MANILA, Philippines—Last year the poll group Social Weather Stations (SWS) released results of a survey that asked Filipinos who they thought was the worst president we had had. Maybe, in the future, we need research that looks at the other side of the coin: which of the presidents we consider to be the best, and why.
It’s important for us to look at Filipino concepts of leadership, especially as applied to our political leaders. I suspect we’ll find a strong element of “mabait,” expressed in a feudal benevolence, one hand giving out doles, never mind if the other is dipping into the national coffers. If I can continue with this metaphor of the hands, I suspect we’ll also find admiration for the iron fist, a strong leader equated almost with authoritarianism, for as long as the other wears a velvet glove offering some consolation to the bereaved, or even the victims.
While we wait for SWS and other research institutions to give us a better picture of leadership expectations, we might want to learn from other countries. Right now I can think of two political dramas which offer rich lessons in leadership.
One case is close to home, in Malaysia. Not too long ago, the television news channel ANC featured broadcast journalist Maria Ressa interviewing two protagonists: former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad and, separately of course, his arch-enemy Anwar Ibrahim.
Here’s a quick recap of the saga of these two men. Mahathir was Malaysia’s autocratic prime minister from 1981 to 2003, often using a draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) to control anyone who disagreed with him. Anwar was Mahathir’s protégé and had become deputy prime minister and was poised to become the next prime minister. Anwar was not your typical politician: he is a deep thinker and articulate writer, as comfortable with the West as with Asia (he admired Rizal). Alas, he fell from Mahathir’s favor and was arrested in 1998, charged with sodomy and abuse of power. The sodomy charges were eventually dismissed but he was convicted on the other charge and went to jail for six years. My Malaysian friends, many of whom are Anwar supporters, tell me the “abuse of power” charges were also trumped up.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister after Mahathir, and had a good start, releasing Anwar, and continuing to lead Malaysia in its economic development. But in the last two years, Badawi has come under fire, amid allegations of widespread corruption and his country now faces inflation, crime, racial tensions. There have been calls for him to resign, and Mahathir himself has spoken against him.
Maria Ressa’s show with Mahathir and Anwar was appropriately entitled “Reversal of Fortunes” because Anwar has been able to rebuild his following and is believed to have a good chance at returning to government, maybe even becoming the next prime minister. Last March, Malaysia had general elections with Anwar’s People’s Alliance increasing its seats in Parliament from 19 to 82. The current leadership is in deep crisis and new elections will be held soon, a chance for Anwar to return to power.
But fortunes can be fickle. Early this week, Malaysian police arrested Anwar again on revived sodomy charges.
It’s too early to tell what will happen to Anwar, but the new arrest will definitely work against Mahathir. It’s a real shame because Mahathir did lead Malaysia to become one of the most developed countries in the region. He was famous for his diatribes against Western models of development, often refusing to follow prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sadly, his inability to let go of power is eroding his place in history. I am shocked at times listening to my Malaysian friends, who have few kind words for the former prime minister.
Mugabe and Mandela
Let’s hop over to the other side of the world and look at Africa. There has been extensive coverage of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, who led his country (formerly named Rhodesia) in the fight against British colonial rule. He was Zimbabwe’s prime minister until 1988, then president until the present. Zimbabwe was one of the showcases of development for Africa from the 1980s into the 1990s. Today, it is in shambles. Name the problem and they have it, from hyper-inflation to a runaway HIV/AIDS epidemic. Much of the blame has been put on Mugabe, who refuses to give up power, holding one rigged election after another.
Zimbabwe’s neighbor, South Africa, offers a different case study for leadership with Nelson Mandela, who led his country’s struggle against a ruthless apartheid regime from prison. In 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges. He served 27 years, but even in jail, he was able to exercise leadership, and gain global admiration. When he was released in 1990, it was clear he would become South Africa’s next leader. In 1993, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with South Africa’s last white president, Frederik de Klerk.
Mandela was president from 1994 to 1999 and rather than unleashing a campaign of retaliation against former oppressors, he chose reconciliation. Also, instead of hanging on to power, which he could easily have done, he went into retirement after one term, only to find himself still in great demand as an adviser and advocate for all kinds of causes. He remains active with many causes, and with his 90th birthday today, expect a global birthday bash. (Catch a replay of a documentary, “Nelson at 90” on CNN, Saturday, 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.)
South Africa’s brutal past continues to haunt it, with continuing class and racial inequality, but it is way ahead of Zimbabwe in economic and social development. (Next time you do your groceries, be on the lookout for products from South Africa; you’d be surprised at how much they’re exporting to us.)
Mahathir and Mugabe are examples of leaders who could have assured themselves a place in history, leading their countries into economic prosperity and stability, but who now will have to go through future historians’ scrutiny. And because the work of historians is a bit like cleaning out old closets, the retrospective could bring out all kinds of skeletons. (Just look at Ambeth Ocampo’s revealing stories about our heroes. Which reminds me, try to catch his lecture at Ayala Museum this Saturday on the painter Juan Luna. You can choose the 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. session.)
Malaysia’s neighbor, Singapore, also had an autocratic ruler, Lee Kuan Yew, for decades. He too led Singapore to prosperity, and then wisely chose to step down. Lee Kuan Yew is generally revered and he is known to have been very clean, with no hint of corruption.
Authoritarian leaders are not strong leaders; far from it, their need to cling on to power by force only shows how terribly weak and insecure they are. Like other true leaders, Mandela shows how, by relinquishing the trappings of power, one actually ends up becoming even more powerful, as a moral exemplar.
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