Stronger middle class

            One of the big challenges that leaders of emerging economic countries face today centers around the demands of a new, growing middle class. The recent history of Asian and European countries shows that the early generation of leaders were very strong men. They included Stalin in Russia, Choibalsan in Mongolia, Mao Zedong in China, Park Chung-Hee in South Korea, Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore and Suharto in Indonesia.

            In those times, societies were able to handle such strong leaders because they were relatively poor and undeveloped. But when countries succeed in developing a middle class, people immediately expect to play a bigger role politically and in terms of how their society should be organized.

            The leader of a nation has to be strong. But people need to have a strong leader who can win over their popular support. Now, society can’t have the kind of top-down leadership which had countries in the past.

2012.09.07