Mahinda as national leader

by Padmini Pathirana

The slogan "This land is in your trust son" that began to appear all over the country soon after Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse's nomination was announced as Presidential candidate of the United People's Freedom Alliance, in fact crystallised the rang of expectations that the ordinary people of the country have placed on him.

In Sri Lanka, a holder of the office of President becomes not only the all-powerful executive President of the country, but also the Commander-in-Chief of its Armed Forces. Thus the person who is the incumbent of the office of President wields extensive powers to decide the future of this country.

As citizens of Sri Lanka, it is our most onerous duty to choose a suitable leader, in the context of a prolonged ethnic conflict, which has brought about virtual break up of the social, economic and cultural fabric of this country. If we are to entrust the future of this country to Mahinda Rajapakse as a suitable leader, it would be timely to examine whether he possesses leadership skills for such a responsible office.

As seen in Buddhist literature, even the aspirant Buddha had to consider five essential requisites before being born into this world. All great leaders of the world had not always been born into distinguished families.

However, it is not a secret that in Sri Lanka, the family background one has been born into takes a special significance in matters pertaining to political office. Mahinda Rajapakse is descended from a family that had long dedicated themselves to the service of the nation. Prime Minister Rajapakse is the scion of a highly respected rural family that hails from Giruwapattu in the South.

In deciding whether Mahinda Rajapakse is suitable to be the President of Sri Lanka, the more important factors that should be considered, would be not his noble lineage but the question whether he possesses the personality traits of a true leader. To discover them it would be necessary for us to use criteria generally employed by educational scientists, social scientists, and psychologists to identify leadership personality traits.

The concept of 'leadership' has been in existence since the age of the primitive hunters. The ancient concept of 'leadership' had been built round the leader's character traits and conduct. During the age of hunting the character traits highly esteemed were outstanding physical powers, courage, determination and the ability to command obedience. However much later, the concept of leadership has been defined using two approaches. The first one is described as a leadership oriented approach and the second as a situational approach.

The leadership characteristics identified in the leadership-oriented approach are intelligence, resoluteness, impartiality, popularity and being extroverted. These character traits are innate in some leaders and in many others they are consciously acquired or developed through personal effort. People attain positions of leadership in two ways. Sometimes it is attained as a consequence of official status.

The other way is by virtue of an individuals' personality. For the development of a productive leader the two aspects should be equitable merged that is to say, personality factors and official status of a person should be combined judiciously.

The outstanding qualities of a leader are moral strength and intelligence. The development of these superior qualities help to develop a just and an exemplary person. A leader who has conceptual ability will have self-confidence. Such a leader will strive towards the accomplishment of the goals he has set with unswerving dedication.

An eminent psychologist, Thondyke, states that an intelligent leader displays traits such as the ability to gain popularity, to exercise patience and to empathize with others. Another psychologist, Thurston, points out the imprudence of language and fluency in developing leadership skills.

He thinks that a wide knowledge of one's language helps one to develop fluency in it. The leader who has a superior knowledge of his language can acquire eloquence in it. Such skills will enable him to persuade others convincingly.

According to Thurston eloquence is necessary to interact others, and for conflict resolution. According to the second approach, the outstanding feature of the leadership-personality is the ability to understand promptly the changes in the environment. 'Chaudry' calls this ability to appreciate the changing environmental factors empathy.

A leader with empathy has the intuition to perceive the susceptibilities, moods, and thoughts of the group. If such a leader is steadfast he acquires the ability to maintain has the initiative for originality and implementing innovations is a creative individual.

This ability is characterised as the driving force of a true leader. A leader who is active sociable, good-natured and with numerous friends is characterised as an extrovert. Popularity is the receptacle where leadership is preserved.

To be assured of popularity it is essential for a leader to be an extrovert. For example, British leaders such as Pitt, Peele, Gladstone and Churchill were successful because they were sociable individuals who expressed themselves plainly. These principles of leadership which have been identified in various studies and researches are traits that remain unchanged with regard to place or time.

In a discussion regarding leadership qualities it is important to understand the existing political climate, the personality of the leader, behaviour patterns and situational variants that influence them. A large number of examples could be cited from India with regard to this.

During a time when India was looking out for national stability, Sardar Walhai Patel, a very efficient planner, performed the duty of uniting 562 State government into a unified nation. One of the Labour Prime Ministers, Clement Atlee has praised Sri Nehru as a great statesman because Atlee appreciated Nehru's conceptual ability.

This ability is clearly seen in the democratic strategies he adopted in the delimitation of State boundaries and his idea that India was a large nation in which the Central Government and the State administrations should maintain a proper equilibrium.

Even Indira Gandhi came to the forefront of India's political leadership as an impressive personality. Her impressive leadership was a source of enhancement of the patriotic sentiment, and she is honoured of re-establishing patriotism in India.

After examing the theoretical findings about leadership qualities, and the behaviour patterns of such leaders, we can relate them to the leadership role of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

Mahinda Rajapakse who came to Parliament as the youngest Member of Parliament in 1970 was the best orator of the SLFP. He echoed the voice of the people particularly of the South. During periods of crises that arose in the SLFP from time to time Rajapakse has shown his unwavering steadfastness in his political convictions.

