Love of young leaders wanes

The Nation, Asia News Network, Bangkok

Not so long ago, it seemed that political power belonged to the young. The list of hyped nation leaders endorsed by voters in their respective countries were below 60 years of age. Bill Clinton swept to his second term in the United States, while Tony Blair likewise won his second sweep in Britain for the Labor Party. Asia saw the ascendance of Junichiro Koizumi in Japan and Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand.

These men were not only popular but were also seen by political commentators as bringing something new to the political landscape in their countries -- especially the leadership that is prepared to make changes. There were promises of the "Third Way" by Blair, structural reform by Koizumi, and CEO politics by Thaksin.

Clinton, who completed two-terms as U.S.president (he was not eligible for a third), bridged the ideology gap for the Democrat Party in wake of the Republican's conservatism, and saw America through a period of unprecedented prosperity.

But in this first year of the Third Millennium, signs of disillusion are evident in these "youth" oriented democracies. The moral, integrity and credibility of these leaders have come to into question. It is as though the "leadership" and "popularity" factors in which these young leaders have tried to excel are neither sufficient nor warranted to guarantee success.

Clinton was, of course, caught in the ugly Whitewater trial and the turgid Monica Lewinski scandal. Blair has been accused of losing interest in upholding the honesty and integrity of politics, and he has forgotten that power corrupts. Koizumi has not yet faced a day of reckoning, but he is being seen as side- stepping his pledges to reform Japan and bowing to old conservative forces.

Thaksin is accused of being overly confident, obsessed with vision, and his promise to be different has not materialized in a productive way.

So what has been happening to the "brave new world" of young politicians?

Well, many political commentators are going back to political basics. Some are even referring back as far as 500 BC during the time of great Chinese philosopher Confucius. He believed that the state exists for the benefit of the people, not vice versa, and he repeatedly stressed that a ruler should govern primarily by moral example rather than by force.

Philip Stephens of the Financial Times advocates that the most important judgments that people make about politics and politicians are essentially ones about character.

"It is not what the politicians say, or even what they do," he writes. "The thing that really counts is the intangible perception of who the politicians are. Can they be trusted? What are the values and character that inform their decisions and policies?"

Stephens scorns the Blair government. "People see a government that seems to sup as eagerly as any at the well of public privilege. It loves grace-and-favor homes, the Royal Air Force jets, the rubbing of shoulders with wealthy benefactors and celebrity hangers-on ... this lot is just like the rest of them."

So, who is successful? Arguably, it is those without a youth image or popularity. Surprisingly, many of them belong to political parties with strong ideological bases. But they are proving more pragmatic than dogmatic with their sensibility and even sincere efforts to put the national interest at heart.

Among them is Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who dispelled the fear that his nationalist BJP Party would shut India off from the world. Instead, Vajpayee is seen as a pragmatic and reliable leader who is upholding secular stability while overseeing steady liberalization and the growth of the Indian economy.

Another is German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer who leads the Green Party in a coalition with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from the Social Democrat Party. Fischer is proving to be highly pragmatic in his disposition of policies -- in contrast to the traditional view that the Greens are impractical.

Yet another is French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin from the Socialist Party. Despite give-and-take maneuvering with French labor unions on shortening working hours and being traditionally steadfast on business issues -- such as with over-priced drugs from pharmaceutical multinationals -- Jospin is seeing through further internationalization of French businesses and a sustained period of economic growth for France.

Their common feature of steadfastness amid pressure from ideological and interest groups is proof that politicians do not have to be universally liked to be successful. And actions count more than words. In some cases, they are even winning grudging respect from their enemies.

Many may remember that in the last election Democrat Party leader Chuan Leekpai played his last trump by declaring the young and popular Abhisit Vejjajiva as his successor and head of his economic team. He didn't succeed in this ploy, but the prospect that the Democrat Party would rise from the ashes with a young and vibrant leader lingered on as the only way of competing with Thai Rak Thai. Talk of Abhisit as a challenger to Thaksin has dwindled to another candidate -- an older and more worldly person, and likable rather than politically popular.

Now that the euphoria over youth has dimmed, we seem to be returning to political basics once again.