Imperatives of Political Leadership for National Development with Reference to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four

Abstract

This study objectifies a critical thorough investigation of Orwells 1984 for the
purpose of unearthing effective political leadership imperatives for national
development in global democracies. Unearthing such political leadership
imperatives is particularly necessary for the benefit of unstable democracies
across the globe, which are expected to harness the findings of the study to realise
socio-political stability and bid final goodbye to political instability and its
concomitant aftermath of stagnating national development. 1984 is purposively
selected for the study because apart from being a purely political novel, it is rich
in socio-political ideas and practices associated with natural polities, even as
Oceania remains a fictional nation. Moreover, Orwell, the author, is a leading
English novelist whose literary canon identifies as a highly competent intellectual
with ideas that cannot be neglected, especially his largely realistic political
notions. The study anchors on two theoretical paradigms namely Altruistic
Strategic Political Leadership and The Contextual Theory of Meaning. The first of
the two paradigms provides apt insights into authentic political leadership. The
second paradigm anchors the inferences that yield the target imperatives of
political leadership capable of enhancing national development in global polities.
A most fundamental imperative advanced in the study is exclusive democratic
approach to political leadership. Democracy is granted exclusive ratification in
the study as the only acceptable political leadership ideology, because it promotes
general positive attitude to life and fosters individualism quite unlike
totalitarianism as demonstrated in Stalinism, fascism, Nazism and constitutional
or absolute monarchy which stifle individualism. Moreover, it is representative,
participatory and people-oriented, meaning that in a democracy, power devolves
from the people for the people, but entrusted to duly elected political office
holders. To be sure of accelerated overall national development, global political
leaderships are enjoined in the study to anchor their governments on communocapitalism, an admixture of capitalism and communalism which is a humane
brand of capitalism as opposed to its raw brand which is without human face.