In recent Caribbean political thinking, the idea of having highly qualified leaders who are intellectually curious and creative is being discussed in many circles. This is in response to current politics, which seems to place emphasis on support, popularity and gaming the status quo, rather than advancing new ideas, and dealing with the issues with intellectual competence and innovativeness making politics more transformational in the process.
This means selecting the best and the brightest to manage the political system with vision and objectives, using strategies that produce results for the citizenry, and the country. Not an unenlightened entrenched political class that sees the state as its private business and real estate.
A recent editorial in The Nassau Guardian captioned "Intellectually curious and creative" deals with this issue regarding the responsibility of parties to select candidates who can provide executive leadership, and are intellectually curious and creative. The editorial explains that curiosity includes a familiarity with history, knowledge of the parliamentary system, an interest in public policy and being able to offer new ideas, and think issues through. It adds that if the competent ones are unwilling to be involved, they give their places up to those who are not.
I think these are fascinating and relevant ideas which could give politics as we know it a new birth. But it all begins with the choice of candidates by political parties. Caribbean political parties throughout the post-independence period have not selected the quality of candidates, with a few exceptions, who could be classed as the best and the brightest in terms of generating really new and transformational ideas that could put the various countries on a sustainable developmental footing.
We aped the political structures that colonized us, and failed to use our intellect to research and develop new institutions relevant to our newly acquired status and the needs of our people. We later adopted other foreign ideologies, particularly socialism because it was fashionable, without analysing the socio-economic consequences to our countries.
We always look abroad to see what others are doing and then ape them. For example, we speak of the development model of Singapore, Scandinavia, and earlier on, tried to utilize the economic strategy of industrialization by invitation, which of course did not deliver. We tried the mixed economy, which ended up with government dominance, and private sector suspicions and mistrust.
At no point have we seriously sought to discover which political and economic philosophy we could collectively create, through independent, creative thinking based on our unique conditions and future requirements. Our economic organizations follow external prescriptions, and innovation is complicated by being operationally connected to these outside entities.
We also lack confidence in the capacity of our own people to deliver quality performance. And this goes back to the political choices we make, which are supposed to deliver for the country. The candidates we choose accept, not challenge. Are not really knowledgeable about the nuances of politics and, because of a stubborn political culture, still see the former colonizers as having the right answers and approaches. This stifles our own ability to think for ourselves, and challenge the validity of other ideas.
The editorial in The Nassau Guardian is therefore most instructive. Candidates for political office should be able to provide leadership, and be intellectually aware. The study of history, political science and public policy, will enrich the intellectual and innovative skills of candidates, enabling them to formulate new ideas, and think them through logically. This contributes to new paradigms being developed for the social good. But those with know how must engage the system, if not others not so endowed will, to the detriment of society.
Political parties must then choose their candidates intelligently, noting the qualities above. In addition, candidates should have an ethical character, be open-minded, tolerant of differences, see the merits in ideas posed by others, and have a sense of patriotism. The best and the brightest will ensure these values permeate the political system, to create a just, fair and decent society.

o Oliver Mills is a former lecturer in education at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus. He holds an M.Ed degree. from Dalhousie University in Canada, an MA from the University of London and a post-graduate diploma in HRM and training, University of Leicester. He is a past permanent secretary in education with the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Published with the permission of Caribbean News Now.

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