Leaders must have values as old as time

IN the past few weeks, many people have been discussing and talking about “who will be the next prime minister”.
Many have given their views and opinions on who they think have the qualities to be the next prime minister.
Obviously, it is difficult to choose the right candidate especially when we compare one person to another.
Leadership is not something one can measure using experience, qualification, education, wealth and so forth because these things do not make you a leader.
In other words, leadership is not a relative term.
Although some of these qualities are important, they do not make up a leader and we have seen the evidence of people with these qualities failing to perform to the expectations.
Let us go beyond the things we use to measure whom we think can be the next prime minister and peep into their mentality, their way of thinking and judge from that aspect.
Let us not only see the outer factors of life to make our judgment but learn to see the kind of mindset and menta­lity a person is gifted with.
We know that the world has changed and we must change with it.
As a nation, we know that the road ahead of us is challenging and hard.
We must remember with humble gratitude our forefathers like Sir Michael Somare, Sir Iambakey Okuk, Sir John Guise, Sir Tei Abal and many other heroes.
We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty and democracy, but because they embody the spirit of service, willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.
Yet, at this moment, it is that spirit and mindset that must inhabit us all.
Our challenges may be new and many.
But those values upon which our success depends – honesty and hard work, loyalty and patriotism, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, these are things as old as time.
They are the quiet force of progress throughout our history and what is needed is a return to these truths.
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition on the part of every Papua New Guinean, that we have a duty to ourselves and the nation.
Duties that we do not grudgingly accept but gladly seize in the firm knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining to our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This country desperately needs a leadership that will disrupt the current status quo and tilt the present system in order to create drastic change that is designed to benefit everybody.
We need a leadership that acts as an inventor, risk taker and entrepreneur.
A leadership that is ever asking or searching for what is right; where are we are headed, and keenly seeks new directions, new possibilities and welcomes change.
A leadership that is determined and confident in the sense of direction, unafraid to take risks, bold and courageous, and inspiring and uplifting.
We need a leadership that will motivate followers to perform beyond expectation by creating an awareness of the importance of designated outcomes.
PNG needs a leadership that will not just be holders of high offices but far more than the mechanics of the office – and keep people moving in the right direction despite major barriers such as politics, bureaucracy, resource and economics.
This country can change only when our levels of leadership cooperate and work harmoniously with principles such as honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, equity, justice, integrity, humility, etc.
The onus is now with the people to choose the right breed of people who possess the above principles.
Violating these principles means chaos and destruction.

 
Scotty Alu
Port Moresby