It doesn’t take a genius to recognize a problem, especially not one as painful as bad leadership. Who is not affected by it? Where exactly is the acclaimed “new breed” of progressive Ghanaian politician? Leadership is a core problem in tackling the problems facing Ghanaians. Ghana’s situation calls for an urgent need to demand a more effective management and leadership through a sense of purpose with absolute discipline, sacrifices from all, and accountability to sustain our democracy.

The current NDC crop is sleeping on the job, ideas are lacking and I see very little hope for this country in the next 2 years and it is just costly and unacceptable.NDC may be in power alright but power without any ability or desire to effect lasting change to me is meaningless. Theft at the highest levels of government remained unrestrained and is undermining the confidence reposed in President Mills’ leadership and creating the impression that the President is weak.President Mills came to power with big promises; prominent among them was his better Ghana agenda and a fight against corruption. To date, the better Ghana agenda has remained a mirage. Putting the above in context, Ghana lacks true leaders. What we have instead are; a class of political entrepreneurs and scandalous characters with acquisitive mastery in script and mood-altering political speeches. Some of our nation’s leaders are untested political amateurs schooled in rudimentary political thought. My moral question is: can the Ghanaian public be absolved from the kinds of leaders that our nation produces? Are our leaders not products of the Ghanaian environment? As a nation, we have pawned our conscience and voice for a buck. We have allowed governments’ policies to go unscrutinized, and instead, cultivated an obsession with meaningless party motifs. Like the Plebeians of Caesar’s years, we lack criticality and intuition. We accept unwholesome policies as a problems-eradication package.

In my opinion, the nation’s political values have changed from genuine sacrifice (in) to greediness and politics of entitlement. Hasn’t hypocrisy, given our leaders’ abdication of moral responsibility to tell the truth, stand by the truth, and lead as leaders? Brave men, and women, who once stood tall, have become midgets, and self-made victims of a humongous economic superstructure under the banner, “Better Ghana”. These are extraordinary times. We have more opportunities, more possibilities and more freedom today to progress as nation than at any time in the history of Ghana. The emergence of Information Communication Technology and other scientific advancement have sped up the process of globalization. Regrettably, our leaders’ vision and perception have been blocked, impaired or blurred, to see all the opportunities. The apprehension is that, how long does the nation have to wait to get into the socio-economic “Promised Land”? How far can we see from here? And whose job is it? We need a leader who embraces piety and frugality, and chides needless material acquisitions. We need a leader who would stand tall, and takes the moral highroad, and in his/her wake creates a feeling of nostalgia in the conscience of the nation. Among many of the world’s leaders, Fidel Castro Ruz, Nwalimu Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, the Dalai Lama, Jerry Rawlings and Madiba Rolihlahla Mandela are the unique individuals who fall under true leadership. We need a leader who can give hope to the hopeless and help preserve the rights of the voiceless. Our nation’s problems cannot be addressed with empty catchphrases, such as “better Ghana”. In an era of tested ideas, and the articulation of pragmatic policies, why should we allow our leaders to continue with their mediocre policies? Most people wouldn’t run a race or drive if they don’t know the definite stopping point. So why would our leaders take the citizens to and the nation through a fog without a clue about where they are going? The clarity of their vision makes a big difference, in our part of the world. For Ghana to make any meaningful socio-economic progress, we need forward-looking and innovative-thinking people. The adage says, if you can see the invisible you can see the impossible”, because you can’t achieve what you can’t conceive. Something has gone awry with the operable mechanics of our leaders, and our future as a nation is scary. We shall be back!

Emmanuel Dela Coffie

www.delacoffie.wordpress.com