Several weeks ago I was in Singapore attending a high-profile book launch.
The author, Prof.
Joyce Lebra, is an American in her early 80s, but far younger in energy, spirit and vigor.
She writes about India and Japan with unparalleled passion.
Perhaps it was this passion which caught the attention of the President of Singapore, S.
R.
Nathan, who graced the occasion.
The day before the book launch, I had the rare opportunity to accompany the author to the President's palace for tea.
I was stunned by the simplicity of the man, his office, his meeting room and the staff.
Above all, I was exceedingly impressed by his interest in history.
We discussed Subhash Chandra Bose, the great Indian freedom fighter and the subject of Prof.
Lebra's recent research.
The people of India fondly referred to Bose as Netaji, or "the leader".
His name has retained that title to this day, more than six decades after his untimely death in a plane crash.
What made him the leader? President Nathan enumerated three main qualities which all leaders should possess: placing national interest above all other interests, decisiveness and a willingness to be unpopular.
I could add many more to the list.
I would certainly add the qualities of simplicity and intelligence, not just bookishness and borrowed intellect.
President Nathan seemed satisfied with just those three qualities, perhaps because the others seemed inherent to him.
Singapore's Ambassador to Jordan and director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, K.
Kesavapany, who hosted us, told me later: "Our ministers here are given neither a car nor a driver.
They must drive their own cars to work themselves.
The President prefers to live in his own small house, though he could live in the palace.
" A small house is a small house.
It is definitely not a complex or a whole street turned into a housing complex for the president, his family members and his cronies.
I know for sure now why we lag behind Singapore.
Singapore may be a small country and therefore easier to manage, but that is not the sole reason why Singapore is better managed than our country.
It is the people who manage the country, the managers, who make the difference.
Not the system, not the gun, but the man behind the gun makes all the difference.
In this country right now we have state officials but not a single leader.
In Indonesian we have the word panutan, which roughly means "being exemplary".
We are lacking this leadership quality because our officials do not put themselves forward as examples.
Kesavapany said further, "We don't provide our ministers with special facilities, for they hold office for only a certain period of time.
After that, they must go back to society and live a commoner's life.
If they were given special privileges and they got used to a certain lifestyle, it would be hard for them to readjust to the norms of society.
" Well, that is simple logic and very understandable.
But can we understand it? Or is it too simple to be understood by our overcrowded and overcomplicated minds? "Your country is alright and on the right track.
And the leaders are doing their job.
" I heard such remarks from the heads of two foreign missions in Jakarta.
Um ...
seriously? Heads of states and prestigious financial institutions did make such remarks more than a decade ago when we were hailed as a "miracle economy".
Unfortunately, the miracle did not last long.
Our economy collapsed in 1997, and whatever stale "on-track" comments can be said about the recovery, the writing on the wall is clear: We have not recovered.
Our national assets and resources have been on sale ever since the collapse.
And the sale goes on regardless of the season with no end in sight.
We are in search of a leader, who can redirect us from petty personal interests to a wider national interest.
We have been searching outside our country for quite some time.
Perhaps, the time has come for us to search inside.
Perhaps we have such a leader within us, within you and me.
We simply have to awaken him and her.
- This article was also published on Jakarta Post | Thu, 11/06/2008 10:30 AM | Opinion
The author, Prof.
Joyce Lebra, is an American in her early 80s, but far younger in energy, spirit and vigor.
She writes about India and Japan with unparalleled passion.
Perhaps it was this passion which caught the attention of the President of Singapore, S.
R.
Nathan, who graced the occasion.
The day before the book launch, I had the rare opportunity to accompany the author to the President's palace for tea.
I was stunned by the simplicity of the man, his office, his meeting room and the staff.
Above all, I was exceedingly impressed by his interest in history.
We discussed Subhash Chandra Bose, the great Indian freedom fighter and the subject of Prof.
Lebra's recent research.
The people of India fondly referred to Bose as Netaji, or "the leader".
His name has retained that title to this day, more than six decades after his untimely death in a plane crash.
What made him the leader? President Nathan enumerated three main qualities which all leaders should possess: placing national interest above all other interests, decisiveness and a willingness to be unpopular.
I could add many more to the list.
I would certainly add the qualities of simplicity and intelligence, not just bookishness and borrowed intellect.
President Nathan seemed satisfied with just those three qualities, perhaps because the others seemed inherent to him.
Singapore's Ambassador to Jordan and director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, K.
Kesavapany, who hosted us, told me later: "Our ministers here are given neither a car nor a driver.
They must drive their own cars to work themselves.
The President prefers to live in his own small house, though he could live in the palace.
" A small house is a small house.
It is definitely not a complex or a whole street turned into a housing complex for the president, his family members and his cronies.
I know for sure now why we lag behind Singapore.
Singapore may be a small country and therefore easier to manage, but that is not the sole reason why Singapore is better managed than our country.
It is the people who manage the country, the managers, who make the difference.
Not the system, not the gun, but the man behind the gun makes all the difference.
In this country right now we have state officials but not a single leader.
In Indonesian we have the word panutan, which roughly means "being exemplary".
We are lacking this leadership quality because our officials do not put themselves forward as examples.
Kesavapany said further, "We don't provide our ministers with special facilities, for they hold office for only a certain period of time.
After that, they must go back to society and live a commoner's life.
If they were given special privileges and they got used to a certain lifestyle, it would be hard for them to readjust to the norms of society.
" Well, that is simple logic and very understandable.
But can we understand it? Or is it too simple to be understood by our overcrowded and overcomplicated minds? "Your country is alright and on the right track.
And the leaders are doing their job.
" I heard such remarks from the heads of two foreign missions in Jakarta.
Um ...
seriously? Heads of states and prestigious financial institutions did make such remarks more than a decade ago when we were hailed as a "miracle economy".
Unfortunately, the miracle did not last long.
Our economy collapsed in 1997, and whatever stale "on-track" comments can be said about the recovery, the writing on the wall is clear: We have not recovered.
Our national assets and resources have been on sale ever since the collapse.
And the sale goes on regardless of the season with no end in sight.
We are in search of a leader, who can redirect us from petty personal interests to a wider national interest.
We have been searching outside our country for quite some time.
Perhaps, the time has come for us to search inside.
Perhaps we have such a leader within us, within you and me.
We simply have to awaken him and her.
- This article was also published on Jakarta Post | Thu, 11/06/2008 10:30 AM | Opinion