In the Raja Vagga (discourses referring to kings) of the Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical Discourses) is recorded some very interesting observations by Siddhartha Gauthama, our Budun Wahanse, about the ideal attributes of the Chakravarthi or the Universal King. In addition to the more widely discussed discourses on governance such as the Dasa Raja Dharma, there are two sutras that are extremely instructive.
The first, Pagnamakkanuvattanasutta
or the ‘First on the turning of the wheel,’ lays out five characteristics of
the (successful) universal monarch and can be applied in the modern context to
any ruler or indeed any leader of any institution, public, corporate or
cooperative. The second, Dutiyaccakkanuvattanasutta
or the ‘Second on the turning of the wheel’ is an elaboration of sorts
referring to succession, i.e. is the qualities that the monarch’s son ought to
acquire and as such applicable to a person designated or aspires to replace a
leader.
The monarch is
required to know about profitability, be conscious of the righteous, tempered
enough to ascertain appropriateness of action, have a sense of timing and take
cognizance of the gathering or the public.
Beginning this week, I shall offer comments on these five attributes
with a view to throwing light on issues of governance which, sadly, seem to
borrow uncritically from notions developed in other countries by scholars and
practitioners who are naturally inclined to draw from location and time
specific examples in their formulations and which are not necessarily adequate
or even useful in understanding our context and advocating for the same.
That which in
translation is called ‘profitability’ has very little to do with the general
meaning of the term in current usage. It
is not necessarily about rupees and cents. The Pali term is Atthagngnu,
which means ‘acting with full understanding of meaning’. In the matter of governance, the ruler is
required to operate, weigh options and make decisions, after availing
him/herself of all relevant information so that the logic of a particular
course of action is informed by previous experiences and moreover there is
reasonable understanding of possible consequences. In this manner, a ruler will issue edict and
pass judgment in a manner that has a superior chance of producing a greater
collective good.
How does a
leader acquire such qualities? We have
to assume, first and foremost, that the leader is fundamentally disposed
towards doing whatever necessary to ensure the well being of his/her
people. The greedy, the self-seeking,
the thieving, the arrogant and the power-hungry are therefore not relevant to
this discussion. It is not about
politicians, then, but about statesmen and therefore not about those interested
in the next election but those who focus on the next generation and beyond.
In this sense
Budun Wahanse’s formulation can be called an ideal type. However, to the extent that ideal type is
benchmark and a destination, though not reached, nevertheless can take one from
here to somewhere instead of turning here into nowhere, these eminently
cultivable attributes make for self-assessment (on the part of those aspiring
to be more than just another petty politician) and for evaluation of
representative or representative wannabe in today’s election-oriented,
let’s-make-a-revolution and let’s-change-regime context.
In the case of a leader of say a maranaadhara
samithiya (Funeral Donation Society) or a Dayaka Sabhava of a Temple (a lay
committee associated with and devoted to the proper conduct of all matters
pertaining to a temple), a leader or an aspiring leader, if he/she is of the
community and possesses basic intelligence, has an analytical mind and is
willing to work with and learn from the rest of the community, obtain a decent
score on the matter of embodying the quality of Atthagngnu. As group size grows, as the areas of
jurisdiction expands and becomes more and more complex, a leader cannot with
casual survey and reflective engagement alone obtain a data set that is
statistically and otherwise significant.
The true or
approximate meaning of things pertaining to the full gamut of issues that a
leader has to contend with, especially in the case of governing a country or a
large polity or a large and complex sector of the economy, cannot be obtained
without proper and reliable information channels. Certain things compromise information flows. First, arrogance on the part of a leader can
lead to horrendously erroneous readings of things and processes. A ‘know-all,’ history has shown, knows little
and typically is made to pay for it.
This can be further aggravated by a tendency to give ear to sycophant
and treat all criticism as malicious and exaggerated articulations of enemies
with agenda that have nothing to do with ground realities.
A manifest
insecurity about position and political future, itself an indicator of
unsuitability to lead, can persuade leaders to impose censorship, direct and
indirect. While this could obtain
respite from political pressure for a while, today’s information technology has
made censorship untenable. Information will reach people somehow and those who
want to know will find ways of knowing.
The other negative of censorship is that it blocks information flows in
both direction. The leader would then
hear no evil and assume that evil (pertaining to position and future) does not
exist.
A successful
leader will keep all channels of communication open, exercise intellect in
assessing truth value of claims, and have the humility to acknowledge error and
correct relevant flaw. He would not only
say ‘do not sing hosannas of praise, instead offer constructive criticism,’ he
would do everything possible to ensure that the dimensions pertaining to the
privilege of criticizing are expanded to encompass as large and varied a
portion of the population as possible.
How can a
leader extrapolate on the matter of consequence, if he/she does not have a
sound grounding in relevant histories and a thirst for examining to the extent
practicable given time-space constraints the nuts and bolts of similar
scenario? No leader can be expected to
be well versed on all matters. This is
why in the modern context a leader needs to avail him/herself of the best
advice possible. This is why there needs to be a mechanism which ensures that
the most competent and knowledgeable persons have a greater chance of occupying
positions relevant to expertise. For
this to happen, a leader must ensure that the structures are in working order
or else do what it takes to get them in place and operating smoothly. In addition, the leader should make sure that
the system of education is appropriate to provide for the human resource needs
of the particular economy.
In the matter
of ‘knowing’, a leader must have a strong sense of history. If a leader does not know much about what
made a civilization, what turned a population into a people and a nation, then
he/she will not have a sense of appropriate direction when considering ‘better
futures’. The chances are that
directional decision will not be congruent to the relevant yesterday or the
ground reality of today. All policies
are for people. People are not
individuals with physical attributes alone.
Resident in a people, as individuals and as a collective, are cultural
sensibilities that have been ingrained over centuries and generations. These are not erased easily. A leader who is determined to erase history
gets evacuated him/herself. It has
happened and not very long ago either.
All of the
above is relevant, I believe to the operationalization of a leader’s
vision. It is relevant to presidents,
leaders of the opposition, pradeshiya sabhikas, corporate heads and even those
in civil society organizations. History
matters. Information matters. Arrogance,
greed and a penchant for self-aggrandizement compromises all this and does not
produce a contented polity. It hastens
the end of a ruler, a regime, a system of governance or a corporate
entity.
I am humbled
yet once again by the continuing and amazing relevance of words spoken by
Siddhartha Gauthama over 2,500 years ago and moreover by their applicability to
multiple contexts.
Sabbe Satta
Bhavantu Sukhitatta. May all beings
be happy.
msenevira@gmail.com
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