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Leadership & de Gaulle
Even a cursory glance at Pakistani newspapers yields plenty of statements, pictures and puff pieces about its leaders. To some extent, the same holds true elsewhere across the world.
This stands in contrast to the mid-20th century leader, the towering persona of French statesman, Charles de Gaulle.
In 1940, when the German Panzer divisions made a mockery of the much-vaunted Maginot Line-which was supposed to shield France from an invading Germany - de Gaulle was a sole beacon of resistance and hope for a crumbled nation. He adopted as the symbol of the French resistance a double-barred cross, the Croix de Lorraine (a symbol that had been used centuries before by conspirators plotting to topple the Valois dynasty of France).
When de Gaulle took over as premier in 1958, France was in the middle of a bloody conflict with its colony Algeria which many French saw as France proper. Rather than rationalizing a ruinous policy, de Gaulle moved in the direction of extricating France from Algeria. Assassins associated with pied noir (Algerian-born French) targeted de Gaulle. But his sagacity and statesmanship paid off as Algeria got its independence after a bloody 8-year struggle (1954-62). Could a US President, for example, follow a similar path on Palestine?
While at the helm, de Gaulle gave a vision of greatness to his people. He
refused to become an Anglo-American poodle. He slated US policy on Vietnam and forged ties with then ostracized China. He did not mince words. During a rally in Quebec, he ruffled English-Canadian feathers by shouting “Vive la Quebec.” De Gaulle had the presence to stave off the massive student unrest in 1968. During the Ayub Khan era of 1958-1969, such was de Gaulle’s impact that local media-cum-courtiers gave the Pakistani President the sobriquet ‘Asian de Gaulle’.
Most importantly, de Gaulle knew when to quit. When a referendum in April 1969 failed to support him, he left the arena and retired, returning to his village Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, 60 miles from Paris.
Though long a bete noire to America, President Nixon called him a ‘giant among men’ and Pakistan Times wrote an editorial encaptioned ‘A titan falls’.
In his village de Gaulle lived quietly and simply. The noted French author Andre Malraux once spent a memorable with de Gaulle at Colombey. That conversation became the subject of a hit book ‘Felled Oaks’.
Today, de Gaulle lies buried in a humble village churchyard in Colombey, his grave indistinguishable from the rest - a far cry from the grand opulence of Napoleon’s mausoleum in Paris. Only at the edge of town is there evidence that a great man lies buried nearby - a huge Croix de Lorraine erected by his admirers.
Given the existing shortfall in stature and vision, there is little doubt
that de Gaulle’s name shall remain a benchmark in leadership.
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