Political leaders - where are the good ones?

Many countries around the world suffer from a dearth of good leaders, let alone great ones.

It seems to be a global issue that many troubled nations are governed by people who shouldn't be at the helm in the first place. The question that is foremost in most politically conscious people's minds is "where have all the good leaders gone?"

Sometimes, we are tempted to proclaim that those countries have trouble with their leaders have only themselves to blame. Here, I am referring to those countries that dutifully hold elections once every five years.

If the majority pick the wrong leader, or so it seem, who do the people have to blame? But looking at the issue with some depth, sometimes the matter is not as simple as it seems.

For example, in some countries that have known nothing but military regimes for decades, this can be a problem. One fine example is Burma or Myanmar. This blessed country has been under the military yoke for as long as my young memory can remember.

As a result of the army's iron fist, quite a number of its people have gone overseas to eke out a decent living. Perhaps there's a moral to it all, but right now it escapes me.

Good or bad, all national leaders shall one day be compelled to step down, either due to old age or poor health. Nobody lives forever and that is the universal truth.

The popular phrase: And this too shall pass... has been applied to many circumstances in the history book of mankind. Civilisations that stretch from North POle to South Pole have their ups and downs but we humans have very limited life spans.

For most of us, 70 years of earthly existence is about it. But the basic truth to any nation's destiny is that the future is in the hands of its people. We alone will decide who shall lead us.

But people's memories are short. In many instances, politicians prefer to tell us that they are the only ones who can decide our future. Never has there been a bigger lie.

Ordinary people need to be told and reminded that their future and the country's future SHOULD be decided by themselves!

And if the people pick the wrong guy, they can always throw him out in the next election. Everything that goes around comes around. If the people pick the wrong candidate, they shall have to put up with the joker's antics for the next five years.

That is why it is very important to have an educated population, or as many people as possible being aware of the choices that they have. And there's also the right to choose.

Choose wisely then, my friends.