In less than a week, members of the opposition New Patriotic Party will be offered the privilege to elect their flag bearer for the 2012 presidential elections. As the moment of truth is beckoning, most members of the party have already made up their minds about where their votes are going. Obviously, there might be some of the electorates who are still thinking about whom among the aspirants they should vote for.

For me and a lot of Ghanaians, the direction of the vote is obvious, and very little could be done to disorient the thoughts of the voters. But we should not forget that the majority is not always right, but in this situation they could be right. When it comes to elections, especially in developing countries—where there are high rates of poverty and illiteracy, elections are won by other means. I hope you can figure.

I must also state that all the 5 presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party are qualified and competent enough to lead the country. They are distinguished persons, and have the faculty of transforming the fortunes of the country. The fact that they are all capable does not mean that they will all make for a good president. The fact that somebody is intelligent or capable does not mean that he or she will succeed in a chosen career or field.

It is possible that all the five presidential hopefuls could make for great leaders in given fields, but not necessarily great presidents. That is the main reason why members, particularly voters of the NPP at the August 7 elections should beware the person they are going to choose to lead the party, and possibly the country. If I were a delegate, my vote would go to the person who possesses the under listed qualities: vision for the nation, commitment to the rule of law, commitment to the party, and unifier.

Vision for the nation: The electorates should ask themselves the question: Where they would like the nation to be after the mandate of their choice had expired if he became the president of the country? A thorough understanding of this teaser will suffer them to make an informed choice and not to waste their vote and impair the future of the nation. The person who is most qualified to lead the party should be able to tell us in concrete and realistic terms what he intends to achieve for the country.

The voters should be able to see the good future of Ghana in the eyes of this person. I mean a vision that will put Ghana one step away from our current situation and towards an improved economy. The one who will introduce programs to make our schools better, put in measures to expand the economy, introduce interventions to increase the average life span of the citizenry, come out with plans to diversify the economy, initiate mechanisms to improve the environment, etc. We do not want a president who is stuck; neither do we want one who does not have foresight. In a nut shell, we need a visionary leader. The visionary leader sees impossibility and works to make it possible. He knows, like JFK, that going to the moon was a steep slope, but realizable. He does something that becomes a reference point to posterity.

Commitment to the rule law: The flag bearer should be able to instill discipline in the country. The rule of law should be made to thrive. Arbitrary and wanton arrests should be frowned upon by this elected leader. Freedom of speech and the press should be practiced and upheld. The rule of law should be the catalyst to our development and progress.

Commitment to the party: The next leader of the NPP should have demonstrated without any shred of doubt that, but for the country, his allegiance is to the party. This individual should have the ability to unite, strengthen, and make the party formidable. Since there can never be a government without a political party, this person should never do anything that could potentially derail the wheel of progress of the party. The interest of the party should transcend his unsacrificing desires and expectations.

Unifier: The nominated person for the presidency must be a unifier; he should be able to bring the whole nation together. There should not be any artificial wedge created between people who belong to different political camps through his actions or inactions. He should endeavor to foster the unity of the country at all times. Some leaders, because of political power relegate the unity of the country to the background—which I think is anti progress and devilish. Regardless of our political orientations, we should always not forget that we are one people with a common destiny, hope, and aspirations.

Does your preferred candidate fall into this description? Then go for him; he is the person that Ghana has been waiting for all these years. God bless Ghana!!
Source: Kingsley Nyarko, PhD, Educational Psychologist, Accra (kingpong73@yahoo.com)