KOTA KINABALU: Political parties must build strong institutions and develop new leadership rather than rely solely on the charisma of their founders or the influence of political families to ensure their long-term survival, says veteran politician Salleh Said Keruak.
In his analysis of political parties, Salleh said political movements were often established on different foundations, including ideology, shared beliefs and political struggles, while others emerged through the influence of charismatic leaders who commanded strong public support.
Drawing on German sociologist Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority, he explained that followers could become deeply attached to leaders because of their perceived personal qualities, enabling them to unite supporters, inspire loyalty and mobilise large political movements.
However, Salleh said loyalty to an individual was different from loyalty to a political institution, leaving parties vulnerable when influential leaders retired or died.
He cited Argentina’s Peronism, founded around Juan Perón, and Venezuela’s Chavismo, associated with Hugo Chávez, as examples of political movements that continued after the deaths of their founders, although their leadership and political direction evolved.
He also pointed to the Nehru-Gandhi family’s longstanding influence in India’s Congress party and the Bhutto family’s role in Pakistan’s People’s Party.
In Bangladesh, the political legacy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was carried forward by his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, through the Awami League, while the Marcos family in the Philippines has maintained political influence across generations.
Salleh said these examples illustrated dynastic politics, in which political families could pass down their names, networks of influence and loyal support bases.
“However, charisma, leadership ability and public confidence cannot necessarily be inherited automatically,” he said.
He also highlighted Weber’s concept of the “routinisation of charisma”, describing the process through which leadership based on an individual’s personal appeal becomes embedded in more permanent structures and institutions.
In political science, he said, this was closely linked to party institutionalisation, whereby a party develops an organisational structure and identity that no longer depends entirely on one leader.
Salleh noted that a founder’s achievements and a party’s historical struggle could continue to shape public attitudes for decades. However, political socialisation changes across generations, with younger voters potentially placing greater emphasis on economic opportunities, good governance and policies that secure their future.
He cautioned that ideology alone was also insufficient to guarantee a party’s survival, stressing the need for political organisations to adapt their leadership, policies and structures to changing social, economic and political conditions.
From a comparative politics perspective, Salleh said international experiences demonstrated the complex relationship between charismatic leadership, family influence, ideology and institutional strength.
He said the long-term survival of a political party ultimately depended on whether it could move beyond the charisma and legacy of its founder by strengthening its institutions, maintaining a clear political direction and producing a new generation of capable leaders.
Source — Salleh Keruak Facebook
