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Content
Contents......................................................................................................................................1
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
2.0 Singapores state of affairs at independence........................................................................2
3.0 The Prime Ministers policies..............................................................................................3
4.0 eadership and go!ernance..................................................................................................4
4.1 "ision...............................................................................................................................#
4.2 Strategic thin$ing.............................................................................................................#
4.3 Clear o%&ecti!es' rigorous standards and planning...........................................................(
4.4 Self)determinism and pro)acti!eness...............................................................................(
4.# in$ %et*een polic+ and implementation........................................................................,
4.( -ccounta%ilit+ and use of e!idence in decision)ma$ing..................................................,
4., Meritocratic !alues...........................................................................................................
4. /enchmar$ing *ith %est)in)class practices......................................................................
#.0 -frica' has the leadership stifled prosperit+.......................................................................
#.1 -ccounta%ilit+................................................................................................................10
#.2 Corruption......................................................................................................................11
#.3 ictatorial eadership and /ad o!ernance..................................................................11
(.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................13
eferences................................................................................................................................14
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1.0 Introduction
-t independence in 1(#' Singapore *as a poor and small tropical island that had fe* natural
resources. Its rapidl+ e5panding population li!ed in su%standard housing facing perpetual
conflicts amongst the di!erse population. uring this time' onl+ a small num%er of primar+
school entrants graduated from high school *hile e!en smaller figures made it to colleges.
Singapore' ho*e!er' managed to %ecome a luminous glo%al hu% of trade' finance and
transportation *ithin three decades.
6e* 720008 descri%ed its transformation 9from third *orld to first: in a generation as one of
-sias success stories. ;as this success a product of the pre!ailing leadership If so' *hat is it
that Prime Minister ee e5hi%it that lead to such a successful transformation of Singapore If
these leadership ens *ere unemplo+ed. The countr+ lac$ed natural resources and
infrastructure of an+ significance. The lo*
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self)reliance. @e set out to achie!e t*o o!er)arching goalsA to moderni>e the econom+ and to
create a nation proud of its identit+.
3.0 The Prime Ministers policies
In pursuit of a modern econom+' Prime Minister ee recruited the %rightest people into his
earl+ go!ernment and sought to promote economic gro*th and &o% creation. @e %ecame
$no*n for his appointments *hich *ere %ased on ser!ice distinction thus he had a clear
meritocratic polic+. Singapore has demonstrated an unfailing commitment to e
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Singapore demonstrated strong alignment among policies and practices. 9Milestone: courses
unite top officials from all the ministries to create a shared understanding of national
o%&ecti!es. -nd a focus on effecti!e implementation is shared throughout go!ernment. Its
remar$a%le strength is that no polic+ is announced *ithout a plan for %uilding the capacit+ to
meet it. ne ma+ argue that the accomplishments of Singapore *ere %ased on these policies
*hich *ere a result of effecti!e leadership.
This assignment *ill no* descri%e leadership in general and its relationship to the attainment
of economic prosperit+ of a nation. ogical anal+sis and seation or
nation' and in some cases' the leader actuall+ en!isions such goals and mo%ili>es people and
resources to attain them. ;hile go!ernance ma+ %e %roadl+ defined as 9the traditions and
institutions %+ *hich authorit+ in a countr+ is e5ercised:' leadership itself is the act of
e5ercising that authorit+.
o!ernance and leadership are therefore intricatel+ related that one circumscri%es the other.
Dones and l$en 7200#A 2(8 conclude that their findings suggest that leaders ha!e a large
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causati!e influence on the economic outcomes of their nations. If it is agreed that the t+pe of
leader for a countr+ has an impact on its economic prospects' the assignment *ill no* discuss
the
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%ecome a !er+ *ell organi>ed industr+ not onl+ %ecause of its infrastructure' %ut also its
safet+' cleanliness and efficienc+ of the *hole s+stem. Singapore -irlines updates its fleet
fre
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4.- Meritocratic alues
Hnderpinning the *hole Singaporean s+stem is the %elief E for students of all ethnic
%ac$grounds and all ranges of a%ilit+ E that education is the route to ad!ancement and that
hard *or$ and effort pa+ off. The go!ernment has de!eloped a *ide range of educational and
social policies to ad!ance this goal' *ith earl+ inter!ention and multiple path*a+s to
education and career. The success of the go!ernments economic and educational policies has
%rought a%out immense social mo%ilit+ that has created a shared sense of national mission
and made cultural support for education a near)uni!ersal !alue. ee ?uan 6e*s greatest fear
*as that his little countr+ *ould fall pre+ to the $inds of ethnic and religious ri!alries that
ha!e th*arted the de!elopment of so man+ other societies. .
4. /enchmar"ing )ith $est'in'class practices
The design of Singapores go!ernance s+stem o*es a lot to lessons from other parts of the
*orld. Targeted and *idespread use of international %enchmar$ing and' more recentl+'
significant funds for research' ha!e ena%led Singapore to mo!e up the !alue chain and foster
a culture in *hich it continues to progress. This s+stem recognises the rapidit+ of change
around the *orld and has the capacit+ and inclination to learn and adapt. Singapore fosters a
glo%al outloo$ for e!er+one E teachers' principals' and students E *ho is e5pected to ha!e
9glo%al a*areness and cross)cultural s$ills: and to %e 9future)read+.
