Editorial posted to the MILF Website (Sep 2): Real leader produces other leaders
A true leader doesn’t produce followers or puppets or “yes men”. A true leader creates more leaders. Leaders take care of concerns, and build the capabilities of others to take care of their concerns. Leaders build power for themselves and others.
A true leader doesn’t produce followers or puppets or “yes men”. A true leader creates more leaders. Leaders take care of concerns, and build the capabilities of others to take care of their concerns. Leaders build power for themselves and others.
Leaders make offers. Leaders speak and move with a presence, a voice, and identity to have their offers heard and accepted. Leaders build new narratives of and commitments for the future with others.
This is the reason that in closed societies and police states like monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorial regimes, and totalitarian states rarely good leaders emerge. They are either cowed or outright silenced or killed if they make counter-views or hurl criticisms.
The late MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim had shaped the MILF into this model. He never had been accused of one-man rule or dictatorship. On the contrary, he was criticized during his time as slow in decision-making, a quality that made the MILF what is today. If he made decision, he was firm and can hardly be swayed by contrary views. The incumbent MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim followed the same template. If Salamat was the main ideologue of the MILF, Murad is known for his coolness even in the harshest of situation.
Compare the approaches of the MILF and the MNLF including how they engaged the government in peace talks. The distinction is outstanding. MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari always headed their peace panel from 1976 to 1996. Salamat and Murad never led their peace panel since they became chairs of the MILF. As a working principle, it is good that decisions are made by those who are in body and soul involved in the undertaking. The leader will only put his stamp of approval to the decision thus made. If Napoleon Bonaparte was made a good general and empire-maker, it was because most of the hard decisions during their France’s expansions were made by his generals.
In a modest way, the MILF operates similarly. It always pursues the consultative and collective leadership. No major decision has ever been made except when it is fully deliberated by its central committee, which is real and functional. There is no power struggle within the organization. Murad refused to chair the MILF after the death of Salamat on July 13, 2013. He nominated MNLF vice chair Abdulaziz Mimbantas to become the new chairman. It was the collective decision of his colleagues that only made Murad bow to the will of the majority and accepts the nomination.
For the MILF, the higher cause has to be upheld by all and at all times. This is the reason why it adopted the supportive stance when the MNLF started to talk peace with the government in 1992. It only decided to enter into another negotiation with the government when the GPH-MNLF Final Agreement of 1992 contained so many flaws that short-changed the Bangsamoro people. In the agreement, the MNLF had abandoned the right to self-determination (RSD) of the Bangsamoro people and in the totality clause, the MNLF agreed to allow pertinent Philippine laws to apply if there is a controversy in the interpretation of the agreement.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/editorial/item/530-real-leader-produces-other-leaders
This is the reason that in closed societies and police states like monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorial regimes, and totalitarian states rarely good leaders emerge. They are either cowed or outright silenced or killed if they make counter-views or hurl criticisms.
The late MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim had shaped the MILF into this model. He never had been accused of one-man rule or dictatorship. On the contrary, he was criticized during his time as slow in decision-making, a quality that made the MILF what is today. If he made decision, he was firm and can hardly be swayed by contrary views. The incumbent MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim followed the same template. If Salamat was the main ideologue of the MILF, Murad is known for his coolness even in the harshest of situation.
Compare the approaches of the MILF and the MNLF including how they engaged the government in peace talks. The distinction is outstanding. MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari always headed their peace panel from 1976 to 1996. Salamat and Murad never led their peace panel since they became chairs of the MILF. As a working principle, it is good that decisions are made by those who are in body and soul involved in the undertaking. The leader will only put his stamp of approval to the decision thus made. If Napoleon Bonaparte was made a good general and empire-maker, it was because most of the hard decisions during their France’s expansions were made by his generals.
In a modest way, the MILF operates similarly. It always pursues the consultative and collective leadership. No major decision has ever been made except when it is fully deliberated by its central committee, which is real and functional. There is no power struggle within the organization. Murad refused to chair the MILF after the death of Salamat on July 13, 2013. He nominated MNLF vice chair Abdulaziz Mimbantas to become the new chairman. It was the collective decision of his colleagues that only made Murad bow to the will of the majority and accepts the nomination.
For the MILF, the higher cause has to be upheld by all and at all times. This is the reason why it adopted the supportive stance when the MNLF started to talk peace with the government in 1992. It only decided to enter into another negotiation with the government when the GPH-MNLF Final Agreement of 1992 contained so many flaws that short-changed the Bangsamoro people. In the agreement, the MNLF had abandoned the right to self-determination (RSD) of the Bangsamoro people and in the totality clause, the MNLF agreed to allow pertinent Philippine laws to apply if there is a controversy in the interpretation of the agreement.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/editorial/item/530-real-leader-produces-other-leaders