Indonesia needs true leader with vision

Indonesia needs true leader with vision

Patrick Guntensperger, Business Consultant, Jakarta

ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com

At this critical turning point in the history of Indonesia,
it's crucial that those who have the ultimate responsibility for
selecting the government -- the voters -- keep some distinctions
firmly in mind. Calling attention to the differences in meaning
among words like ruling, governing and, leading is not mere
pedantic hairsplitting, but has some very real implications for a
country that is trying to grow into its role as a modern
democracy.

Indonesia has had all the rulers she's ever needed. She has
had the Dutch, she has had the Japanese and she's had some of her
own. She doesn't need to empower any more homegrown aspirants to
autocracy. What is needed now is a vision that Indonesians can
share and leaders to take us there. But in our efforts to help
Indonesia move away from her long history of enduring heavy-
handed power wielding, let us not confuse leadership with
authoritarianism.

To lead is not to bully. To have attained office is not to
have demonstrated leadership, it is merely to have acquired
power; and democratically acquired power is fundamentally an
opportunity. In a fledgling democracy like Indonesia's, we elect
someone because we believe that person worthy of being granted an
opportunity to demonstrate his or her ability to lead.

When a democracy is as young and untried as Indonesia's is,
those whom we elect to govern must prove to us every day that
they have what it takes to lead us. Governing is managing; it's a
tough job, but it's routine. It is caretaking, ensuring that
things run as efficiently as possible, it is admirable if it is
done well, but it is, at the end of the day, a static exercise in
maintaining. What Indonesia needs and what the elections are
essentially an audition for, are leaders.

Think of the campaign period leading up to the elections as
one of those Pop Idol search shows. The process is, and should
be, grueling. It is intended to separate the serious from the
dilettantes, the talented from the hacks, those who thrive under
pressure from those who crumble.

It is intended to help us decide between those with a vision
to share and those with visions of personal wealth. It tests and
examines the abilities of the candidates and the public's
response to their performances. It winnows out the totally
hopeless and retains the one that, in the estimation of the
public, is most likely to rise to the occasion and meet the
expectations of a demanding public.

But the important parallel is what happens after one of the
aspirants gets the nod. Merely having survived the process isn't
enough...it only means that now the candidate has a chance to
show the public that their trust was not misplaced. Does the act
have legs or was it just a flash in the pan, the flavor of the
month? Once a candidate has been given the spotlight, the hits
had better start coming.

A candidate, once elected has to begin to lead; ruling is
unacceptable and governing is insufficient. And most
significantly of all, for someone to claim to be a leader, people
have to choose to follow. And despite the assumption of all too
many politicians, we are not newly hatched geese; we don't just
follow the first large object that moves in our field of vision.
We are human beings who expect to be shown a good reason to put
decision-making power in the hands of an individual, before we
buy into the vision that is being sold.

In the 21st century, a ruler won't last long. In a country as
populous and diverse as Indonesia, a head of state who tries to
exercise autocratic power -- in other words, tries to rule --
will be the cause of mass rejection and quite likely violent
confrontation, if not actual revolution. Indonesia could survive
with a head of state who is merely an effective governor. In fact
Indonesia needs a good governor. But what Indonesia really needs
is a leader.

A true leader will govern; the routine management of the day-
to-day affairs of state will be taken care of with a minimum of
disruption and there will be time and resources available to
implement the vision that is what distinguishes a statesman from
a politician, a leader from a manager.

When we select that leader, the choice will have been made
because we are able to share a belief in the vision. We will
happily make sacrifices in order to achieve that vision and
coercion, lies and deceit won't be necessary to persuade us to
follow. What defines a true leader? The willingness of people to
follow.

That's what we must look for as we sort through the hyperbole,
and weave our way through the crowds and flags and banners and
sift through the rhetoric. Out of this chaos we ought to be
trying to find a person with a coherent vision of Indonesia's
future, and a plan to get us there.

Once we've found that person we have to ask ourselves: Am I
willing to put decisions that will affect my life and the life of
my family in this person's hands? That's a lot of trust to put in
a stranger. Surely that stranger should be known to be of
absolutely impeccable integrity before a decision of that
magnitude is taken.

So before we vote, let's look at the candidates and ask
ourselves the toughest questions of all. Do I trust the candidate
I am considering to lead me? Do I trust that person with my life
and the lives of my family?