The Editor, Sir:

THE REPORT in The Gleaner of the Editor's Forum held on Tuesday, December 8, at The Gleaner office on matters concerning leadership in the society required two points to be made to ensure that my remarks are fully and properly understood:

1. Bustamante and Portia Simpson Miller are the two outstanding, genuine populists of the modern political era of Jamaica's history. But what makes Bustamante's contribution unique and incomparable is that he recognised that he needed a team of capable men and women to work with him. His self-confidence was supreme. He was not concerned or afraid of any challenge to his leadership. That is why the 1962 Cabinet outshone all others.

2. The leadership failings to which I referred was not limited to political life. I explained that there was a great change in the quality of the public sector from Independence compared to more recent times. In the early days, the public sector officials who served with the cabinet of that time were well trained and outstanding.

Far less of that quality of performance exists today, although there is more training. The private-sector leaders of the time were natural entrepreneurs, most of whom were only high school graduates. Yet, they built many of the business empires of today.

Good leadership, therefore, does not rest on the level of academic training. It relies in every sphere on people who can determine what is to be done and can get it done.

I am, etc.,

EDWARD SEAGA

Kingston