The Role of Leadership in Good Governance

I found it rather strange that this is the topic that people are now presenting in seminars and conference. It is not that I have anything against leadership and good governance but in the fact that these two highly interrelated issues are now discussed as if they can be separated from each other. Maybe there are simply too many areas of studies nowadays that in reality only complicate issues.


In is only in these days that we are supposed to define issues that that were very, very simple then. Good governance simply denotes leadership or rather good leadership. How then can we be expected to define the role of leadership other than it is needed essentially in order to have and ensure good governance.
As in many definition of leadership, all issues in any organization must be known and acted on by the designated leader of that organization. This in turn, denotes a high degree of responsibility as the leader must be aware of all issues in the organization and thus must plan for the effectiveness and betterment of every aspect.
He or she is responsible for the people, process and also the vision and policy that should drive the organization forward. He is the policy maker and he is also the ultimate HR man especially in the current world work climate where people usually work for the highest bidder. He must take care or the organization and also the people that work for it.


The leader must also have the right knowledge, skills and attitude to plan for challenges and overcome shortfalls. He must be in the know and thus must possess enough resources to be referred to by his or her subordinates when the crunch time comes knocking.
A responsible leader might and should delegate responsibilities but is ultimately responsible for the results achieved by the organization; good or bad.

If a leader is responsible the way the definition stated it, then the leader would be a good cog in any organization. The leader would be the pillar that the whole organization can depend on. He or she would the captain of the ship who would be the first to fend off danger and the last one out when the heat is on. If we have someone responsible at the helm, that is it not than logical to believe that good leadership will ensure good governance? If the leader is knowledgeable and with the right experience and attitude like Dato Idris Jala the CEO of MAS, would it not than lead to the creation of good governance as what we now can plainly see in MAS. Mind boggling at times, the issues people nowadays talk about. But when you allow ridiculous charges like the one against Karpal Singh to be brought to court, what more can we say. Just slide away sheepishly and hope that not a soul saw you there.