the role of leadership in the rise of nations:singapore

8/10/2019 The role of leadership in the rise of nations:Singapore

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Content

Contents......................................................................................................................................1

1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................2

2.0 Singapores state of affairs at independence........................................................................2

3.0 The Prime Ministers policies..............................................................................................3

4.0 eadership and go!ernance..................................................................................................4

4.1 "ision...............................................................................................................................#

4.2 Strategic thin$ing.............................................................................................................#

4.3 Clear o%&ecti!es' rigorous standards and planning...........................................................(

4.4 Self)determinism and pro)acti!eness...............................................................................(

4.# in$ %et*een polic+ and implementation........................................................................,

4.( -ccounta%ilit+ and use of e!idence in decision)ma$ing..................................................,

4., Meritocratic !alues...........................................................................................................

4. /enchmar$ing *ith %est)in)class practices......................................................................

#.0 -frica' has the leadership stifled prosperit+.......................................................................

#.1 -ccounta%ilit+................................................................................................................10

#.2 Corruption......................................................................................................................11

#.3 ictatorial eadership and /ad o!ernance..................................................................11

(.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................13

eferences................................................................................................................................14

1


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1.0 Introduction

-t independence in 1(#' Singapore *as a poor and small tropical island that had fe* natural

resources. Its rapidl+ e5panding population li!ed in su%standard housing facing perpetual

conflicts amongst the di!erse population. uring this time' onl+ a small num%er of primar+

school entrants graduated from high school *hile e!en smaller figures made it to colleges.

Singapore' ho*e!er' managed to %ecome a luminous glo%al hu% of trade' finance and

transportation *ithin three decades.

6e* 720008 descri%ed its transformation 9from third *orld to first: in a generation as one of

-sias success stories. ;as this success a product of the pre!ailing leadership If so' *hat is it

that Prime Minister ee e5hi%it that lead to such a successful transformation of Singapore If

these leadership ens *ere unemplo+ed. The countr+ lac$ed natural resources and

infrastructure of an+ significance. The lo*


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self)reliance. @e set out to achie!e t*o o!er)arching goalsA to moderni>e the econom+ and to

create a nation proud of its identit+.

3.0 The Prime Ministers policies

In pursuit of a modern econom+' Prime Minister ee recruited the %rightest people into his

earl+ go!ernment and sought to promote economic gro*th and &o% creation. @e %ecame

$no*n for his appointments *hich *ere %ased on ser!ice distinction thus he had a clear

meritocratic polic+. Singapore has demonstrated an unfailing commitment to e


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Singapore demonstrated strong alignment among policies and practices. 9Milestone: courses

unite top officials from all the ministries to create a shared understanding of national

o%&ecti!es. -nd a focus on effecti!e implementation is shared throughout go!ernment. Its

remar$a%le strength is that no polic+ is announced *ithout a plan for %uilding the capacit+ to

meet it. ne ma+ argue that the accomplishments of Singapore *ere %ased on these policies

*hich *ere a result of effecti!e leadership.

This assignment *ill no* descri%e leadership in general and its relationship to the attainment

of economic prosperit+ of a nation. ogical anal+sis and seation or

nation' and in some cases' the leader actuall+ en!isions such goals and mo%ili>es people and

resources to attain them. ;hile go!ernance ma+ %e %roadl+ defined as 9the traditions and

institutions %+ *hich authorit+ in a countr+ is e5ercised:' leadership itself is the act of

e5ercising that authorit+.

o!ernance and leadership are therefore intricatel+ related that one circumscri%es the other.

