhere. I campaigned as an honest broker. I have plans to change this city. But they will take time and many of them will only be realised many years from now.
We cannot give people everything they want at once. To deal with the pressures of our history and the demands of the future, we have to be honest. There is no point trying to deal with a problem if you cannot even name it. I have applied this strategy in my engagements as mayor, especially this past week.