Lee’dership

Lee used his legal training to fight for fairer wages and working conditions for workers

Lee Kuan Yew has left the world but he is and will remain in this world for time immemorial. In the present era we have had the privilege of having at least three leaders who left an indelible mark on history for their services to their countrymen and to the world in general. They are Nelson Mandela, Mahatir Mohammad and Lee Kuan Yew. All had different styles, all had different views but all had a common goal of going beyond themselves and making other people aspire for and acquire a better future. Such leaders are not transactional leaders but transformational leaders. Such leaders are not there just for power annexation but for national reformation. Such leaders are not there for a personal story but for human glory. Of the three leaders, Lee Kuan Yew’s ability to change a tiny country with no natural resources into an economic powerhouse in the world is a case study incomparable.

Gaining independence from the British in 1959, Lee Kuan Yew became the prime minister of Singapore and made this almost overlooked piece of land become a powerhouse in South East Asia and then in the world. There are leaders and then there are great leaders. Lee belonged to this very exclusive club where such leaders will keep on leading without being present. Leadership of this calibre is rare because what they do most cannot. Such leaders have vision, the ability to see what others cannot see and do what others cannot do. Who would have thought that this geographical dot called Singapore would one day become a giant in terms of its GDP, its per capita GDP, its literacy and its systems and also become a role model for many nations to follow and many generations to study? Lee’s ability to free Singapore, first from the clutches of the British and then from Malaysia, and later beating both these countries on many global fronts was what made him outstanding in his pursuit of dreams and designs. Singapore, which had a per capita income of $ 500 at the time of its independence, went on to become one of the highest per capita income countries, reaching a per capita income of $ 55,000 and became a benchmark that very few countries have been able to beat.

Another attribute of great leaders is their ability to sacrifice many personal opportunities for a national cause. Quaid-e-Azam, with a British education, a law degree and a bar-at-law from Lincoln’s Inn could have led a comfortable life of luxury. Similarly, Lee was born in Singapore in 1923 to a wealthy Chinese family that had established itself on the island in the 1860s. He had the privileged upbringing of British colonial standard, speaking English, going to top schools, playing cricket and tennis. He studied law at Cambridge University, which could have set him up in a profitable law practice in the UK. Admitted to the English bar in 1950, while studying, he was impressed by the UK’s Labour government and its social service initiatives, such as the National Health Scheme. It turned him into a moderate socialist and he returned to Singapore hoping to raise living standards.

He used his legal training to fight for fairer wages and working conditions for workers. As the British began reforms to turn Singapore from a colony to a self-governing nation, Lee became involved in politics. He formed the Peoples Action Party (PAP) that became a representation of the impoverished Chinese. As a great leader you exercise not formal or positional authority but moral authority. Lee could have gone on to form the government as he had won the elections with a majority but he chose to reject position for standing by the people who had been fighting for the national cause with him. In 1959, free elections were held according to a new constitution. Lee’s PAP won 43 of the 51 seats but Lee refused to form a government until he had secured the release of the left-wing PAP members who had been arrested for their alleged part in the riots of 1956.

Like all legendary leaders, Lee was a dreamer and a doer, a man of both vision and action, a man of aspirations but also a man of relentless pursuit of goals. He envisioned a clean government and set up mechanisms of discipline to ensure them. Like many countries, Singapore had problems with political corruption. Lee introduced legislation giving the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) greater power to conduct arrests, searches, call up witnesses and investigate bank accounts and income tax returns of suspected persons and their families, including all in the ruling seat as well. However, Lee also believed that ministers should be well paid in order to maintain a clean and honest government. In 1994, he proposed to link the salaries of ministers, judges and top civil servants to the salaries of top professionals in the private sector, arguing that this would help recruit and retain talent to serve in the public sector. He made it very clear that despite all these luxuries, if they misused their authority, the CPIB would ensure severe penalties that would become lessons for any transgressors.

Secondly, he focused on transforming Singapore from a third world country into a first world economy. His vision was, that even if Singapore had no natural resources, they would convert the available human resource into a competitive advantage. Thus he implemented a five-year plan to modernise the country, clearing slums, building public housing, improving education and industrialising the country. This aspect of a clean government and a disciplined and developing economy made billions of dollars of foreign investment pour into this island.

A leader knows how to satisfy the basic requirements for a people to live, survive and then thrive. To survive, people need housing and, to thrive, people need attractive job opportunities. For these two main objectives he developed a Housing Development Board and an Economic Development Board. The Housing Development Board did superb town planning to turn ghettos into simple living apartments in this space-constrained country. The Economic Development Board created job opportunities by focusing on attracting investment and then creating skills in human resource to match those opportunities created by pouring investments, creating a spiral of more and more prosperity. His ability to satisfy the people of Singapore for such a long period is reinforced by the fact that his party, PAP, won elections again and again, and is still in government

Such leaders are immortal in many ways because what they have achieved for millions inspires many to be like them in future. When asked what he thought about the incredible transformation of something so small into something so huge, he replied with his typical philosophical pragmatism, “We took the world as we found it, and then we built on our dreams. We wanted to build a prosperous nation in a sea of poverty.”

