Alternative stream of leadership, not politics: Thundres of history

Mohammad Badrul Ahsan The Daily Star Asia News Network Dhaka

Richard Nixon's book Leaders opens with the following words: "In the footsteps of great leaders, we hear the rolling thunders of history". Last week, politicians of different strokes, including two former presidents, a celebrated freedom fighter, and a noted lawyer, gathered at the founding anniversary of a political party. They gave speeches, showed solidarity and vowed to save the country from its dire straits. The footsteps of those leaders were bold and numerous, but did we hear the rolling thunders of history?

They came to talk about this country. We heard them talk about crime, corruption, and lack of direction, all things, which are eating into the vitals of our politics. Nothing that we didn't know but it was refreshing to hear from them. We are glad they came across their political differences to talk about these things.

It's Nixon again who writes that the leader represents a direction of history. What direction have we got from our leaders, who appeared in that anniversary? What are they going to do that they haven't done already? They have been in politics for most of their lives, and two of them have held the highest office in the country. Are they going to float a new political party now? Are they going to introduce a new stream of politics?

Of course, they came to indicate that they would do something. And we must appreciate it. Most people of their age would retire from politics, play with their grandchildren between prayers and prophylaxis, and not worry about fighting to save the country. But these men are amazing. They are still driven by their sense of duty. They would still like to do what they feel for their country.

The question is what can they do? They can form a new political party, if they want but may not live long enough to celebrate its fourth anniversary. They can formulate an alternative stream of politics, but how will they do differently in the remaining years of life what they couldn't do during most of it? And what does it mean by alternative stream of politics?

They are not going to replace democracy with another pluralist ideology, we suppose. They are not going to give up elections, parliament, ministries, party conventions, and the whole shebang of exercise that makes politics what it is. Or are they? Are they going to change the style or the substance of politics? Are they going to take an alternative course to get to power, or are they going to create an alternative recourse to it?

In all fairness, the leaders haven't talked about any of these. It's our hyperbolic minds that have stretched their words to resonate what we believe. If politics is about enrolling people in a vision or an idea, we must say the leaders have done it. They have already got us excited to believe in a new possibility. Yes, we need a change in our politics.

But how will that change come and who will bring it? Is it going to come through a new political party or is it going to come through a new brand of leadership? That depends on what we want, whether we want to change the government or the politics, whether we want a revolution or a rebellion.

Spartacus' army marched to lay siege to Rome, but it halted and wavered within sight of the sacred walls. The slaves were happy to overthrow their masters but not the institutions, which were mastered by them. They failed to accomplish the change, and reduced their sacrifice to a mere act of protestation.

The question is if the change comes, how far should it go? That is going to be largely determined by the leaders who will drive it. If they want to change power, that is one thing.

Then they should be strategic, planning it out short and sweet, spending more time on campaign and fundraising. If they want to change history, they should be prophetic. Then they must have vision and the force of will, laying the foundation of courage, honesty and decency.

Benjamin Zander is a former conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, who is now working as a management consultant. He believes that a leader is lot like a conductor, who is the only one in an orchestra who does not make a sound.

The leader's job is to awaken people to the art of possibility and then persuade and move them to make it happen. Every leader is a product of his time, his destiny forged by place and circumstances in which he lives. It's not enough for leaders to do the right thing, but they must also do it right.

Our leaders, who are willing to bring change, must not fail in the test of this dichotomy. This is where they stand at the crossroads of footsteps and history, this is where all their sound and fury might make a difference or signify nothing. It will not be enough for them to do it right unless they have done the right thing. They might be able to change the government but not the politics.

And for the change of politics we need to start with the leaders, men and women whose footsteps would resound the rolling thunders of history. Churchill once commented of Britain's nineteenth-century Prime Minister Lord Rosebery that he had the misfortune of living at a time of great men and small events. We need great people for great events, people who would have great visions for a great cause for a great country.

There is a great deal of speculation as to what would happen as the term "alternative stream" is gaining popularity. It may mean different thing to different people, but we definitely need an alternative to the existing gloom where politics breeds nothing but more of the same anarchy. What breeds that anarchy are crime and corruption, committed by the politicians whose footsteps echo the rumble of rapacity.

The leaders who have vowed to save this country will best save it by exemplary living. They don't need to topple a government, float a new party or go for confrontation on the streets. They just need to be different, leading the way for future leaders, who will be able to make politics honorable again. They can fight against crime and corruption as they have announced, which will at once be an example of courage, honesty and decency.

Charles de Gaulle summarized his lesson on leadership in his book, The Edge of the Sword. If a leader has mystery, character and grandeur, he can acquire prestige. If he can combine prestige with charisma, he can command authority. And if he can add prescience to authority, he can become a leader who can make a difference in history.

We need leaders who can make that difference, not politicians who can widen it.