Even when the stalwart leaders of the party were been indecisive and kept leaving and joining the party, Rajapakse kept his resolve intact, because he was capable of making right decisions. These qualities enabled him to traverse a path full of hazards, but without sacrificing his convictions until being nominated as the Presidential candidate.

Within the SLFP, from time to time throughout his political career when his personality was developing he showed his resilience as a leader in the face of an increasing number of humiliations, injustices, hindrances and disappointments of being overlooked.

Even professionally Mahinda Rajapakse is a humanitarian legal councillor. Instead of choosing his vocation as a conventional lawyer, young Mahinda chose, the career of a lawyer who was dedicated to the preservation of human rights and to fight against unjust, illegal inhuman treatment of his people.

When in 1987, the regime in power was committing mass massacre of heroic young men and women who demanded socio-economic and democratic rights, responsible people and other institutions were observing a studied silence Mahinda Rajapakse was the only patriotic campaigner who came forward defying personal danger to fight for the legal rights and of the youth of the country.

It was Rajapakse who fulfilled the nation's need of the hour by acquainting the UN and other world bodies regarding the atrocities of the so-called 'democratic' government in power. It was due to Mahinda Rajapakse's efforts that law, order and justice were restored in a country where they had almost disappeared.

When Rajapakse became Minister of Labour in 1994, he was courageous enough to declare "I am not the Minister Employers but the Minister of Working Class". He did not restrict this slogan to mere words but as a true working class leader he in fact went onto put it into realistic terms.

He was the only Minister of Labour widely recognised by the working class as a leader who had great empathy with the people. He took a laudable step to ensure the rights of labour by providing them with a workers centre and also succeeded in building cordial relations with workers, thereby making it unnecessary for them to resort to industrial action, which in turn helped ensure their co-operation in the national development effort.

As the future President it can be confidently asserted that he will be able to bring to a successful completion the adoption of the Workers' Convention, which he conceived for the benefit of the working people of this country, but could not see the light of day for various reasons.

As a Buddhist leader from rural Sri Lanka and as Minister of Fisheries Mahinda Rajapakse did yeoman service to the fishing industry during his tenure of office. His service to the fishing community has been written indelibly in the country's history. His work also serves as an index to his creative and conceptual ability.

The Fisheries University conceived by Mahinda Rajapakse serves the fishing industry by helping to develop technology for the advancement of fisheries. With large contributions from the international donor countries he inaugurated the 'Diyavara Gammana' project to solve the housing problems of the fishing community. This project shows the energy, intellectual ability and his ability for skilful management.

Everybody knows that Rajapakse was not proffered the Prime Ministership on a silver platter. It was the outcome of the correct political decisions he had made in his career. Along with the office of Prime Minister, he was given the Ministry of Highways.

He did not waste his time complaining about the relative merits and demerits of the ministerial post, he was given and promptly commenced his work as Minister of Highways. He successfully brought the peoples' attention to the work of this ministry and transformed the building of roads by launching 'Maga Naguma' an extremely successful project. No one was able to fault his ability to bring to a successful completion any task entrusted to him.

He is a Buddhist leader who has been honoured by the title 'Rohana janaranjana'. The patriotic people of the country who have dedicated themselves to their creed and country adore him. When Rev. Omalpe Sobhita Thera was doing a protest fast unto death, it was Prime Minister Rajapakse who visited him and humbly requested him to abandon the fast.

This was clearly because Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapakse felt a great respect and love for the Sangha of the country. Also because Mahinda Rajapakse had a feeling heart to appreciate the values of patriotic priests who were ready to lay down their lives for the country and its people.

Rajapakse also possesses the capability to wield effectively his mother tongue as a truly fluent Sinhala speaker, and English, the language global communication. He is a leader who uses his oratorical ability to pragmatic use.

He is not much used to blaring out empty words on the platform. He doesn't use his oratorical skills to make unfounded accusations against his opponents.

He refrains from using vulgar, defamatory statements or harsh sarcasm. He doesn't misuse his oratorical skills to condemn his former colleagues. His public speaking is relatively controlled, judicious and clear.

Five years of political experience. His career as a pragmatic Prime Minister Rajapakse is a mature politician of nearly thirty- politician has amply proved that he undoubtedly possesses the leadership qualities highly esteemed in leadership studies. Sri Lanka is now at a crucial time in its history. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse stands out as the best leader to be entrusted with the helms of power in such a crucial period.

He could be the epochal leader born in the South, which had endowed our nation with great kings. The foremost wish of a citizen who votes for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse is to see a peaceful Sri Lanka free from terrorism, where every citizen is able to live in peace.

In the past Prince Gamanie fought against the invading Dravidian king Elara. In those days, we could not be influenced much by international pressures. Today it is difficult to solve problems by resorting to armed conflicts. Prime Minister Rajapakse rejects the belligerent alternative. He will have by necessity to tread a difficult path to peace.

The terrorism we face is indigenous in origin. He will have to face this challenge to seek solutions to certain decisions made in the past. Fortunately, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has in him an even-tempered personality strengthened by intelligence, feeling and energy.

One could unhesitatingly say that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapkse has all the potential to successfully find solutions to the problems that have been dogging us in recent times.