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Law ‘less’

It is open knowledge that many parties are a law unto themselves due to their militant wings, and their own people whether in the police or other institutions within the province have been ensuring the continuous crime spiral the city has witnessed in the last few years

The law of the jungle would begin to appear more appealing compared to what we have witnessed in the last few days. Firstly, Karachi, where stories of hundreds of assassins being ‘overlooked’ by many governments has knocked out all sane justifications and then Lahore where the merciless killings by terrorists in churches, which resulted in an almost civil war-like situation, has made a banana republic more habitable. When does violence result in more violence, anger in more retaliation and crime in more crime? Unfortunately, when respect for law becomes a laughing stock. The scenes we have seen of angry mobs and the desperate police hiding to save themselves are a sorry but very alarming example of a breakdown of all systems and values.

State institutions have the role of providing support for governance to the government and it is through these institutions that the work of the government gets implemented. The main task of any government is to ensure the safety and welfare of the people it serves. In a democratic government the parliamentary members are debating and passing laws with these service elements in mind. Institutions like the police, the judiciary and the like are ensuring the enforcement of these laws for the protection of the people. However, over a period of time, the role of the people employed in these institutions has been confused with regards to the interpretation of titles of being either a public servant or a government servant. When they call themselves government servants they actually obey the people in the government and not the people in general. Thus their actual role of being able to provide various services and delivery pertaining to security, health, education or justice is way down in their list of priorities. Systems may have changed but not the people who run these systems. A majority of the political leadership of the country comes from feudal backgrounds and despite clamouring to be saviours of democracy, their thinking and approach is that when we rule, state institutions and the people working in these institutions have to be aligned with our personal interests or they will find their careers and even lives blocked or made redundant.

Take the city of Karachi and see the dilapidation and deterioration. Being the largest, most populated city with a label of being the commercial hub, it has over the years become the most dangerous, the most uncertain and unsafe city of Pakistan. Mugging is a normal phenomenon and the people of Karachi find it difficult to accept that there are still Karachiites whose phone or wallet has not been snatched. Kidnappings for ransom are talked about less openly but are regular occurrences. Extortion is now considered a survival tax, which if not paid, will result in destruction of property and lives. This governance mayhem has been discussed in the Assemblies and media but unfortunately nothing has been done about it. The present focus on the Rangers operation in Karachi has been hyped up as a very focused goal of getting all criminals apprehended and penalised. Some daring steps and consequent actions and revelations are also being made to support this goal, and one can only hope that these steps continue with the same zeal.

However there are still some major question marks that need to be pointed out if Karachi has to serve as a role model for the restoration of peace in the country. The very fact that the Rangers had to be called in to solve this problem is an admission of governance failure, be it in the city or the province. This operation will dismantle the crime hubs in the city as it also did in 1992. However, the Rangers are not the law enforcement institution that will be used on a permanent basis for keeping the city safe and protected. Ultimately the police have to be responsible and will be and consequently for the police, the provincial government is and will be responsible. If governments have destroyed the police culture by politicising it and thus making the police unable to challenge the militant wings existing in the political parties, how will a Rangers-backed operation do anything more than bring a lull before the storm? The conflict over appointing the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the province amongst the top parties in the province is a classic case of political patronage of criminal outfits in the country. Honest and daring officers in police are either dismissed or transferred or threatened into silence. Thus the first goal for ensuring peace and law enforcement is to ensure the safety and respect of the law enforcers. Secondly, the focus of this operation should not solely be on one party but all parties and all outfits that are engaged directly or indirectly in supporting these activities. MQM is under scrutiny and its workers are being held for various charges but more than these workers, the people who have hired people to execute such crimes need to be brought to the forefront and the people who have hired people to hire people should not be spared just because they are ‘political leaders and political stakeholders’. Thirdly, if the MQM has been allowed to operate despite the intelligence on their activities and law enforcing agencies have been politicised by ruling parties to protect these activities, this makes such parties a party to these trade offs and should be taken to task as well. It is open knowledge that many parties are a law unto themselves due to their militant wings, and their own people whether in the police or other institutions within the province have been ensuring the continuous crime spiral the city has witnessed in the last few years.

What has happened in Karachi needs to be the beginning of the end of the ruination of a city with a potential to beat the likes of Singapore and Bangkok when it comes to its strategic location and a vibrant financial DNA. However, outside ‘forces’ stepping in to do the cleansing is not the solution. For sustainable peace, a complete inside cleansing needs to take place where depoliticisation of the police and other institutions and deweaponisation of the political parties and other outfits is a must for any meaningful change and any reform to take place. A whole new culture for creating respect for law, respect for law makers and a respect for law enforcers needs to be inculcated. But before that happens, the continuous, indiscriminate and relentless pursuit of every big and small individual involved in disrespecting, dismissing and dismantling laws and law enforcing institutions should be brought into the clutches of the law to reverse this circle of lawlessness.

