Leaders need to be visionaries, says K Jayakumar

KOCHI: “Leaders are morally upright visionaries who should look beyond immediate gains,” said State Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Vigilance, K Jayakumar. He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Management of Governance’ organised by Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies on Thursday.In this era of liberalisation, marriage between the best policy of the public sector and the best expertise of the private sector is expected. Unfortunately, in certain areas the worst of the two sectors came together, resulting in degeneration of culture, he said.India has come a long way. There was a time the government had to pledge its gold to meet the expenses. The functioning of government machinery was perceived as inefficient.  People had to bribe officers to get things done. There was severe lack of transparency. But due to the change in policies made by visionaries like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the state of governance has improved. These policies have been designed for long-term sustainability rather than short-term profitability, he added.He underscored the importance of transparency with recent examples of nexus between people with vested interests and caretakers of law, adding that it defeated the very purpose of Liberalisation. Also a lyricist and scriptwriter, Jayakumar stated that young and fresh minds with strong moral calibre are the need of the hour.Joseph Injodey, Principal, Rajagiri College, presided over the function.