for good leadership, says A-G

by communal differences or communal agendas that if a person stands up and talks, we say, he is from Kadavu that’s why he is saying that since the leader of that particular Party is from Kadavu.
“Or, that he is a Hindu, or she is a Muslim, or he is a Pentecostal Church or he is a Methodist.
“We as a nation need to break out of that in order to become progressive, in order for us to have valid criticism, in order for us to have constructive dialogue in our country, to be able to do what’s best for our country.”

Importance
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the reason he was highlighting this was because he felt it’s relevant for leadership.
“If as a leader, you would make decisions in your organisation, and you are yourself are creating going to be hamstrung on whether it’s communal issues, whether it’s personality issues, your organisation will also suffer,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we have seen this also. I have worked in the private sector as well.
“They also at the end of the day decide to set conditions because they felt they have too many of this group or that group.
“Meritocracy has a lot of validity, meritocracy is something that we have been lacking in Fiji, most definitely we have been lacking meritocracy in the civil service for a very long period of time.
“There must be a fundamental level of honesty in the manner in not just as you portray yourself but also the manner in which what you do.”
Before arriving at the CPA Congress, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum was with Prime Minister Rear Admiral (retired) Voreqe Bainimarama as he left for Australia.
While with him, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said they discussed about the level of lies that is currently being spread and how people “are trying to get attention by fundamentally lying through the process.”
“Whether it’s state, whether it’s about land, whether its religion, whether it’s about accountability, whether it’s about transparency, whether it’s about the ability to exercise your rights either as an indigenous person or a non-indigenous person.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said being a good leader means having a fundamental level of honesty was a must.
“You must at the same time to be a good leader, we believe, you must have a vision, you must have a goal, otherwise your role as a leader will be very, very short-lived,” he said.
“I can speak from an elections perspective- if for example people are only telling truth or lies, whatever the case may be, to simply win office, the next time they come around trying to gain the votes of the voters for the next office, they will need to spin something else.
“So the fact of the matter is to be a good leader, to be a true leader and to be a leader that is recognised and indeed one would hope, to be a leader who is remembered, you must have a long term vision, you must have a long term goal.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said when accountants were preparing budgets, they were not looking at weekly plan, rather it must be a projected plan, looking to the future.
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