The hour has come but where are the leaders?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is at the moment arguably the most popular man in the world. The 44-year-old former comedian has within a matter of weeks been transformed into a wartime leader unparalleled in recent history. Zelensky hardly has executive experience having been a comedian until he was elected as president in 2019 at the age of 42.

Yet in Ukraine’s darkest hour since the Nazi invasion in 1941, President Zelensky stood his ground famously refusing an offer by the United States to evacuate him to safety saying all he needed were weapons not a ride. Whatever happens next, history will remember the simple physical courage of Volodymyr Zelensky in remaining in his capital, with his people, amidst a horrible invasion, knowing that he is Russia’s primary target.

Such moments that define the course of a nation come but rarely in history, yet for those who truly possess the qualities of leadership they are truly defining moments that raise them above the pack. Sri Lanka’s current president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was presented to be such a leader. Announcing his candidacy for president days after the devastating Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, he was presented as the wadakarana viruwa or the working veteran, who would restore national security, fight against corruption and ‘change the system’ that had for long years prevented Sri Lanka from achieving its true economic potential. 

Having changed the constitution to give the executive presidency even greater powers which are without parallel in any democratic system and having obtained an overwhelming two-thirds majority in parliament, the president has unfortunately failed to deliver the much-touted vistas of prosperity. In fact, he has managed to precipitate the worst economic crisis in 50 years. 

Here then is the moment for actual leadership to emerge, be it a political leader, a professional or even a television comedian as was the case in Ukraine in 2019. In this moment of crisis there is an opportunity for those who actually possess the qualities of leadership, integrity, vision, intelligence, powers of articulation and communication to win over the trust of the people. 

What is clearly apparent is that not only does President Rajapaksa not possess such virtues but nor does the natural leader in waiting in a democratic system, the leader of the Opposition. The incumbent of that office has not stood for any principle of consequence or offered leadership for any issue of importance. Despite the increasing unpopularity of the ruling administration there hardly seems any shift in public opinion or confidence towards the main Opposition or its leader.

The question then is who will fill the vacuum for political leadership yearned so desperately by the people of this country? The danger is that such a moment could be seized by those who could do further harm. It is an important lesson in history to recall that the economic devastation caused after the First World War is what gave rise to the Nazi party and its megalomaniac leader who within a decade of ascending to power ensured the complete destruction of Germany. 

In this regard, a recent opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives found that there appears to be significant support towards having a strong leader who is not inconvenienced by elections and 84% of those polled wished to see an expansion of the role of the military. Such sentiments may be a reflection of the lack of leadership alternatives and the lack of actual experience living under a military administration but they are still should be alarming trends. 

As Sri Lankans have always hoped we can wish for a saviour to emerge to get us out of the current crisis. The better alternative however is to seek to save ourselves. To do so the electorate would have to demand the strengthening of democratic institutions which could withstand crises of the nature faced today. In the absence of a ‘man of the hour’, Sri Lanka’s best hope now is in an independent judiciary, an empowered parliament, a media with integrity and a robust civil society that may just about be able to get us out of this mess.