Opinions of Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Columnist: Coffie, Emmanuel Dela

John Mills; A wrong president for Ghana!

Much has been made about the rise of John Mills in the nation’s consciousness as
a political figure, and more importantly, as the President of Ghana. Aside from
all of the tabloids’ fawning over Mills as the “Asomdwehene” , his so-called
calm persona, his politically correct lineage as someone who was propped up by
Jerry Rawlings, and his “soaring” rhetoric, the question remains of just how
much we really know about this person who is our president.
Fellow Ghanaians, assist me in an analysis as to the credibility, or lack
thereof, of John Mills. Mills is a president whose oratory skills outweigh his
substance and his rhetoric substitute for his obvious lack of political know
how. Of all the presidents we have had, Mills represents the choice that most
endangers the stability and future of our great nation. My analysis is not
based upon theory, or prejudice of any kind. It is based on a factual analysis
of the president, of his rhetoric, and of his credentials as a leader of this
great nation.
In Mills, we have an astute law lecturer with a questionable character and a
scary future as our nations President. Frankly, I prefer honesty, truth,
wisdom, good judgment, cohesiveness, awesome communication skills and the desire
and the ability to bring real change for a better Ghana. Mills lacks all of the
above and he has proven it in the manner in which he is running the country.
Mills, the traitor does NOT deserve another shot at the presidency. We must
prevent him from seeking another mandate.

The job of the President of Ghana is one that we all should look for the very
best candidate to fill, one with a history of real accomplishments, and not one
who merely has a well written resume. Ghana needs to wake up and begin to use
the unadulterated pragmatism that has made this country great in the past. We
cannot afford to place our future in the hands of someone who is merely a good
teacher, or one who we believe “his time has come”. We as voters must practice
the pragmatic thought process of selecting our next leader based upon what makes
good sense and not what sounds good or feels good. Whether you are an NDC, NPP,
CPP, PNC or independent, we can do better than John Mills. Mills is a horrible
President, and is pushing our nation backward instead of forward.
What our country needs more than anything is leadership, a source of
inspiration, and a voice of the people. A leader is more than just someone who
can give you an answer; rather is someone who will find the answer. No president
will give you all the answers you are looking for, but if there is someone who
can inspire people to rise to the occasion and come up with a winning
solution…that is a true leader. So what makes a good leader? To become a leader,
you must know yourself first. Ask yourself: Out of all the Presidents we have
had, which one has the appearance of being very comfortable in his own shoes? Is
Mills comfortable in his shoes? Is he clearly showing his true self? Can Mills
be trusted? Is he a true politician? Leadership cannot be achieved in isolation.
If our country continues on this path, then true change will never occur. We
must work together and act together to promote change. That is why it is so
important that we be very careful on how we vote for the next leader of our
nation.

Some of the best leaders we’ve ever had were good problem solvers. Think about
the best bosses you’ve ever had. Was it because they were charming and friendly?
Not likely. For me, the best bosses I’ve ever had were the ones who were good
problem solvers. They may not have had all the experience in the world nor were
they the most knowledgeable, but they made up for it because they simply knew
how to solve problems and they inspired others to help them solve those
problems.
John Mills does not exemplify what a true leader should be. He does not have the
commanding presence, dignity, honesty, and passion that truly good leaders
should have. There has been way too many instances where his integrity and
honesty have come into question, too many times when some form of a political
scandal has been released to the press. I feel that most of his responses on the
issues feel pre-written, boilerplate responses. I just don’t hear him saying
anything that makes me feel that he is a good problem solver. And I just don’t
feel any passion from him that suggests to me that he would deliver a better
Ghana for the nation nor that he would inspire our nation to change.
As much as I would like to see Mills succeed as a President, I’m sorry, John
Mills is just not that president. We need a leader who we can all trust, not a
caricature of what we think a leader should be. We need a true leader. So,
again, setting differences aside, regardless of the issues, John Mills is just
not the leader we need.
We need someone who is truthful and sincere…not someone who only says things to
be politically correct and what you want to hear. We don’t need someone who does
things for political and financial gain…we need someone who will do things for
the benefit of the Ghanaian people. We need a leader! A leader who represents
us, the people! Not cronies! Not loyalists! Not special interest groups! For the
people, by the people! I expect no less than that!

We shall be back!

Emmanuel Dela Coffie
www.delacoffie.wordpress.com