Over the past several weeks I have had the privilege of contributing to public discourse and have been both encouraged and enlightened by some of the comments that the articles have evoked — though sometimes a bit disappointed by some of the partisan responses that seem to overlook the facts. But that is part of the reality of a democracy. Let all ideas contend.

I am inspired by the wisdom of many who reflect a commitment to raising the bar of leadership and wish to engage a conversation on that issue.

Transformational leadership

Jamaica needs transformational leadership. James MacGregor Burns (1978) defines transformational leadership as a process where leaders and followers engage in a mutual process of ‘raising one another to higher levels of morality and motivation’. Transformational leaders raise the bar by appealing to higher ideals and values of followers. Because of the mutual engagement of seeking to raise each other to high levels of morality (doing the right thing), and motivation (the unending drive to do), transformational leadership has as its single most critical quality the willingness of leaders to be held accountable.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has, on a number of occasions, described himself as a transformational leader. Because the prime minister has assumed the mantle of a transformational leader there are some behaviours that the country has a right to expect of him. I think there is some consensus that the prime minister has displayed a level of decorum and civility in his execution of the job, as well as leading from in front. These are both commendable. In this regard the prime minister is reflecting a degree of sensitivity to an important quality of the transformational leader, namely that the transformational leader models the behaviours he or she expects of others. (Burns, 1978; Thompson, 2009)

But, while the above qualities are noteworthy, the Prime Minister Holness should not overlook the need to address weightier matters. A transformational leader is not a perfect human being, so will make errors, speak out of turn, or misjudge situations. Some errors will be graver than others, but another measure of the transformational leader will be the depth of his or her discernment of the impact of the errors (misspeaks) he/she makes. For a prime minister, words are actions. The prime minister sets the tone for how the Government leads, and in this regard the prime minister’s foremost duty is to raise the bar of leadership.

Sir Hilary and The UWI’s accountability

History is going to record that on a day when The University of the West Indies faced the existential risk of undermining its relationship with one of its key stakeholders, the Government of Jamaica, the vice-chancellor stepped up to the wicket and did what transformational leaders do — take responsibility.

It is not that The UWI has suddenly become a department of the Government of Jamaica, reversing the reported 2007 opinion of the Attorney General; rather, it is that the vice chancellor recognises that, while it is not a lawful requirement for The UWI to appear before Parliament’s Public Administration & Appropriations Committee, it is helpful so to do, and is consistent with the ethic of accountability which is the hallmark of transformational leaders.

The day may come when academics or business leaders or students may call upon legislators to appear before them to answer questions. The tone that has been set by the vice chancellor for the type of relationship that should exist between those who lead and those who are led is one that places principle above process, and morality above legality. I trust that the transformational leadership shown by Sir Hilary, and his demonstration of commitment to accountability, will not be lost on our legislators and others who hold leadership positions in the Caribbean region.

Dead babies’ ‘scandal’

Public Defender Arlene Harrison Henry, in her report on the death of premature babies at the University Hospital of the West Indies in 2015, had found that there was in fact no scandal. The label scandal was created by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the media ran with it like a dog with a prized bone.

Former Health Minister Fenton Ferguson was put to the test and could have lost his place in the Cabinet had the then prime minister caved in under the pressure. I recall feeling a deep sense of empathy for Minister Ferguson, who I felt was a victim of a grand political coup.

The careers of some members of staff of the hospital were derailed. Some staff members were traumatised and stressed because of the undeserved humiliation and public scorn that they faced, and some had to undergo counselling to cope with the unwarranted public shaming heaped on them. The CEO was forced to resign. The parents of those dead babies were also placed in greater pain by the misleading narrative that the hospital had done them harm.

The prime minister would do well to follow the example of Sir Hilary and, having regard to the unavoidable pain and humiliation that so many suffered at the hands of the media and the (then) Opposition, he should offer an apology to Minister Ferguson, the staff at the hospital, and the parents for the unwarranted public shaming and increased grief that the actions of the then Opposition and the media brought on them.

If our leaders are to be credible and win our trust there has to be some places we do not go, and some things that are kept out of the politics. It is neither right nor fair for public officials and public servants to have their reputations and careers tarnished by power-hungry politicians who seek to use the misfortune of others for political advantage. There must be a level below which we should not allow public discourse and politics to fall.

Transformational leadership means raising the bar! One expects that the current Opposition will display a level of maturity and ‘country-first’ thinking and eschew the temptation to engage in political one-upmanship.

Raising the bar for discourse on the dollar

There is an aspect of the leadership being shown in relation to the economy that I think calls for greater honesty. Most people will remember the manner in then Opposition spokesman on finance, Audley Shaw, derided the Government on the exchange rate. Under the JLP management the dollar has slid at a rate much faster than under the People’s National Party (PNP). Having inherited the dollar at about $121 to US$1 eight months ago, the dollar has lost an average of a dollar per month and is heading to $130.00.

Some financial analysts had suggested that this slide was a reflection of lack of confidence in Minister Shaw, as all the macroeconomic indicators suggested that the dollar should be stable. We are now learning that the International Monetary Fund is of the view that the dollar is still overvalued. Did Minister Shaw sign on to a policy of rapid depreciation of the dollar and not tell us? If so, would this not be hypocrisy?

Can we hope for a kind of leadership from both the PNP and the JLP that will be honest enough not to mislead the country about the reasons for the slide? And can we expect that neither party will seek to take the country for a ride by either promising to halt the slide, if they know they cannot or will not, or make a joke about the slide if they know they could not do differently? Can we get to a place where we treat these matters with a level of honesty and seriousness that shows greater respect for the people, thereby raising the leadership bar?

Dr Canute S Thompson is a certified management consultant and lecturer in educational policy, planning and leadership in the School of Education, The University of the West Indies, Mona. He is a co-founder of the Caribbean Leadership Re-Imagination Initiative. Send comments to the Observer orcanutethompson1@gmail.com.