Constructive Deconstruction

Looking For The 4th Generation Leaders in Singapore

February 11, 2008 on 11:38 am | In thoughts | 2 Comments

I was particularly interested in this issue not only because it makes up the succession plan of my country but also because the sort of leaders that would make up this ‘team’ would be the ones that will truly bring Singapore into the next phase – better or worse.

If Lee Kuan Yew’s team was tasked with establishing post-independence stability and Lee Hsien Loong’s team to build upon that stability and prepare for a transition into becoming a forward thinking nation, these 4^th Gen leaders(4GL) would effectively be the ones who are not caught between two states of transition but be the ones leading a full fledged change process.

By the time the 4GLs take charge, the balancing act of respecting the values of our grandparents vs the present youths would no longer be such a huge issues(primarily because they would have passed on). Of course, new challenges would surface but in essence, new and more global opportunities would present itself.

Are we truly ready to embrace a Singapore identity at the cost of losing our heritage? Can we begin to actually build one that doesn’t have to be tagged with our race? (You can’t possibly expect me to be a proud Singaporean and be proud of my Indonesian lineage just because my grandfather came from there. All you’re going to get is a confused Singaporean. )

How do we culture a nation that has young citizens who, from a young age, will seek to go abroad for success that they intend to bring home?

How do we handle the, by then, urgent need to carve a niche in industries that would not directly compete with superpowers like China and India and retain our leadership edge in the region?

These are just some questions. But the bigger question right now is, what kind of people should be filling up the vacancies on that team? I list 5 important traits below:-

1. A strong sense of historical analysis

All great nations rise and fall so it’s going to be important for whoever is going to be leading the pack to be able to connect the dots and at the same time understand what has worked and what has not worked in the past for other nations and civilisations. They will also need to have a grasp of why things were as they were. Both success and failure and the societal conditions for both at that time would need to be fully understood and brought into the day’s context.

2. A mix of scholar and smart.

We have been bred in a meritocratic system but more and more there is a divide between the book elite and street smart people. This has to change and if we are going to move forward as a nation, we need some street smarts up there. That said, they should of course possess basic qualifications. A balance has to be achieved.

3. Corporate background with a passion for society.

This point has very much to do with the fact that the economic strength of our country is and will probably be one of the strongest tools we have. The problem right now is how Singapore is becoming too ‘corporatized’ ( think Singapore Inc. ). While issues like the ministerial pay hikes are probably justified in some sense, the way it was presented reeked of a corporate talent retention programme. It wasn’t so much that talented citizens should serve, it was that the best people should be retained through good compensation packages. I hope it was just poor delivery of the decision that made it seem this way because if money is what they think is the solution to good government leaders, then they’re really competing with the likes of MNCs( Singapore Inc. indeed ). We need patriots. Either way, capable individuals who are truly passionate in creating value for the society at large should be the ones we gun for.

4. A good sense of diplomacy

We are always going to be a tiny red dot. We can’t afford to have enemies. We can’t afford to go to war. We need lots and lots of alliances( economic and otherwise ). If anything, the 4GLs need to maintain, if not better, our foreign relations. In my opinion, this is probably the biggest shoe to fill because our present leaders are doing a great job.

5. A transformational type leader

A paternal type government would probably not go down well by the time the 4GLs take power. The people would be too smart to just be told, “This is good for you.” Because of that, these new guys will have to be ones who are able deliver sound reasoning and take the time to relate the changes to the man on the street. They need to inspire and rally the people together to face a new world – one that’s harsher, more cruel and a lot less forgiving. Fear and power over the people will not be enough. People need to love the nation and what she’s trying to do.

People in fear fight hard.
But people in love fight harder.