Trudeau Trends

Political exits are often shameful when politicians do not exit promptly. Canadian Prime Minister Follows This Pattern

Justin Trudeau’s decision to step down as Canada’s prime minister follows an old political pattern. Around the world, high-profile political exits tend to be grand rather than affectionate farewells. Trudeau, once the poster boy for liberal democracy and progressive stances on climate change and women’s rights, now walks out with a majority of Canadians – including members of his own Liberal party – feeling relieved. Everyone agreed that he held on too long. But high-profile politicians are cursed by immense self-confidence, not knowing when to quit and backing themselves to turn things around even when it’s impossible.

Thus, instead of leaving a glorious legacy, they brought with them a host of disappointments. It happened in India. The prime ministerships of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh both saw highs before catastrophic declines. The Vajpayee government’s ‘India Shine’ campaign completely misread the public sentiment and Singh’s inability to manage alliance politics in UPA 2 led to him being caricatured as ‘Maun-mohan’ Singh. Similarly, in Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad is credited with transforming the Malaysian economy in the 1980s and 1990s. But his 22-year first term as prime minister painted him as a dictator who would stop at nothing to keep his job. Looking further back, although Churchill led Britain through World War II, he lost Britain’s first post-war election.

Failure to read exit signs can also have tragic consequences. In Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has led the country to impressive economic growth for more than a decade. She could have made it her legacy and stepped aside. Instead, she chose to treat the country’s leadership as her personal fiefdom, and she paid a heavy price for it. Returning to Trudeau, he checked all the hallmarks of a charismatic leader — suaveness, correct political pedigree and modern rhetoric. He has made valid points on immigration before. But by failing to read the room carefully, he plotted his own downfall. Another ignominious political exit.

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