True leadership is about honesty, humility & moral courage

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. — Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the world’s most admired companies and a pride of Asia is the innovative Samsung Group, which contributes 20 percent to South Korean exports. Its chairman Lee Kun Hee is a legendary business visionary. In the 1990s, Samsung and other Korean firms were mass producing cheap but low-quality products, but Lee pushed for sweeping reforms. He urged: “Change everything except your wife and kids.”

Samsung and South Korea have since sizzled with success. Recently, the Korean government prosecuted Lee for alleged legal infractions involving a slush fund for corrupt politicos. Lee humbly submitted himself to the judicial process, unlike many of our political leaders who always respond to much worse crimes with obstinate intransigence and utterly shameless arrogance.

Lee said last April 11: "I am responsible for everything. I will assume full moral and legal responsibility.”

His business acumen is well-known, but this crisis has shown that Lee is a true leader worthy of emulation and respect due to his character.

South Korea is also the same Confucian nation with a draconian justice system that has prosecuted and convicted high-ranking erring politicians, including former or incumbent presidents and their kin. Sadly, no Philippine president past or present and their kin, governors, generals or even coup plotters have ever truly been punished. Political VIPs in our country always escape justice with impunity, while small fries, petty bureaucrats and rice hoarders are thrown to the sharks.

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I couldn’t forget a quote on innovation by Samsung chairman Lee Kun Hee, which should challenge all Philippine entrepreneurs, professionals and even our politicos tasked with handling the food issues. Lee said, “"One genius can feed millions of others. For the upcoming era where creativity will be the most important driver of business success, we need to hire the best. The economic value of one genius is more than US$1 billion."

Singapore-based TNBT Pte Limited regional vice president and Philippine STAR columnist Rod Nepomuceno recently introduced British advertising industry legend Andy Law, who founded The Law Firm ad agency in London on July 4, 2005 with no offices. With trend-setting innovative thinking, his ad agency grew its operations in 60 foreign markets by July 2006 and is now in 91 markets. Law is one of only two advertising leaders to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos (the other being Martin Sorel), with his book Open Minds winning the newspaper Daily Telegraph’s Business Book of the Year.

What is the future of Asia now that the US and Japan are struggling with recession? Andy Law told STAR: “Asia in my mind is where the action is, there’s a lot of innovation in this region. I guess everybody’s watching China, while Singapore is also a unique Asian hub. The Philippines is in this dynamic exciting region.”

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On April 14, Vice President Noli de Castro and China’s Guangxi province General Secretary (one notch higher than the governor in power) Guo Shengkun witnessed the signing of investment and other contracts between the Philippines and that region totaling $436 million. A day earlier, on April 13, I was the only media guest invited by a local businessman to accompany General Secretary Guo and his delegation for a tour and luncheon at Villa Escudero in San Pablo, Laguna.

Guangxi is well known for its scenic tourist city of Guilin, but its capital of Nanning City is hosting the annual China-Asean Expo from October 22 to 25. They asked Philippine STAR to extend an invitation for more Philippine entrepreneurs to join this major trade expo.

Guangxi officials said the 10 ASEAN nations and China will create “the world’s fastest-growing and the third biggest free trade economic region, with 1.8 billion people and total trade of $2 trillion.”

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Song Tao said that Chinese Customs statistics show that Philippine-China bilateral trade volume in 2007 rose to a record $30.6 billion, which he said already “accomplished the $30 billion trade target in 2010 set by both the Chinese and Philippine Presidents three years ahead of schedule.”

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One good role model for true leadership last week won the hearts of mainly Protestant Americans — the German-born Pope Benedict XVI. In an unprecedented manifestation of how great leaders are often also the most humble, sincere and have moral courage, he publicly apologized for various Catholic clerics’ sex abuse crimes against US youngsters, which has cost the Vatican over $2 billion.

The Pope’s apologies were unequivocal and honest. The Pope even went out of his way to have a closed-door meeting with various victims, which wasn’t originally part of his US itinerary. A victim told CNN she was at a loss for words when meeting the Pope that she just burst into tears and she was awed by him. Another victim said that years ago he traveled to the Vatican to seek redress for his grievances but to no avail, and he was surprised by the “totally unexpected” invitation to meet the Pope during his first US visit.  The Pope apologized, listened to the victims and prayed for them.

Our corrupt and arrogant politicians should follow the example of the pontiff — who himself did not commit the crimes, yet he humbly apologized for the shortcomings of the US Catholic Church.

There can be no real progress without truth and justice.   

Another reason that Pope Benedict XVI is a true leader is his advocacy of fundamental Christian values versus the de-Christianization and secularization of many developed societies. Across Europe, once-great cathedrals and historic churches have become near empty, some converted into concert halls, museums, and one landmark church in England recently even became a mosque.

Pope Benedict XVI is the one great hope for Christian revival amid the fast-growth of Islam, agnosticism and atheism all over the morally confused West.

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The public is invited to the Earth Day events of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) tomorrow, April 22, starting at 7 a.m. The vents are organized by the CCP , led by president Nestor Jardin, the Singapore Embassy led by Ambassador Lim Keng Hua and sponsored by the young Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs of Anvil Business Club, Globe Telecom, Jollibee, Haribon Foundation and Winner Foundation. The theme is the importance of water and the need to protect it or "Tubig: Buhay Natin, Ating Pagyamanin."

The highlight of the celebrations is the launch of CCP's wastewater management program. A forum on the success of Singapore's water management will also be presented. There will be a dragon boat regatta.

I hope there will be no politicians present, or else we should truly clean up the environment by throwing them to the sharks!

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