Knowing when to quit is an important part of being a good leader

Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Cameroon’s Paul Biya have quite a bit to be taught from New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.

Paul Biya, the 89-year-old president of Cameroon, has been in energy since 1982 [File: Charles Platiau/Reuters]

On January 19, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced that she wouldn't search re-election and would resign by no later than February 7.

Ardern admitted that she “now not had sufficient within the tank” to do justice to “probably the most privileged job anybody might ever have”.

To this finish, she listed her achievements and promised to “try to discover methods to maintain working for New Zealand”.

Whereas some argued she resigned solely as a result of she knew she wouldn't be capable of win one other election, many applauded her for recognising her limits and described her skill to place the pursuits of her nation above her personal as inspiring.

As I watched Ardern’s resignation speech on TV, I too was impressed by the magnanimous management and selflessness on show.

Sadly, Ardern is an anomaly – leaders infrequently resign from workplace voluntarily, not to mention admit they could now not have “sufficient within the tank” to do justice to their undoubtedly demanding jobs.

Even probably the most hopelessly incompetent and politically spent amongst them hardly ever settle for the time has come for them to name it quits. They cling to energy even after it turns into apparent that they don't have anything left to supply to the folks and that they can not win one other free and honest election.

Such lack of self-awareness, typically fuelled by selfishness, illusions of grandeur and an insatiable thirst for energy, is firmly embedded within the material of politics, all over the place.

Certainly, politicians who attempt to cling to energy at any price are usually not the merchandise of particular geography. Simply bear in mind how Britain’s Boris Johnson refused to depart workplace within the face of numerous humiliating scandals and plunging public belief, or how Donald Trump desperately tried to carry on to energy after shedding the White Home to Joe Biden.

Nevertheless, watching Ardern elegantly and honourably take a bow from politics made me assume primarily of Africa – my residence continent which produced among the world’s most, for lack of a greater phrase, “clingy” leaders within the fashionable period.

Take Yoweri Museveni, the 78-year-old president of Uganda.

After six presidential phrases, or 37 years in energy, he stays detached to options that he could also be higher off passing the job on to somebody extra succesful.

Beneath Museveni’s watch, greater than half of Uganda’s 45 million folks had been plunged into poverty. In the present day, some 60 % of Ugandans earn solely 200,000 Ugandan shillings ($54,74) a month, and 42.1 % expertise multidimensional poverty.

In December 2022, Museveni tried to defend his lengthy tenure as president in an interview with Al Jazeera, claiming he's “in authorities supported by the folks each 5 years”.

After all, Uganda has not held a peaceable and credible election for greater than twenty years, so his professed democratic mandate is fairly questionable. Ugandan presidential elections held in 2001, 2006, 2012, 2016 and 2021 had been all blemished by government-orchestrated repression and violence, in addition to extreme electoral irregularities.

Museveni is constant to “lead” Uganda not as a result of he's the very best man for the job or as a result of he nonetheless has one thing to supply to the nation. He's nonetheless occupying the presidency as a result of he's incapable of acknowledging his limitations.

And he's sadly not alone amongst his African friends in clinging to energy at a heavy price to his folks.

Take Paul Biya, the 89-year-old president of Cameroon, who has been in energy since 1982.

On January 20, a video of the aged chief wanting extraordinarily disorientated moments earlier than he was set to make a speech at the US–Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC went viral on social media.

Within the video, clearly struggling to recollect why he's on the stage, Biya remarks, “Wow. So I've change into a celeb”, and asks, “Who're all these folks current?” When an aide tells him persons are ready for him to offer a speech, he responds, “Are there essential personalities amongst them?” He takes fairly some time to assemble his wits because the viewers waits in shocked silence.

This stunning and embarrassing incident confirmed as soon as once more that Biya, who has been Cameroon’s president for 41 years, is now not match for workplace.

For seven presidential phrases, Biya dominated Cameroon with an iron fist and basically criminalised any opposition to his rule. In the present day, he's clearly not in a state to rule something, however remains to be refusing to depart workplace. His nation is crippled with excessive poverty, widespread corruption and violent conflicts, but he seems to haven't any intention to confess he now not has “sufficient left within the tank” to fulfil his most elementary obligations as president.

As he prepares to have a good time his ninetieth birthday in February, it is just honest to ask: what extra can Biya do for his nation?

The identical will be requested of Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the Republic of the Congo’s Denis Sassou, or Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki: what have they got left within the tank?

Fortunately, Africa has additionally seen leaders who knew completely nicely when to name it quits.

Take Ketumile Masire, Botswana’s second president.

Like Biya and Museveni, Masire got here to energy within the Eighties, when a lot of Africa was dominated by so-called “robust males” who considered themselves as above electoral politics. In contrast to lots of his friends, nevertheless, throughout his 18 years in energy, Masire proved himself to be a massively efficient chief. Beneath his stewardship, Botswana established one of many world’s most steady democracies and best-performing economies.

Regardless of his many successes, nevertheless, Masire by no means tried to indefinitely maintain on to energy. In 1988, on the finish of his third full time period as president, he retired from politics and handed the nation’s reins over to Festus Mogae. In the present day, Botswana remains to be thought of a beacon of financial and democratic growth, thanks largely to Masire’s excellent management at a vital time within the nation’s historical past.

Botswana, after all, will not be the one African nation that benefitted from leaders who knew when to retire. Ghana, Mauritius, Cape Verde and Namibia, amongst others, have additionally skilled common and seamless management modifications which have helped to safe steady democracies.

None of those examples, nevertheless, appears to have registered with Africa’s remaining strongmen who, even on the twilight of their lives, present no inclination to voluntarily surrender on energy.

Because the worldwide group celebrates the numerous achievements of Ardern and congratulates her for realizing her limits, Biya, Moseveni, and others like them ought to concentrate.

Understanding when to name it a day is a crucial a part of being chief. Ardern clearly and admirably is aware of this. It's excessive time a few of her African counterparts realized it too.