The Majoritarian Leaderships Dilemmas in Former Colonial Multiracial Societies: Case Study of Cyprus, Sri Lanka, And Singapore

A common tragedy among former colonial small states is that they have frequently failed to accommodate national diversity. Nevertheless, leaders who took bold initiatives for political accommodation and implemented outward-looking policies enabled certain small pluralist societies to promote communal harmony even under conditions that would predict otherwise. This paper’s analysis is primarily focuses on policies adopted by leaders in Cyprus, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. It also challenges existing theories by exposing that regardless of many structural conditions, management styles and leaders decisions are vital for peace and stability. The three case studies display the issues and limitations of the political systems accustomed in these islands and how outward-looking charismatic leadership qualities for political accommodations, and compromise decided the fate of the islands’ success in achieving communal harmony domestically and internationally, or the failure leading to ethnic conflicts.