Page 78 - The Ethics of ASEAN

The Ethics of ASEAN

For Ramos-Horta, the ethical leadership of ASEAN and
in ASEAN would be expected to overcome political divisions
when the ethical thing to do is so obvious. He points out that
ASEAN leadership should be expected to translate its words
into action. In the case of Myanmar, Ramos-Horta concludes
that lack of coordinated ethical leadership not only paralyses
ASEAN’s ability to handle a regional crisis like Myanmar, but also
undermines ASEAN credibility in the world.
During the dialogue, President Ramos-Horta also shared
his own values about what makes a good leader in ASEAN. He
describes five qualities: humility, compassion, passion, integrity
and communication.
• Humility
In his personal view, the quality that makes for a great
leader in any society, culture and institution is humility.
A humble leader will listen and learn from their mistakes,
leading to improvement in terms of management and
leadership styles. Genuine humility also means that the
leader is against arrogance, confrontation and temptation
to hold onto power at any cost.
• Compassion
Another quality connected to the value of humility is
compassion. A compassionate leader understands the
suffering and difficulties the people are facing. They are
willing to go outside their palace, throne and office of
power to see people in their location and conditions. Listen
to them, talk to them.
• Passion
You have to be animated, motivated. The opposite is boring
or lazy. You are an individual, passionate to serve those
who are less fortunate and willing to fight to do the right
thing.

• Integrity
Integrity means being consistently honest, clean and
consistent in serving society.
• Communication
This last quality, communication, is more of a necessity.
Even if a leader possesses all prior qualities, they must be
able to communicate with clarity and be understood by the
people that they serve.

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