Dones and l$en 7200#A 2(8 conclude that their findings suggest that leaders ha!e a large

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causati!e influence on the economic outcomes of their nations. If it is agreed that the t+pe of

leader for a countr+ has an impact on its economic prospects' the assignment *ill no* discuss

the


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%ecome a !er+ *ell organi>ed industr+ not onl+ %ecause of its infrastructure' %ut also its

safet+' cleanliness and efficienc+ of the *hole s+stem. Singapore -irlines updates its fleet

fre


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4.- Meritocratic alues

Hnderpinning the *hole Singaporean s+stem is the %elief E for students of all ethnic

%ac$grounds and all ranges of a%ilit+ E that education is the route to ad!ancement and that

hard *or$ and effort pa+ off. The go!ernment has de!eloped a *ide range of educational and

social policies to ad!ance this goal' *ith earl+ inter!ention and multiple path*a+s to

education and career. The success of the go!ernments economic and educational policies has

%rought a%out immense social mo%ilit+ that has created a shared sense of national mission

and made cultural support for education a near)uni!ersal !alue. ee ?uan 6e*s greatest fear

*as that his little countr+ *ould fall pre+ to the $inds of ethnic and religious ri!alries that

ha!e th*arted the de!elopment of so man+ other societies. .

4. /enchmar"ing )ith $est'in'class practices

The design of Singapores go!ernance s+stem o*es a lot to lessons from other parts of the

*orld. Targeted and *idespread use of international %enchmar$ing and' more recentl+'

significant funds for research' ha!e ena%led Singapore to mo!e up the !alue chain and foster

a culture in *hich it continues to progress. This s+stem recognises the rapidit+ of change

around the *orld and has the capacit+ and inclination to learn and adapt. Singapore fosters a

glo%al outloo$ for e!er+one E teachers' principals' and students E *ho is e5pected to ha!e

9glo%al a*areness and cross)cultural s$ills: and to %e 9future)read+.

(.0 ,frica& has the leadership stifled prosperit*

M$apa 72008 tal$s of categories *ithin -frican countries. @e cites ?en+a' Mali'

Mo>am%i


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pac$ in terms of nationhood' peace and securit+' good democratic go!ernance' sta%le

macroeconomic fundamentals' and openness to %usiness. ther states such as i%eria he puts

into the categor+ of a transition to sta%ilit+ *hile the third is a%out failed states such as

Somalia.

-t the @igh)e!el Panel on 9eadership for the -frica ;e ;ant: held on a+ 3 of the

-frican e!elopment /an$ -nnual Meetings in ?igali' President %asan&o is


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unrests' ethnic !iolenceB and e5tensi!e %ureaucratic !enalit+ alongside administrati!e

incompetence' and institutional ineptitude or do*nright failure. The assignment *ill su%mit

that the lac$ of accounta%ilit+' a pre!alence of nepotism and patronage and dictatorial

leadership are the scourge of -frican leaders.

(.1 ,ccounta$ilit*

uinea)/issau' uinea and Mali e5perienced !ar+ing degrees of tension and insta%ilit+.

These conflicts *ere partl+ fuelled %+ the struggle o!er natural resources such as diamonds

and oil. This ci!il strife also has a lot to do *ith po!ert+ and the structural !iolence

occasioned %+ intra)societal ine


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(.2 #orruption

These leaders succeeded in remo!ing or disregarding the chec$ing mechanisms' that e5isted

pre)independence' %ecause the+ preferred to rule not through constitutions or through state

institutions li$e parliament %ut %+ e5ercising !ast s+stems of patronageB and in the process'

the+ *ielded enormous po*er and authorit+ *hich allo*ed them to su%&ugate all rele!ant

institutions and pre!ent the necessar+ chec$s and %alances common to good go!ernance. -s a

result of their autocratic leadership' the+ helped la+ the unsta%le foundation of %ad

go!ernance and corruption felt in their economies.

Toda+' corruption remains una%ated in -frica %ecause its *ea$ or failed institutions cannot

control the e5cesses of their dictators. In Jim%a%*e' high profile figures *ere fingered in

corrupt deals %+ the Jim%a%*e -nti)Corruption Commission onl+ for the -ttorne+ eneral to

decline prosecution. - post %+ Ste!en 7200(8 reported that Selassies methods of asserting

and achie!ing and maintaining po*er *ere %est on creating distrust and corruption' *here

go!ernment officials *ould inform on each other in a constant %attle for his attention as the

financial re*ards could %e great.

