Whilst intellectuals are commonly seen as standing outside of and speaking truth to power, this paper examines the conflation of the roles of the intellectual, technocrat and political leader (termed ‘intellectual statesmanship’) as exemplified in the persons of (Tun) Dr Mahathir and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The roots of this phenomenon are examined along with the manner of its operation and its consequences in Malaysian political life. It is argued that on the one hand it produced leaders with long term vision and commitment to seeing that vision become reality, and enabled leaders to shape national thinking and formation; on the other hand it resulted in a narrowing and domination of the public sphere, circumscribing discussion of alternative views and ideas.  Publication/Conference: 4th International Malaysian Studies Conference; 3-5 August 2004, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. Author: Johnson, Deborah.