As
the NPP prepares for its forthcoming national delegates conference to
elect a flagbearer for election 2012, you have to feel sorry for Mr
Kwame Pianim, a founding member of the party, who has come under heavy
critisms after his comment about corruption within the NPP.

Mr
Pianinm told a gathering at professor Frimpong Boateng's campaign lunch
that the aspirant was not corrupt but a principled man who will not
condone criminality and corruption. He therefore urged delegates to
vote for him for proper leadership or choose any other person if they
wanted corruption to reign freely. And that the party needs a leader
not a flagbearer because any idiots can hold the flag.

After those comments, the the renowned economist has come under fire by leading
members of the party including the party chairman Jake Obrtsebi Lamptey who says his
comment is unsavory and unbecoming of Mr Pianim's stature.

In
politics the truth is bitter but you have to say it and hit where it
hurts. Kwame pianim did an honest assessment of Professor Frimpong
Boateng and the other contestants and then all hell broke loose.

This
is by far the most sensible comment ever made. The reality is that,
there are a bunch of square pegs in round holes in Ghana.

What Kwame Pianim meant was that, instead of just looking for someone to be a
flagbearer, they should choose someone with good leadership qualities who can lead
the party to victory and be a better president for the whole of Ghana.

All
that is said is very true. Let us be bold and face it, the world is
changing fast and we need heads that can transform our situation for
better not the usual politicians who think electing a president is just
another funfair.

The man only used the occasion to caution Ghanaians not to follow and vote for any
one just because they have the means to be aspiring.

Ghana
needs true leaders who have made it and can change the course of our
history and not that they have fought long enough to belong.

We
don't need people to occupy space and we also don't need people who feel
they are destined to be leaders and yet their minds and hearts are
stained with impunity.

We need leaders who will inspire the next
generation and not leaders who will follow in the failed tradition of
their forefathers.

Ghana needs leaders with great calibre necessary to bring about common sense
reforms that will serve as a catalyst for economic growth.

How
difficult is it to build roads, bridges, schools, railines, port etc.
This is what creates jobs. Why should we dump raw sewage in rivers and
streams in this 21st century?

The empty suits sees this differently, they will rather embezzle funds and engage in
unethical behaviour.

If you look at professor Frimpong Boateng and his distinguished service to the
health service of Ghana and the
country in general, there is no doubt that, he is a great leader. He
has unblemished track record and international exposure.

Professor
Frimpong Boateng has never had any corruption allegation levelled
against him in all his public life compared to the likes of Nana Akufo
Addo and Alan Kyeremanten.

Both Nana and Alan's camp are
shouting hoarse without stopping for a moment to realise that both of
them have been in positions of influence, yet there are kids on refuse
dumps in Ghana, looking for scraps!
We have chineese building our railways for us after 55 years of Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology.

We need someone to direct our knowledge in to action.

Unfortunately
the right people like Frimpong Boateng will not win the NPP leadership
contest due to the fact that he is the right person. The only genuine
candidate who can match President Mills with ideas is Frimpong Boateng
but I know the NPP will not listen.

Consider
Gnana's condition as a poor small economy and let's see who can inspire
us to get to a more dignified state of excellence. A dynamic
personality that has God and people at heart is the answer we need.
Professor Boateng has the qualities, but we are happy with President
Mills at this stage.

Kwame Pianim is just thinking outside the
box. This man is really a deep thinker and I like the way he goes about
things. Those NPP myopic thinkers who are taking the speech from
negative perspective are lacking what I call management skills in
knowledge.

The man wasn't wrong in saying that any idiot can
hold a flag! Besides, he didn't imply that all the other candidates
were idiots, so for the NPP to take his comment out of context is
unfortunate and depicts the calibre of people the NPP is made of.

Mr Pianim is right and
frank about what he is saying. He has proven that politics is now
beginning to take the right turn where truth will stand at the end of
the period.

Political power must not be sought for ones own sake, rather (power must be sought)
to effect change.

Let
us therefore not get engrossed with names or even which party must win
the next elections but rather which candidate would win the battle
against poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy, ethnocentrism, nepotism, environmental
degradation and squalor.

And
whiles at it, let us stop shielding the incompetent and
"inexperienced-experienced" party loyalists. The party loyalists sure
have their place; they must be honored and respected but not be pushed
to lead where they are not called.

Leadership is a calling and only the called can lead well.

Emmanuel Dela Coffie
emmanuelcoffie488@yahoo.com / www.delacoffie.wordprss.com