Those great unwavering traits of LEADERSHIP

Lakshman I.Keerthisinghe LLB, LLM.MPhil, Attorney-at-Law

Great men are the guide posts and landmarks in the state
- Edmund Burke 1729-1797 Speech on American Taxation

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the defeat of the LTTE by the Sri Lankan Security Forces under the able leadership given by their Commander-in-Chief President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Service Commanders guided by the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, I was moved to write this piece after reading the innumerable mostly unfair criticisms leveled at the present Sri Lankan government and its leader President Mahinda Rajapaksa in both local and foreign print media as well as electronic media including the websites maintained by the pro-Eelamist diaspora.

Such persons have their own hidden political agendas, one being that of the US and its allies de-stabilise the Sri Lankan regime in order to establish a puppet regime subservient to these powers and the other being the aspiration of the diaspora presently being well organized as the TGTE led by Rudrakumaran, a purported government in exile, who aim to establish a State of Eelam in the North and East of Sri Lanka with the help of such a puppet regime.

It is the duty and the obligation of all patriotic Sri Lankans to oppose both aims and safeguard our motherland, the beautiful Pearl of the Indian Ocean from the sinister attacks of the said elements, which may result in the ultimate destruction of our country as seen in Iraq, Libya and presently Syria.

The impending threat is very real and the time has come for Sri Lankans not to be complacent about it.

The refusal of the Canadian authorities to attend the CHOGM to be held in Sri Lanka is a reflection of the influence that such inimical forces exert in order to damage the image of our motherland in the eyes of the international community.

Great leaders

Leadership, although largely talked about, has been described as one of the least understood concepts across all cultures and civilizations. Over the years, many researchers have stressed the prevalence of this misunderstanding, stating that the existence of several flawed assumptions, or myths, concerning leadership often interferes with individuals’ conception of what leadership is all about (Gardner, 1965; Bennis, 1975).

It has been often said that leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and discipline among other traits. The overriding qualities of all truly great leaders are an unwavering integrity and a passion for working hard to earn their position of authority and trust. Among these traits are honesty, compassion, integrity, confidence and flexibility.

Trust and commitment

Honesty develops character and builds credibility and trust, which are the foundation to evoke confidence and respect from those around a great political leader. Compassion is the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something to alleviate that suffering. While many see compassion as a weakness, true compassion is a characteristic that converts knowledge to wisdom. Good political leaders use compassion to see the needs of those who are led by them and to determine the course of action that would be of greatest benefit to all whom they lead or govern.

The word integrity is defined as ‘the adherence to moral and ethical principles; the soundness of moral character.’It is a synonym for honesty and uprightness, and is a vital characteristic for those in political leadership. Political leaders who possess integrity can be trusted because they never veer from inner values, even when it might benefit them to do so.

A leader must have the trust of followers. This requires the highest standard of integrity. Integrity is demonstrated in individuals who are truthful, trustworthy, principled, consistent, dependent, loyal, and not deceptive leaders with integrity often share these values with their followers, as this trait is mainly an ethics issue.

It is often said that these leaders keep their word and are honest and open with their cohorts.

Having confidence in a political leader is about having faith or belief that such leader will act in a right, proper, or effective way. A good political leader needs to have both self-confidence as well as able leadership. Leaders who possess this quality inspire others, drawing on a level of trust which sparks the motivation to get others on board and get the job done.

Self-confidence encompasses the traits of high self-esteem, assertiveness, emotional stability, and self-assurance.

Individuals that are self-confident do not doubt themselves or their abilities and decisions; they also have the ability to project this self-confidence onto others, building their trust and commitment. Flexibility for a political leader is about understanding the give-and-take aspects of politics, and the ability to find the common ground. Good politicians listen carefully to all sides, to not only hear their arguments but to especially learn what it will take on behalf of all parties involved to reach a consensus. This characteristic allows political leaders to recognize setbacks and criticism, to learn from them and move forward.(Beliefnet)

Difficult problems

Determination and drive include traits such as initiative, energy, assertiveness, perseverance, masculinity, and sometimes dominance. People with these traits often tend to wholeheartedly pursue their goals, work long hours, are ambitious, and often are very competitive with others.

Cognitive capacity includes intelligence, analytical and verbal ability, behavioural flexibility, and good judgement. Individuals with these traits are able to formulate solutions to difficult problems, work well under stress or deadlines, adapt to changing situations, and create well-thought-out plans for the future.

Howell provides examples of Steve Jobs and Abraham Lincoln as encompassing the traits of determination and drive as well as possessing cognitive capacity, demonstrated by their ability to adapt to their continuously changing environments.

Sociability describes individuals who are friendly, extroverted, tactful, flexible, and interpersonally competent. Such a trait enables leaders to be accepted well by the public, use diplomatic measures to solve issues, as well as hold the ability to adapt their social persona to the situation at hand.

According to Howell, Mother Teresa is an exceptional example that embodies integrity, assertiveness, and social abilities in her diplomatic dealings with the leaders of the world.

International pressure

Few great leaders encompass all of the traits listed above, but President Rajapaksa has demonstrated his ability to be a great leader by hard work, devotion to duty, integrity, self confidence, determination, flexibility as demonstrated by the ability to change the decisions of the government such as the reduction of the hike of electricity tariff to help the masses, good oratorical skill being able to deliver speeches even in Tamil, sociability demonstrated by the ability to mix with the people freely at public gatherings, compassion towards fellow human beings, confidence generated in his followers by the unwavering quality of sticking to principles and not backing down when confronted with immense pressure such as that exerted by the US and its allies during the last stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka.

None of the contributors or their commentators to the articles published criticizing the Sri Lankan government utter a single word of gratitude or praise for the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa vis-à-vis his role in freeing the Sri Lankan nation from the diabolical grip of the barbaric LTTE once described as the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world thereby relieving our people from the misery and absolute fear they experienced during those days of unspeakable atrocities and fear.

It was the unwavering leadership of President Rajapaksa that finally resulted in the decimation of the LTTE and its diabolical leader Velupillai Prabhakaran amidst much international pressure brought upon the President by the international community including the US and its allies. The great majority of the Sri Lankans have exhibited their gratitude by electing the President to a further term of office/The reader would instantly discern the great traits in the character of the President from those described above as it does not need further elaboration to observe such characteristics any further.

In conclusion as Edmund Burke said and quoted art the outset of this piece President Rajapaksa has undoubtedly become a guide post and landmark in the history of Sri Lanka by the great service rendered to our motherland by ridding it of terrorism, which no other government has been able to achieve so far.