KUALA LUMPUR (July 13): Standing up to institutional whitewashing is among the challenges that a leader may have to face in order to remain true to her principles.
Illustrating this from her experience when dealing with the United Nations, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health executive director Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood said she had to take a stand against the organisation’s vetting of a report that she was responsible for producing.
“Taking it up with the official responsible, I asked whether he would want me to explain to the meeting, in the presence of the many funders who contributed to the survey, why there was no report. We got our way and included the feedback provided by all the constituencies that were affected,” Jemilah said at a forum titled “Leadership in the 21st century: The need for purposeful and principled leaders” in Kuala Lumpur on July 10.
Yayasan Hasanah trustee and managing director Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari, who spoke at the forum, said that in the realm of social impact, the pursuit of positive impact requires a holistic approach that addresses various challenges.
“By enhancing collaboration, coordination, connecting the dots, communication, capacity building, and courageous leadership, organisations can achieve more effective outcomes in the social sector,” Shahira said.
The inaugural forum was held in conjunction with the launching of the Universiti Malaya Centre for Leadership and Professional Development (UM Lead).
The centre was launched by former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak.
During her keynote speech, Wan Azizah said: “Leaders must deliver what they promise, because keeping one’s promise is the basis for trust, which leaders swear on oath to uphold when taking office.”
Also in the forum, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Embong said: “As an academician, I deal with knowledge, which becomes the mechanism for social mobility and a basis for solving various problems. For that knowledge to be useful, it must be rigorous, analytical, based on facts and used to serve the community, and not for personal fame."
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam Manon Bernier told the forum that “Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. We need purposeful and principled leadership to put countries back on track towards a more inclusive and sustainable future.”
Astro Awani senior editor Melisa Melina Idris, who moderated the panel discussion, flagged the need for principled leadership in all aspects of national life.
Chairperson of UM’s Board of Directors Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, in her welcoming remarks said: “Trust is the essential ingredient for maintaining productive relationships with stakeholders. It is the desired basis upon which leaders must steer their organisations, articulating a clear purpose and tone from the top that will help shape organisational motivation and establish an organisational culture built on shared values, beliefs and behaviours.”
UM Lead director Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff said the centre’s flagship programme - “Purposeful and Principled Leadership” (PPL) - covers the importance of values driven governance and the need for a purposeful and principled leader as the cornerstone of leadership.
“The PPL programme is designed for C-suite level leaders from the private, public and civil society sectors who are looking to lead their organisations more effectively and particularly for leaders to lead with their heart,” he said.
At the event, Wan Azizah also launched the book titled “Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic and Governance in Malaysia: With Lessons from the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis” by Anis and Abdul Rahman.