What this country has long been denied is continuity of administration and long-term sustainable growth.

Alas, too much politics and the dominance of an elite business oligarchy have not only delayed the democratization of wealth, equality before the law and a decent quality of life but medieval religious conservatism has also led to rapid population growth and high poverty threshold.

This is the menu for the next President if this country is to successfully get over the global financial crisis, and put the economy on a stable sustainable growth path.

For these reasons, the worry-warts and the political operators of flags of convenience are speculating as to who, among the interested contenders, such as, Vice-President Noli de Castro, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Sen. Loren Legarda, Sen. Manny Villar, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Mar Roxas, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, and DND Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, will make a good leader in 2010.

At first blush, one is prompted to say none of the above since not one among them has shown the qualities of leadership that the 21st century demands.

That is, the candidate, a priori, must show this early his (her) intellectual honesty, probity, “balls of steel” and clear vision and roadmap of the future. Else he need not apply for the position. It will be a waste of time and resources.

Moreover, the high expectations in 2010 will be compounded by the fact that recovery from the global economic recession will be slow. There will be no quick fix, and creativity will be at a premium.

First, the next leader must be intellectually upright to know and do what is right without much regard to vested interests and blood relations.

Thus, the great modern leaders of the 20th century, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, to Charles de Gaulle, to Franco, to Sukarno, to Suharto, to Lee Kuan Yew, to Jawaharlal Nehru, to Winston Churchill, to Mao, to Deng Shao Peng, to Mahathir, to Chiang Ching-Kuo, to our own Manuel Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, and Fidel V. Ramos to Ben Gurion, to Golda Meir, to Indira Gandhi, and other devoted leaders, have all left their legacy for all times.

These leaders were neither exceptionally brilliant nor infallible.

They had, and have, also feet of clay like us ordinary beings, but they had the intellectual honesty to do what they thought was right.

Second, as the cliché goes, the next Philippine leader must have “balls of steel.” He must not think of his re-election right after his election, and must have the gumption to say NO to political pressure groups, influence peddlers, and hustlers.

Inevitably, he will have favored buddies and like-minded followers but his forceful personality and non-compromising outlook will automatically reduce the prevalence of corruption to a minimum.

That is, contracts will be honored once signed and sealed; highways and airports will be completed on time without the usual scandals; wrongdoers will be indicted and convicted with impartiality; Filipino self-respect and dignity shall be exalted; and the Philippines once again internationally acclaimed.

Third, the next President must have the clarity of vision of a future Philippines, with a clear roadmap for the 21st century which is not the same thing as plunging into the unknown.

The next president must have the charisma and boldness of vision and the big picture as well as the courage and humility to follow through multi-year ongoing projects of his predecessor(s).

When all is said and done, the next president must not only be upright but also intellectually honest.

He should also be politically courageous and indifferent to political pressures, i.e. must possess “balls of steel.”

Last, the next president is like a pied piper to a clear vision of the future.

While this is easier said than done, or to paraphrase Francis Bacon, “He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils,” let us not waste our time and resources on ordinary politicians.

You be the judge. (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)