Heart, guts, and brains

Eduardo del Buey
La Jornada Maya

Friday, March 22, 2019

These are the three elements missing in most of the contemporary world’s leaders. Yet these are essential qualities for any leader who seeks to connect with voters, act on their behalf, and take decisions that contribute to the common good for both society and individuals.

Heart refers to the quality of being able to listen and connect, touch and empathize, reflect and react.

Guts refers to the ability to take tough decisions in the face of strong odds -- not because they are easy, but because they are right. While some decisions may be hard to take, and can appear to put political careers in danger, guts are respected by the vast majority of voters, especially when accompanied by an ability to connect with and explain to the public using strong communications strategies.

Brains refers to the vision required to achieve the common good, to the ability to strategize in the wake of discord and despair, and to creating the messages and policies that bring hope to voters.

Lately, I have lamented the decline in liberal democracy in today’s world. Angela Merkel is retiring, and Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau face serious difficulties at home, most of their own making.
There appeared to be few if any leaders capable of leading the charge against the authoritarian populism that seems to be attracting voters and affecting politics around the world.

This has changed.

On March 15, 2019, a white supremacist shot dead fifty Muslim worshippers in two mosques, and seriously wounded fifty more. This hate crime occurred in a country that has had little history of intercommunal violence or hatred, and that is known for being a peaceful enclave in an increasingly violent world.

In most cases, leaders react with a call for thoughts and prayers. This has been the reaction of most leaders in the United States each time an act of gun violence kills any number of people. Unfortunately, these are now almost weekly occurrences in that country, and leaders have been too feckless to take any action to provide a solution.

In addition, the presence of white supremacists has increased in many Western states, and many governments are at their wits end to try and deal with this phenomenon. They are not helped by a U.S. president who seems hell bent on supporting these movements in his country and abroad, and by the rise of governments and parties in Europe that espouse these policies.

Yet New Zealand offers some hope in the face of such tragic circumstances.

If someone were to ask me to define political genius in two words, my answer would be: Jacinda Ardern.

New Zealand’s 38-year-old female Prime Minister has reacted like few Western leaders ever have in the aftermath of such a tragedy.

After the mass shooting, she repeatedly visited the scene of the crimes, wearing a headscarf to show her respect for the victims and the venues, comforted the families and friends of the victims, issued a strong condemnation of this type of violence, assured New Zealand’s Muslims that they are completely at home there, and that they are New Zealanders in every sense of the word.

Finally, she announced that the government will cover all of the funeral costs for the victims’ families.

Solidarity doesn’t get much better.

This is heart.

She connected and empathized, and made a huge difference in a world in which anti-Muslim sentiment is growing and increasingly violent. Her words and actions reassured a traumatized nation and impressed the world.

That is leadership.

But she also showed guts where other Western leaders have failed.She immediately announced that New Zealand would ban semi-automatic weapons, and would take immediate steps to prevent the entry into the country of right-wing extremists.

Contrast this with the pandering to the National Rifle Association by U.S. President Trump and many members of Congress bought with lobbying funds, or the policies of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party’s political position to expand rather than restrict gun ownership in a country that has known its share of violence. In addition, both Trump and Canadian Conservative leader Andrew Scheer have demonstrated support directly or indirectly for the alt-right movement in their respective countries by an unwillingness to immediately condemn white supremacist terrorism for fear of losing part of their political base.

Ardern’s decision to take on the hard right and the gun lobbies is to be commended and emulated by leaders who want to reduce the ability of extremists to peddle their hatred and create new victims. Indeed, her decision was taken when the assailant was white and extremely right-wing. President Trump continues to have problems accepting the fact that white extremists are creating more havoc than other ethnic group, even in the aftermath of the New Zealand tragedy.

Finally, brains.

While on the world stage for all the wrong reasons, Ardern and her team demonstrated outstanding political and communications management skills in their handling of this tragedy. Their ability to react quickly and effectively demonstrates not only a high level of political intelligence, but also an ability to understand their voters and respond to their needs.

Indeed, where Merkel, Trudeau, and Macron may be faltering, Ardern is perhaps the new breed of liberal democratic leader that we need to lead the fight against authoritarianism and populism that tends to weaken democratic institutions and restrict the rights of the individual, all while preaching hatred of the “other” and dividing societies into “us” and “them”.

Those who aspire to lead, would be wise to learn from Ardern’s example, so should voters.

Voters should pay more attention to, and even study, politics, and set high standards for what they want from their elected leaders. They should demand that politicians espouse the craft of unifying politics that respects the rights of individuals to live in a free, open and peaceful society with strong institutions of governance.

Let’s hope that Ardern does not remain an exception to the general rule, and that her example serves to stimulate all of us to work towards more effective, proactive, and compassionate democracies.

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