Financial Times

South Asian leadership – Quo Vadis?
A group of international fellows from the South Asian region recently met in Sri Lanka to map the Leadership Perspectives of South Asia in to the 21st Century and invited several resource persons to guide the conference. The issues and submissions at this conference merit the focus of leaders of the nation, business and civil society.

South Asia is the second fastest growing region in the world with a recorded average growth rate of 5.3 percent over the past 10 years. Yet, it is one of the poorest regions of the world, where 45 percent of the population live below the international bench mark of $1 per day in income representing 40 percent of the world’s extremely poor people.

Though rich in natural resources it is also now subject to great natural calamities which negatively impact on the people. The governance in the region is far below the acceptable norms.

Responsiveness and openness in links with the globalise world in trade (goods and services) and investments is low. Historical, religious, cultural and heritage based value systems of the region are acclaimed as the best in the world.

The region boasts of some of the greatest leaders to walk this earth - Gauthama the Buddha, Emperor Asoka, Arahath Mahinda, Ali Jinnah, Mahathma Ghandhi and Mother Teresa. However, leaders — to effectively tackle issues of poverty, environment, economic, social and other issues of the individual nations and the region and deliver economic and social value to the people in a sustainable way — appear hard to find!

Issues of peace, terrorism, lack of good governance, divisiveness on lines of race, caste and religion, political instability, lack of effective cooperation and trust amongst nations plague the nations of the region.

Peace depends on leadership and good governance. Good leadership and good governance must unquestionably assure that poverty and disparities in wealth are reduced, access to entitlements like health, education, infrastructure services and housing enhanced and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods increased. Equality of opportunity must prevail, whilst prevention of abuses and misuse of powers by governments must be an essential feature. Justice, law and order, the removal of injustice and discrimination that leads to conflict, peace, development and prosperity must be assured in the nations and the region.

Will the role of the justice system, public policy and the commitment to liberty, justice, transparency and equality in the hearts and minds of man prevail in the region to assure good leadership and good governance?

Leadership theories from North America stress more on organisational structures and formal delegation of authority and responsibility, top down.
Governments of the region have adopted similar strategies and use laws, regulations, armed services, police and justice systems to control and organise people and at times even hold them in subjugation. The governments of the region have allowed religions to convert to ideologies and have introduced new ideologies in dealing with the economy and society.

The religious teachings and spiritual values that gave a vision to people of the region are now replaced by visions that perpetuate those in power in the region. These formal experiments have failed and the people in the region yet live in poverty and are engulfed by conflict, hatred and remain divided.
This state described by Dr. Deepak Chopra as “tangled hierarchy” will not in the end deliver growth and prosperity for the vast majority of the people of South Asia.

Can a new prosperous and peaceful society in this region be a reality through a paradigm shift of the core issues leadership? Can the people by their own committed leadership exercise ultimate power within a framework of self governance at village level? Cannot the goodness of man (not the control of his evil action), concentrating on developing consciousness (based on loving kindness) and accompanying it with compassionate action (devoid of violence, discrimination by caste/religion/language and social standing) devoid of power and party politics guided by old spiritual, historical and cultural values be the acceptable structure?

Multilateral institutions believe that the five most priority challenges of Asia are the need to assure high rates of growth whilst including the poor in the growth process and minimizing the negative impact of corruption, urbanization, regional integration and intra regional trade and investments, conflict resolution and HIV/AIDS. South Asians appear to rely too much on political leaders to deliver and expect these leaders to intervene and deliver whenever there are challenges facing the people and nations of the region.

In fact, too much of power and accountability rests with elected leaders, irrespective of their capacity, intent and integrity. Institutions and processes do not work or are not allowed to work effectively in South Asia. The concentration of power goes to the apex in the existing power structure.
What individual and collective regional leadership action by South Asian political, business, academic and civil society leaders can potentially assure an effective and sustainable approach to meet these challenges?

(The writer could be reached at wo_owl@yahoo.co.uk)

Back to Business