“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.
The legendary opening lines from George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm may be symbolic at one level but can easily be the story of many societies around us today.
As a matter of principle, all governments and leaders worth their salt say the same thing. “We are duty-bound to uphold the law”, “criminals will be brought to justice” and “everyone is equal in the eyes of the state”.
Easier said than done. As I look around, the modern landscape of political leaders across the world, I see a very different picture. More than anything else, it makes me aware of who the consummate modern leader ought to be and how he/she should behave.
On one end of the spectrum, you see the so-called leader of the free world, Donald Trump. We have the unconventional President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who takes too much pride in his controversial past.
There is now a new rising star in South America, Brazil’s 38th President, Jair Bolsonaro, whose histrionics compares to that of Trump. Quite a feat for someone representing millions of jobless youth.
Something else is also common between all of them. Instead of providing leadership in the true sense of the term, they bring to the table everything that the world could do without – bigotry, divisiveness and a myopic view of the world.
All this is happening at a time when the world really needs compassion and fresh ideas to bring people together, allow nations to complement growth. Yet, even an unnerving Trump tweet gets more attention than the challenges facing the developing world or climate change. All is not lost yet though. There are not just some well-meaning people restoring the faith in humanity but also leaders who continue to inspire millions. Without them, the world would have looked like an unending disaster.
Jacinda, Justin and Imran
Leaders like Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand or Justin Trudeau of Canada not only represent their citizens – proudly at that – they also speak for citizens of other nations, appeal to a larger humanity. Through their words and deeds, they become leaders of the world.
In the aftermath of the mindless massacre of Muslim worshippers in New Zealand, one individual who stood out as a true leader was Jascinda Ardern the prime minister of New Zealand. In doing so, she became the conscience keeper of humanity.
She took the lead in healing the very raw wounds, tried her best to restore shattered confidence and led her nation on a shared future. That is the stuff leadership is made of and this is what the comity of nations expect from leaderships around the world.
History is replete with innumerable instances when wrong decisions rendered leaderships obscure. That only goes to show that leaders must strive for qualities that keep them relevant today and remembered for ages
Ardern rose to the occasion by just being honest. She embraced failure and acknowledged wrongdoings. She called a spade a spade and did what was within her means to restore the damage.
In doing so, she united the world in grief and compassion. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of honesty and that was on display following that dark day in Christchurch.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Germany’s Angela Merkel were among the first world leaders to open their arms for Syrian refugees. Trudeau even went to the extent of calling refugees the future of Canada. This was a slap on the face of those who called themselves custodians of human rights and beacon of democracy. Trudeau on the other hand maintained that victims of conflict are not a threat or liability but asset to the society.
Closer home is the example of Imran Khan, and the leadership he provided following the Pulwama attack. Without getting into the merits of any side’s response, it was obvious that Imran faced a tricky situation in which he had to choose his words and actions carefully.
He was aware that he is dealing with a belligerent leadership in India, which is determined to gain political mileage instead of demonstrating statesmanship.
The fact that Imran doesn’t come from traditional political background helped and so did his determination to keep things on track and not allow irrationality to undo what has been achieved during his reign.
It takes courage for any leader – especially those with some military might – to go on television and say, “war is not an option”. Many would see that as a sign of weakness, especially in such a charged atmosphere.
But when your intentions are honest, courage turns into conviction and difficult decisions become easy. Imran has demonstrated this quality on various occasions in the past and he was on top of his game all over again.
Winning attributes
All leaders should show attributes that set him apart from ordinary mortals. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and history is replete with instances of weak leadership doing damage that lasted centuries.
History is replete with innumerable instances when wrong decisions rendered leaderships obscure. That only goes to show that leaders must strive for qualities that keep them relevant today and remembered for ages.
Treating people belonging to all races, faiths and ethnicities equally is the first prerequisite of any leadership. However, it is the practice of it and not preaching that makes the difference. A good leader does not have a hangover of historical bias and he is ready to be disrupt.
Then comes the spirit of bringing about a positive transformation in society. Good leadership must lay emphasis on constantly improving the quality of life of its people. To achieve this objective, a true leader must also be willing to challenge conventions.
All these attributes boil down to integrity and a worldview that looks at each individual with the same prism. Indeed, it cannot be a case of “all humans are equal, but some humans are more equal than others”.
The writer is a Saudi Educator based in Dubai