Dear Editor,
Your editorial (Tuesday, October 2015) touched on an important issue, namely presidential leadership styles. Leadership styles vary from individual to individual but there is one attribute that stands out among great men and women of history and that is their ability to listen to the cries of the several constituencies that they are elected to serve.
Leadership styles vary from the democratic to the authoritarian even though the former is much more appreciated and respected by the masses.
Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, both of whom could be regarded as charismatic leaders in their own right, were leaders who enjoyed much political sway both nationally and regionally. Both men could be regarded as the founding fathers of our post-colonial and modern day Guyana.
Our politics have evolved over the decades from colonial to authoritarian and now to democratic forms of governance. Our national leaders need to be cognisant of our changing political culture and adopt policies and programmes that are consistent with this changing dynamic.
People and not those elected to serve, are sovereign. It is the collective will of the masses that determine who will rule over them.
This is why the exercise of power should at all times be influenced by this reality. Any leader who loses touch with the common man is doomed to fail.
This is why a good leader must first and foremost be a good listener. He must be the last to speak even though it does not follow that he must have the last word.
Great leaders are known to be those who put the good of their people above their own interests. They should be humble, simple, approachable and have that ability to think big and rise above pettiness.
Vision is the ability to see things not as they are but as they will be. Visionary leadership is an important prerequisite for development. Indeed, the saying goes, where a leader lacks vision, a nation shall perish.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
