On Being a Leader

Had lunch with Dato' Ismail Kamus just a few days before Ramadhan.

We were talking about the qualities that a leader must possess and as usual, his view was simple and easy to relate. According to him, a leader must be like an imam in a prayer. If you are an imam in a prayer, you should not follow any other 'imam' or person in front of you. Because as an imam you are supposed to lead the makmum. At the same time the imam must always remember that a makmum could correct him if he (the imam) is wrong.

Those comments came about when we were discussing about the lack of decisiveness or firmness in decision making on the part of our current PM. Anyone familiar with the bidding to acquire strategic interest in DRB-Hicom from the Estate of the late Tan Sri Yahaya by two interested bidders would know that the final decision has not been out yet even after the bidding was closed some time ago.

Intense bidding by both parties seemed to make the situation more difficult for the PM to make his decision. It has been said that the PM has even appointed Azman Yahya (ex-Danaharta) to help to advise him on the matter and still, the decision not forthcoming as yet. Any group taking over that block of shares would surely need to have the government's blessings. One of the beneficiary of the Estate had even tried to throw the spanner by making an announcement that was reported last Sunday that the consortium led by NAZA had won the race.

But as far as the information that I knew, it's actually far from over.

Anyway, Dato Ismail Kamus has also adviced that nowadays, all imams need to add another phrase in their usual reminder just before the beginning of a prayer, "Penuhkan Saf, Betulkan Saf, Matikan Telipon!"