Kalu Okwara
24 November 2009
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad has identified sound education, intelligence, discipline, incorruptibility and empathy as qualities those aspiring for leadership of a nation should possess.
He said this yesterday at the 11th Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe lecture series held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.
Mohamad who was the keynote speaker, said corruption has remained the bane of national development as resources that should have been used in developing the nation were diverted to private pockets.
"Corruption is a function of the culture of the people. Where people have no value system, corruption will thrive.
"So, developing the right value system will help eliminate corruption in the society.
"A leader must reject corruption and expose it whenever it is committed by his own people. That is how he can earn the respect of the people he is leading," said Mohamad.
He said those involved in corruption should be put to shame publicly so that they would live a miserable life, citing Japan with high value system where people could even commit suicide when they do something that was shameful.
While stressing the need for a leader to practise what he preached, Mohamad said a leader no matter how knowledgeable would still need to listen to both his advisers and other stakeholders.
He advocated the adoption of emergent economies as models for national development, citing Japan as an example of emergent economy.
He said Japanese economy started to grow when the nation embarked on processing its raw materials and exporting the finished products through which jobs were created for its populace.
He said another development model open for adoption by developing countries was to allow foreign investors to invest in their country, in-flow could result in the foreigners meddling in the host nation's politics.
He said a leader should accept blame if he failed or even quit office, just as he could also take credit if he performed well.
Dr. Mohamad said the provision of infrastructure was the first step toward the development of any nation, stressing that where the government did not have money for the provision of infrastructural facilities, the private sector should be allowed to come in to do that and collect toll.
He spoke on state craft, corruption and national development.
Collaborating the need for public/private Sector collaboration, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, used deregulation and liberation to fight corruption.
He said his country however, said that deregulation and free enterprise did not mean the government would abdicate its responsibility to the people.
He said those who offer bribes were as guilty as their beneficiaries, stressing that only systemic punishment would reduce corruption in the society.
The former Prime Minster of Pakistan said the challenges of the world were enormous, advising that effort should be made to turn the adversities to opportunities.
He said the global economic meltdown was still having its effects on the economies of the different nations of the world, calling on leaders to strategise and get it resolved.
On terrorism as another challenge, Aziz advised that people should tolerate one another and change their mindset.
He lamented that while there were many politicians, leaders were in short supply, stressing that capacity building was imperative for those who formulate and those who implement policies.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku who commended Dr. Mohamad for transforming the Malaysian economy to an emergent economy.
He said due to the leadership qualities displayed by Dr. Mohamad, he was able to take the Malaysian economy far a head of Nigeria's despite the fact that both nations started at the same time.
In his own welcome address, the Coordinator-General of the foundation, said for the past 11 years, the lecture series had not only unfolded new realms of appraisal for discourse on human existence and development but have also contributed to the depth of inquiry.
He called for moral rearmament and ethical regeneration using such institutions as National Orientation Agency (NOA), he said.
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This is the biggest joke of the year. Dr. Mahathir is teaching Africans how not to be corrupted? He has the label of being Mr Ten Percent, and it's given to him by a top international magazine not for any reason but the amount of cronyism and nepotism that existed during his tenure as Prime Minister. His sons are now some of the richest men in the country.
Come on, if you are going to select a keynote speaker, please check out his background first unless of course, you belong to the same flock.