All about leadership

Re: “Thai politics’ dark tunnel to nowhere,” (Opinion, Jan 7).

Khun Thitinan is right that Thailand will remain a good place where unrivaled food, beckoning mountains, and beaches and bars will continue to exist. Needless to say that in 2022 and beyond, the inert, selfish, and corrupt leaders in the region will continue to lower the status or relevance of their respective countries on the global stage.

We know well that good leadership is what makes a country thrive. In the Asean region, the combination of military coups and authoritarianism has turned governance into a business for personal riches and gains. The corrupt regimes of Ferdinand Marcos, Najib Razak and many others are responsible for the malaise in the region. Sadly, in Thailand, governance has become a game of musical chairs.

We are also seeing leaders like Donald Trump in the US and a new crop of extremists in the EU, Africa and Southeast Asia dividing people and escalating conflicts for personal gain. Vote-bank politics based on ideologies, conspiracies, corruption, caste, creed, and religions is on the rise.

Leaders with vision and courage can transform a country and make it relevant globally. Lee Kuan Yew will be remembered for turning a primitive port city into an influential and prosperous nation. It is quite clear that a country cannot reach the heights of its potential and achieve what it is capable of without good leadership. Kenneth A Blanchard, an American author, put it well: “The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority”.

KULDEEP NAGI