CARIBBEAN ECONOMIST CALLS FOR AWAKENED LEADERSHIP

BAHAMAS - The major crises afflicting the planet can be traced directly to a chronic lack of "awakened leadership", according to a Caribbean leader.

"From armed conflicts in Darfur in Africa to the enduring poverty in Port-au-Prince in the Caribbean, more effective leadership is the single most important ingredient for progress and relief," asserted Zhivargo Laing, an economist and director of Laing Consulting and Research Group.

"In the best of times sound leadership is important; in the worst of times it is simply critical," he asserted.

And, not just any type of leadership, Laing added: "Leaders across the globe, most especially in the realms of politics and business, must awaken to the importance of their role in addressing the pressing issues of our time."

"Awakened leadership," he elaborated, "means an end to ego-driven decision making. It requires putting aside thoughts dedicated to self-serving ambitions divorced from the real needs of community."