Wanted: Leaders with conviction

by REVEREND GUY HEWITT ONE OF THE MORE enduring memories of representing Barbados in the United Kingdom was that it coincided with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s metamorphosis from a pragmatist to a “conviction” leader.

In 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, Merkel told the German parliament: “If we show courage and lead the way, a common European approach is more likely . . . . If Europe fails on the refugee issue, we would lose one of the key reasons for founding a united Europe, namely universal human rights.”

Regrettably, Europe hasn’t held to this aspiration. This year has been, and is likely to remain, an uninspiring one in global politics. For many of us, the options and outcomes, whether in India, Europe, the UK, or the United States, still to come are discouraging. The leaders and leading candidates generally fail to inspire or unite us and, more importantly, lead their people to a better place as a society.

Consider some of the great leaders of our age: Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr, Errol Barrow, Nelson Mandela – the word that linked them is “conviction”. These men believed, to the core of their being, for what they stood. People didn’t follow them just because they were eloquent or stately. No, we followed them because of their conviction and because they stopped at nothing to realise their beliefs, hopes and dreams. In the aftermath of the UK’s 2024 general elections, it is easy to focus on the headlines: Labour’s landslide victory, the worst Conservative result in history, and Reform UK, now a major political threat taking 14.3 per cent of the popular vote, the third largest by vote-share.

However, of notable importance was that in a handful of constituencies, five to be precise – one more that Reform won – Labour lost to independent candidates, including Jeremy Corbyn, their former leader. Although independent, these mavericks were united by a common issue: Gaza. The independent candidates made their support for Palestinians a central feature of their campaign.

Gaza

One of the most salient criticisms used by many young British voters, Muslims in particular, was Labour’s perceived equivocation on the war in the Middle East. By condoning Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza, the UK and other Western leaders were seen to surrender what little moral ground they held, thereby plunging Palestinians further into hopelessness.

This is possibly why David Lammy, Britain’s newly-appointed Foreign Secretary and to-date the most senior politician of Caribbean heritage, reiterated his support for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war.

Leaders are most effective when they have conviction, that is, when their pursuits are aligned to their purpose, passion and calling. Without a sense of conviction, leaders are at the mercy of their egos and narcissistic vulnerabilities. Of necessity, a leader must be concerned with everything from strategy and vision to team-building, motivation and delegation; but at the epicentre should be the conviction that drives everything else.

Conviction in a leader is incredibly valuable, yet nowadays increasingly rare. In an era of sound bites, tweets, texts, and one-liners, populism has displaced conviction, imperilling democracy globally.

Due to growing self-interest and the desire for instant gratification, conviction tends not to be rewarded. Coupled with the unrelenting and intense scrutiny of digital media, leaders with convictions struggle to survive. The survivors generally are populists, who adapt their positions on most things many, many times in response to public demands.

Nonetheless, I believe that genuine conviction, essential to good governance and successful leadership, will outlast the media cycle.

A leader with conviction, who consistently promotes a vision based on the common good, will, in the end, be exonerated, regardless of what political fate befalls him or her. They may not realise any pre-set or perceived political goals, but at least we will know where they really stand and hopefully respect them for that.

Rosa Parks opined: “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”

May we all remain morally grounded, rooted in our faith, our principles, and tied to the common good.

Reverend Guy Hewitt is a London-based social policy specialist and minister of religion. He is a member of the Democratic Labour Party and a former high commissioner. This article was submitted as a Letter to the Editor.