(.3 ictatorial Leadership and /ad oernance

M$apa 72008 alludes to the Commission for -frica eport 7200#A 133E#(8 *hich singles out

go!ernance as -fricas core pro%lem. It sa+s that *ithout impro!ements in go!ernance' those

economic' social' cultural' and other reforms *ill ha!e limited impact in the race to eradicate

po!ert+ in -frica. eaders in some -frican countries hold discretionar+ po*er in their design

and implementation of pu%lic policies and ha!e the a%ilit+ to e5tract economic rents.

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urthermore' the+ control all rele!ant %ranches of their econom+ E ci!il ser!ice' electoral

commission' &udiciar+' media' securit+ forces' and the central %an$ 7-+itte+' 20128.

Se!eral past dictators *ho *ere deposed through coups had long tenure including Fthiopias

Fmperor @aile Selassie 744 +ears8' and i%+as Muammar addafi 742 +ears8. Similarl+'

some of the current dictators *ith tenure spanning more than three decades include -ngolas

DosK dos Santos' Jim%a%*es o%ert Muga%e' and Cameroons Paul /i+a. i$e man+ of their

contemporaries *ho *ere in po*er for a long time' these leaders or dictators spent their

entire careers enriching themsel!es' intimidating political opponents' a!oiding all %ut the

merest trappings of democrac+' acti!el+ frustrating mo!ements to*ard constitutional rule'

and thum%ing their noses E sometimes su%tl+' other times %latantl+ E at the international

communit+. The+ ruled li$e $ings and dre* no distinction %et*een their o*n propert+ and

that of the state 7Calderisi' 200(8.

i$e*ise' Meredith 7200#8 points out that the first generation of -frican nationalist leaders

also en&o+ed great prestige and high honour. These include hanas ?*ame G$rumah 71#,E

1((8' Fg+pts -%del Gasser 71#(E1,08' Senegals Kopold Senghor 71(0E108' and

Mala*is @astings /anda 71(3E148. @e also adds that 9In one countr+ after another'

-frican leaders acted in contempt of constitutional rules and agreements the+ had s*orn to

uphold to enhance their o*n po*er. Constitutions *ere either amended or re*ritten or simpl+

ignored.: @astings /anda *ent on to declare himself as the life president amongst other titles.

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+.0 #onclusion

-t independence' practicall+ all the ne* -frican states *ere characterised %+ a shortage of

s$illed professionals and a *ea$ capitalist class' resulting in a *ea$ening of the accumulation

process. Post)colonial -frica inherited *ea$ states and d+sfunctional economies' *hich *ere

further aggra!ated %+ poor leadership' corruption and %ad go!ernance in man+ countries. The

ma&orit+ of these -frican leaders had no re


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2012. etrie!ed from

httpALL***.oslofreedomforum.comLspea$ersLgeorgea+itte+.html on Ma+ 24'

2012

Calderisi' o%ert 7200(8' The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isnt Woring' Ge*

6or$A Palgra!e Macmillan

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Despersen' F. 7128 9F5ternal Shoc$s' -d&ustment Policies and Fconomic and Social

Performance: in Cornia' et al.' 7Fds8 -fricas eco!er+ in the 10sA rom

Stagnation and -d&ustment to @uman e!elopment. 7pp. )#08 Ge* 6or$' G6A St.

Martins Press.

Dones and l$en 7200#8 79o eaders Matter Gational eadership and ro*th Since

;orld ;ar II:B !uarterly "ournal of #cono$ics8

o* ?. C. P. 720118 ee ?uan 6e* and @is ?e+ eadership ;a+s' /usiness Dournal for

Fntrepreneurs' "olume 2011 Issue 2' p. #0 ) (2.

o*' ?. C. P. 7200a8 NStrategic Maintenance O eadership F5cellence in Place

Mar$eting EThe Singapore Perspecti!e'%usiness "ournal for #ntrepreneurs'

"olume 200' Issue 3' p.12# ) 143.

Meredith' Martin 7200#8' The State of -fricaA - @istor+ of ift+ 6ears of

Independence' ondon' ree Press.

M$apa' /. ;. 200. eadership for gro*th' de!elopment' and po!ert+ reductionA an

-frican !ie*point and e5perience. Commission on gro*th and de!elopment

14
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the role of leadership in the rise of nations:singapore

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