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Time to give mediocrity the boot! The view from St. Lucia

Posted by CaribShout on July 30, 2009 at 9:36pm

If neither Kenny Anthony (R) or Stephenson King suits the bill then who will step up to the plate before it's too late? Our society has for some time now been in the vortex of Western style consumerism. Put this alongside a poor work ethic and low-skill workforce and you begin to understand the root causes of our moral decadence: dishonesty, greed, violence and general loss of respect for law and order. This is the St Lucian experience that is in urgent need of amelioration. The question is where is the leadership in the country to direct us along new paths to genuine human development—genuine human development that encourages personal responsibility while also recognizing the need to serve the common good, to work hard and to respect the rule of law? Which brings me to the heart of this article: the evaluation of a good leader. In previous articles, I have been very critical of the leadership of both Stephenson King and Kenny Anthony. For the purpose of further discussion—especially with online readers—I thought it proper to establish the framework for assessing a good leader. There are to my mind five foundational qualities necessary for good leadership and it is within this framework that our current crop of leaders and hopefuls should be judged. Of the five qualities, integrity is perhaps the key. A leader’s actions must be consistent with his utterances: he must practice what he preaches; he must live what he says he believes. In short he must walk the talk. True authority is born of respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads. A good leader must not promise what he knows he cannot deliver and should honor his promises. Many of our politicians would be severely challenged in meeting the demands of the quality of integrity. Good leadership calls for vision: the ability to see well into the future, prepare for it and where necessary shape it. True leaders constantly think about the future and are able to see the big picture. It was Emerson who said: “You can tell how big a person is by the size of the things that irritate them.” How often have we seen governing politicians troubled and irritated about not having a say in the employment of a general manager or senior employee of some statutory body? Those politicians preoccupied with administrative day-to-day operations are generally incapable of establishing the big picture. In a society where party color is usually the determinant for job selection, job promotion, scholarships, or some government contract, fair-mindedness would be anathema to most politicians. Good leaders are required to be fair-minded: all citizens are to be treated fairly. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. The quality of fair-mindedness is necessary to allow all who are willing and able to participate in the development of their country. Leaders who play the party card are denying the country the widest chance of advancement. More often than not, what is in the best interest of the country is sacrificed for short-term, self-serving political convenience. This is why the quality of fortitude is a prerequisite for good leadership. Leaders must have the courage to be just and to give to every citizen his due, regardless of the consequences. Regrettably, pandering is the order of the day and symptomatic of weak politicians. It is of paramount importance that a leader is trustworthy. The qualities of integrity, vision, fair-mindedness and fortitude all contribute to the trustworthiness of the leader. People will only allow themselves to be led by those they trust. On that score our politicians are sure to be found seriously wanting. Now, dear reader, I want you to judge our current political leaders within the framework of the five qualities. Are we to believe that we are bereft of leadership talent? If not, then why have those talented but not yet uncovered leaders avoided the political platform? It is interesting to observe how our well-educated and not-so-well-educated current leaders fail the leadership test, at least by my estimation. The point is, it is not about how many university degrees one has. More importantly, it is about the character of the person—their values, beliefs and degree of selflessness in promoting the good of others. We must, as citizens, be on watch and ready to unveil the impostors who put themselves up as good and worthy leaders. To those online readers of the STAR, I appreciate your comments and general support for my position on Kenny Anthony and Stephenson King. I have also noticed very frequent references to my comments in articles written by a columnist in the Voice newspaper. I am sure, given the columnist’s familial connection with the Leader of the Opposition, that he can come up with his inside stories to make his own case and make less use of my critical comments of Kenny Anthony. Finally it is my contention that we can stem the slide of social decadence by getting the leadership of our country right. We need strong visionary leaders of integrity to set new paths for the advancement of our people. Our people are waiting for such leadership. Let us not fail them with our continuing self-serving endorsement of mediocrity! Written By: Maryanna Williams

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