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Unfit Institutionally

While we blame the team and the captain for a dismal start to the World Cup, we need to recognise that for the last few years, the PCB top chair has been more of a musical chairs contest

Cricket may be just a game but it is a game that embraces much more than a sport. It is a game that involves the passion of billions, it is a game that reflects the competitive spirit of various nations and teams, it is a game that brings out the best and the worst in individuals and is thus a reflection of the national mindset. To brush away Pakistan’s miserable start against India and the West Indies in the World Cup is to brush away the many viruses infecting the best of talent, the extent of self-esteem and the ultimate pride of being a Pakistani. All this talk of talent not being there is negated by the fact that this team, a few weeks ago, defeated Australia and previously many other teams as well. However, their performance has never been consistent and will never be consistent given the extreme stress and uncertainty surrounding them. Cricket is a subset of what ails this country: lack of vision, lack of will and lack of institutionalisation to unleash and harness this talent into consistent performance.

In normal circumstances, institutions beginning with the country name should bring a sense of pride and patriotism. However, anything beginning with Pakistan brings an image of mismanagement, hopeless performance and infamous incidents. The reason is the complete politicisation of these institutions. Public institutions are always up for sale either to the lowest bidder or up for lease to those whom the politicians owe a favour. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a hot seat amongst the favour-dole-out largesse by politicians in power. In times of military rule the generals were appointed as heads of the PCB and, in times of democracy, from anchors to bankers, all are eligible as long as they are in the ‘I owe you’ category of men in charge. This is the reason for PIA, PTV, PCB or any other Pakistani institution becoming case studies of how to kill potential.

Cricket has become a science and a game that requires extraordinary physical and mental toughness. In the more developed countries, physical fitness is part of general awareness and sports fitness is a mandatory requirement. The present cricket team has always had a great deal of vulnerability to injuries. Most youngsters are not only overweight but are also not really conscious of the importance of fitness. Players like Nasir Jamshed should have been disqualified on purely this basis a long time ago, as they become a huge liability on the field. With such fierce competition where each run counts in the net run rate category, a fielding miss is almost unpardonable. Similarly, the fitness level of our fast bowlers like Junaid and Irfan needs ruthless monitoring and supervision. With a huge team of physios, trainers and coaches, it is amazing that half the team has some injury problem or the other.

However, the most disturbing part is the mental fitness of the players. There seems to be a complete lack of self-belief in our players to perform in any department of the game. This is where the team management seems to be totally misreading the situation. Cricket is a game of specialists who need to be used with controlled aggression. Having part time wicket keepers, occasional bowlers and makeshift openers has made the team look at best a make-do arrangement where the fear of losing becomes apparent even before the match starts. Match strategy itself speaks volumes for this defensive mindset. Having won the toss against the West Indies and electing to bowl first in a tournament where teams batting first have won a majority of the matches just shows the lack of confidence and self-belief in the team.

To excel under conditions of fear and uncertainty is really difficult. Credit must be given to our team because, despite such adverse circumstances, they do manage to raise their game to a level where they manage to beat the best from time to time. Politicisation of institutions has visibly made performing an almost impossible feat. It started with state institutions like the police and judiciary, spread to state enterprises like PIA and Pak Steel, and now has also permeated to all levels of sports organisations. While we blame the team and the captain for a dismal start to the World Cup, we need to recognise that for the last few years, the PCB top chair has been more of a musical chairs contest between the ex-appointee of the PPP versus the present appointee of the PML-N, causing a mockery of the institution. It took a tampering of the Constitution to accommodate the PML-N candidate and bypass the legal contest. This led to change in the selection team, coach and many other posts. When the top post is not on merit, then all posts are contentious and controversial. When people at these positions are there due to their connections, they will always make decisions to save their seats rather than serve the best interests of the game, when players in the team know that people in positions are not following the rules of merit or law, they will be encouraged to violate discipline and use connections to retain their positions in the team, and when matches are played with this intent. the likelihood of a volatile and uncertain performance will always be a high probability.

The difference between the more consistent performers in any sector, including sports, is to have institutions based on systems, rather than based on personalities. The Australian team is an example of how, regardless of players’ coming and going, their performance variation is in an acceptable range. Hardly will you see in the world the head of the country heading cricket patronship and appointing people of his own choice as heads of these institutions, hardly will you see such a big entourage of officials accompanying teams, hardly will you see top team officials interfering in every aspect of team selection and training, hardly will you see any team making random decisions of replacing players in the chosen squad. The mismanagement of the two great assets of Pakistan cricket, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, is primarily due to the fact that with so much politics in the organization, planning for these two trump cards was left till it was too late.

Despite having a poor structure, despite having the uncertainty sword hanging over their necks and despite having no international teams visiting Pakistan, the team has done extremely well in spurts, and that is the hope for the remaining World Cup. However, if the performance does not improve, the real people to penalise are the ones who have sowed this virus of institutional decay to an extent where the fittest team has become too unfit to deal with the rigours of a world-class tournament where the margin of error is non-existent

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