Family ties can only take a leader so far

Taking high political office in Asia has often been as simple as being the wife, son or daughter of a prominent leader. From the northeast to southwest, a majority of nations are governed by presidents or prime ministers whose surnames hark back to previous eras. Such lineages are no guarantee of success; those from a famous background have advantages, but also face pressures. Fortunately for the region, most of those in power have a keen desire to improve the lives of the people they serve.

The phenomenon has nothing to do with the type of political system, level of economic development or culture and ethnic composition of a population. Dictatorships and democracies alike the world over have made public office a family affair and it is as evident in the US, Britain and Australia as it is in Japan, the Philippines and India. In Asia, though, it has become so prevalent at the top echelons of power that there is a sense that it is becoming a normal part of politics. But the latest elections in the region's biggest democracies rebut the idea: Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came from humble beginnings. The latter overcame the powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which had governed for most of the 67 years since independence.

Trends elsewhere, northeast Asia in particular, have been otherwise, though. The sons of former leaders and top officials are in charge in China, Taiwan, Japan and North Korea, while the daughter of an ex-president heads South Korea's government. Such backgrounds undeniably are advantageous when running for office, but being raised in a political household surely can also spark an interest in politics. That may seem unhealthy in a meritocratic age, but it does not necessarily bode ill for a nation, its economy and its people.

President Xi Jinping, like Abe, Modi and Widodo, is reform-minded and determined to move his country forward. There is no guarantee of success, but with the right attitude and a sense of duty rather than entitlement, there is every chance.