(.0 ,frica& has the leadership stifled prosperit*
M$apa 72008 tal$s of categories *ithin -frican countries. @e cites ?en+a' Mali'
Mo>am%i
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pac$ in terms of nationhood' peace and securit+' good democratic go!ernance' sta%le
macroeconomic fundamentals' and openness to %usiness. ther states such as i%eria he puts
into the categor+ of a transition to sta%ilit+ *hile the third is a%out failed states such as
Somalia.
-t the @igh)e!el Panel on 9eadership for the -frica ;e ;ant: held on a+ 3 of the
-frican e!elopment /an$ -nnual Meetings in ?igali' President %asan&o is
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unrests' ethnic !iolenceB and e5tensi!e %ureaucratic !enalit+ alongside administrati!e
incompetence' and institutional ineptitude or do*nright failure. The assignment *ill su%mit
that the lac$ of accounta%ilit+' a pre!alence of nepotism and patronage and dictatorial
leadership are the scourge of -frican leaders.
(.1 ,ccounta$ilit*
uinea)/issau' uinea and Mali e5perienced !ar+ing degrees of tension and insta%ilit+.
These conflicts *ere partl+ fuelled %+ the struggle o!er natural resources such as diamonds
and oil. This ci!il strife also has a lot to do *ith po!ert+ and the structural !iolence
occasioned %+ intra)societal ine
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(.2 #orruption
These leaders succeeded in remo!ing or disregarding the chec$ing mechanisms' that e5isted
pre)independence' %ecause the+ preferred to rule not through constitutions or through state
institutions li$e parliament %ut %+ e5ercising !ast s+stems of patronageB and in the process'
the+ *ielded enormous po*er and authorit+ *hich allo*ed them to su%&ugate all rele!ant
institutions and pre!ent the necessar+ chec$s and %alances common to good go!ernance. -s a
result of their autocratic leadership' the+ helped la+ the unsta%le foundation of %ad
go!ernance and corruption felt in their economies.
Toda+' corruption remains una%ated in -frica %ecause its *ea$ or failed institutions cannot
control the e5cesses of their dictators. In Jim%a%*e' high profile figures *ere fingered in
corrupt deals %+ the Jim%a%*e -nti)Corruption Commission onl+ for the -ttorne+ eneral to
decline prosecution. - post %+ Ste!en 7200(8 reported that Selassies methods of asserting
and achie!ing and maintaining po*er *ere %est on creating distrust and corruption' *here
go!ernment officials *ould inform on each other in a constant %attle for his attention as the
financial re*ards could %e great.
(.3 ictatorial Leadership and /ad oernance
M$apa 72008 alludes to the Commission for -frica eport 7200#A 133E#(8 *hich singles out
go!ernance as -fricas core pro%lem. It sa+s that *ithout impro!ements in go!ernance' those
economic' social' cultural' and other reforms *ill ha!e limited impact in the race to eradicate
po!ert+ in -frica. eaders in some -frican countries hold discretionar+ po*er in their design
and implementation of pu%lic policies and ha!e the a%ilit+ to e5tract economic rents.
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urthermore' the+ control all rele!ant %ranches of their econom+ E ci!il ser!ice' electoral
commission' &udiciar+' media' securit+ forces' and the central %an$ 7-+itte+' 20128.
Se!eral past dictators *ho *ere deposed through coups had long tenure including Fthiopias
Fmperor @aile Selassie 744 +ears8' and i%+as Muammar addafi 742 +ears8. Similarl+'
some of the current dictators *ith tenure spanning more than three decades include -ngolas
DosK dos Santos' Jim%a%*es o%ert Muga%e' and Cameroons Paul /i+a. i$e man+ of their
contemporaries *ho *ere in po*er for a long time' these leaders or dictators spent their
entire careers enriching themsel!es' intimidating political opponents' a!oiding all %ut the
merest trappings of democrac+' acti!el+ frustrating mo!ements to*ard constitutional rule'
and thum%ing their noses E sometimes su%tl+' other times %latantl+ E at the international
communit+. The+ ruled li$e $ings and dre* no distinction %et*een their o*n propert+ and
that of the state 7Calderisi' 200(8.
i$e*ise' Meredith 7200#8 points out that the first generation of -frican nationalist leaders
also en&o+ed great prestige and high honour. These include hanas ?*ame G$rumah 71#,E
1((8' Fg+pts -%del Gasser 71#(E1,08' Senegals Kopold Senghor 71(0E108' and
Mala*is @astings /anda 71(3E148. @e also adds that 9In one countr+ after another'
-frican leaders acted in contempt of constitutional rules and agreements the+ had s*orn to
uphold to enhance their o*n po*er. Constitutions *ere either amended or re*ritten or simpl+
ignored.: @astings /anda *ent on to declare himself as the life president amongst other titles.
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+.0 #onclusion
-t independence' practicall+ all the ne* -frican states *ere characterised %+ a shortage of
s$illed professionals and a *ea$ capitalist class' resulting in a *ea$ening of the accumulation
process. Post)colonial -frica inherited *ea$ states and d+sfunctional economies' *hich *ere
further aggra!ated %+ poor leadership' corruption and %ad go!ernance in man+ countries. The
ma&orit+ of these -frican leaders had no re
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