“One’s
country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for,
because it’s the most deeply honourable from of government
ever devised by man.”
—Reagan, D-Day anniversary in France
It is true that we are galloping at a frenetic pace in
2005, as if we are determined to allow the murder rate to
climb over the fatalities of 2004.
Do our leaders believe that T&T is worth dying for? Can
we turn our present crop of leaders into living legends capable
of uniting the society and destroying the dragon of crime
and violence?
I am not talking just about political leaders but leaders
in every sector: religious, business, sports, community service,
etc.
Let us forget whom we voted for and focus on the issues that
are plaguing our society: crime, corruption, abuse of power,
collapse of the family, indiscipline, discrimination. You
name it, we have it.
On March 13, the nation was greeted with the news that there
were three murders in 12 hours. When will we ever learn? When
will our Ministers of National Security or Insecurity comprehend
the basic principle that you do not announce a crime plan?
You do not announce, you implement!
Politicians speak glibly about Vision 2020 while some police
stations and schools look like bombed-out shelters in Baghdad.
In fact, the crime situation is so horrific that bpTT’s
announcement about its intention to divest three of its mature
producing fields off the east coast of Trinidad did not create
the impact that one would have expected.
We seem to be choked by so many issues that a paranoid population
interprets as basically distractions.
As the case involving Abu Bakr races to the final curtain,
Minister Joan Yuille-Williams thought it best to issue a denial
on the claim by one of the witnesses that she and the Jamaat
leader were friends, and that for him there was an open-door
policy.
If Bakr was ever in doubt about his connection with the Minister,
he must certainly be in no doubt now, after the Minister’s
painless “clarification.”
I am not God, therefore I am not omniscient. Only Jehovah
Jireh knows everything. But what was of particular concern
to me is that during the denial the term “young people”
was mentioned. In the court as well as in the news conference,
youth appeared to be sandwiched between some very powerful
forces: legitimate as well as illegitimate.
If we ever believe that we have to depend on bandits to destroy
indiscipline in the youth population, then we are taking a
6 for a big fat 9.
One of the greatest needs in our twin-island state is
the need for total quality leadership. One does not have
to be a carbon copy of Mandela, Gandhi, King, Churchill,
Reagan, Clinton but we must emulate the positive qualities
that they displayed.
We cannot depend on criminals to reform criminals. Herding
young people in religious ceremonies and flogging them and
promising to eliminate them will not transform them. Hoping
that some kidnapping Batman and Robin will combine their resources
and become messiahs when they possess neither nobility nor
integrity is as fanciful as it is deceptively dangerous.
When will we ever learn?
Leaders must inspire, motivate, delegate and must possess
a vision for every member of the specific organisation: country,
church, business, youth group, etc.
You may not have the infectious optimism of John F Kennedy
or the megawatt smile of Ronald Reagan, but there must be
devotion to duty and a mountain of hope decorating your administrative
landscape.
I am forced to remember what Helen Keller said about vision.
She said that the greatest blindness is experienced by those
who have perfect eyes but no vision. The vision must be
a shared vision and must be packaged and promoted in a vessel
of optimism.
We cannot emerge out of the several crises that plague our
society without total quality leadership.
We depend on each of our leaders to be a light in the darkness
when we are about to lose hope.
We depend on leaders to adopt a system of meritocracy, so
that the best people can make the best contributions.
We depend on our leaders to be impartial and not sacrifice
principles on the altar of political expediency.
We depend on our leaders to follow the golden rule. There
can be no nobility without the implementation of the golden
rule.
We depend on our leaders to engage the best minds on all sides
of the political spectrum, so that we can triumph over the
physical, psychological and spiritual dragons and diseases
that afflict us.
Leaders must be able to cry and to laugh, to shake the hands
of the “perceived enemy,” to be compassionate, to
be caring, to be alert, to engage in proactive listening,
to understand that happiness comes when we are focused on
making others happy.
Leaders must have a sense of mission: a sense of divine destiny,
a burning desire to fulfil the mandate that comes from the
throne of God.
Leaders must not depend on sycophants who jam the airwaves
with parasitic revenge, atheists and sadists who flaunt their
godlessness and believe that humanism and not righteousness
exalts a nation.
Leaders cannot afford to depend on promises that they will
never be able to fulfil, in order to fool a gullible population.
Leaders must possess the courage of Daniel, the vision of
Joseph, the tenacity of Caleb and Joshua, the determination
of Paul, the surrender of Peter, the boldness of Shedrach,
Mesach and Abednego, the sacrificial spirit of Gandhi, and
the compassion of Jesus Christ.
Educator, consultant and author Rosabeth Moss Kanter identified
some key leadership principles in two of her books: The Change
Masters and Men and Women of the Corporation.
Let us examine some of them:
“By empowering others, a leader does not decrease his
power, instead, he may increase it—especially if the
whole organisation performs better.”
“I reject the term guru because it is associated with
pandering to the masses, providing inspiration without substance.
There is a little bit of the shaman in the guru...”
In another book, When Giants Learn To Dance, she identifies
seven skills and sensibilities needed to produce change:
Learning to co-operate without the might of the hierarchy
behind them.
Knowing how to compete in a way that enhances co-operation.
Operating with the highest ethical standards.
Having a dose of humility.
Developing a process focus.
Being multi-faceted and ambidextrous.
Gaining satisfaction from results.
Next week we will continue to focus on the whole issue
of leaders as change agents. Until then let us continue
to pray and sacrifice for our nation.
