The steering of the affairs of the state is the most important business of any sovereign land. This is because the welfare of the people, which ought to be the primary objective of the state depends on how and who controls the affairs of the state.
For this very reason, any serious and responsible state must ensure that they have the best of people and the brightest of minds in such office(s) to take on the responsibilities that come with occupying these office(s). Governance is too serious a business that has to be left in the hands of competent, responsible and intelligent people to do and not just anybody simply because the person is popular or rich.
Sadly enough, Ghana is unable to attain development at the pace expected because of the quality of people we put in charge of the affairs of the state.
One of the problems Ghana is bedeviled with is that, money and popularity is given the right to attain a seat in the parliament. Parliament ought to be a place full of intelligent, responsible and competent people who are responsible for making laws for the state and adequately representing the various constituencies. These are huge responsibilities that have to be given to people who are capable of performing such responsibilities. For a moment just think about:
• The intentions behind vote buying
• Paying to serve
• Perpetuating havoc to win an election
Who on earth pays to serve? One rather has to serve and get paid and not the other way round.
Those who pay to serve or manipulate the electoral processes to occupy positions are people who go to the offices to serve their own interest and advance their own course and will do anything possible to keep power. Such individuals do not see the welfare of the citizens as the primary objective of the state.
The first type of a corrupt leader is one who manipulate the selection process to his or her favor, so anytime any candidate gives anyone money to vote for him or her, the person is subconsciously telling you what his or her character is. Such a person is corrupt and ready to perpetuate evil to win elections. So if such a person becomes your leader then the possible outcomes are highly detrimental and predictable because there is conflict of interest in that equation.
Another problem emerging rapidly is that, the rise of “the new class of professional politicians” is staggeringly becoming an existential threat and weakening our societies mostly to the detriment of the youth.
The blind recruitment of unskilled young men and women into politics aiming solely at attaining political power without an iota of competence of any sort in any field of productivity has gradually become a chronic disease deeply eating into the fiber of our society and will surely pay bitterly for it if we have not started paying already.
The effect of such abnormality becomes the entrenchment of people with political power who have not accomplished anything substantial and impactful in their lives before. This unfortunate situation put politicians who are nowhere close to be called leaders in leadership positions performing abysmally and catastrophically. Such people do not truly know what being responsible is, and what it means to have civic responsibilities.
The same error plays out flat-out fantastic in executive appointments. People get appointed to occupy executive offices purely to the neglect of competence as a metric of measuring one’s capability and rely on political affiliations alone. Hence the naked consequences is the poor performance of various sector ministries and stat- owned enterprises we have been seeing over the years under various administrations.
Building our social hierarchy based on power and not competence is what makes the entire hierarchy corrupt. This absurdity has resulted in building a morally bankrupt political system as a legacy for the youth who are supposed to be the future leaders.
Clearly, one of the evidences of a morally bankrupt political system in Ghana is the inflammatory language of political leaders and the rampant abuse of constitutional privileges.
Certainly, it has become clear that political parties have turned into elections machines and seek to stultify and undermine our democracy as a nation on purpose to enable them do as they wish and go scot- free. These acts of political, social and economic exploitation in turn, eat away the future of the youth and set egregious precedence for posterity. And it looks like these leaders do not care at all !!!
The economic, social, and political outlook of the state reflects the minds and character of the people in charge of running the affairs of the state. This purely plays out the technocratic saying that goes like “garbage in garbage out”
But the good aspect is that there is a solution to this menace.
I will say, metaphorically for the time being even though not entirely metaphoric that, the people of Ghana have two options in an attempt to solve this problem.
The first option is for the people to be on their knees and beg for a change no matter how radical it may appear for the ultimate good of all, and the second option is for the people to stand up straight on their feet to demand and affect effectively the change needed for the betterment of everyone.
However, I do not think and will not suggest that the former is the best bet. I do not think the Ghanaian populace should be on their knees begging, they should rather stand up straight on their feet and demand for Change, Accountability, Responsibility, and Patriotism on the part of their leaders.
This is the only way to our salvation as a sovereign state.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
