Sri Lanka, Oct. 26 -- In every tea shop, in every office, and on every street during the last election, one sentence was heard again and again: 76 years of national curse.

It was shouted in anger, and it was not without reason. Corruption, incompetence, lawbreaking, and callous disregard for human dignity had brought public trust to its lowest point.

But in that anger, are we throwing away the good with the bad?

Because society, deep down, is not asking for revolution alone. It is asking for something else. It is looking for leaders with the qualities of our golden yesteryears - qualities that are so lacking in the present lot, more or less.

What Kind of Leader Are We Looking For?

If you ask politically mature citizens today, th...