Political leadership in Ghana – Are the motives of our political actors driven by self or service?
The route to political positions in Ghana has become too expensive, risky and unnecessarily acrimonious. Elective political positions such as Presidential, Parliamentary, Municipal and District Chief Executives among others have been highly competitive activities associated with acrimony with very high financial outlays.
Undoubtedly, some level of financial expenditure associated with political campaigns are within reasonable limits of acceptance in all societies, but the increasing financial demands associated with elections of our political leaders is becoming worrying.
It has become common knowledge in our Ghanaian political orientation that every financial expenditure to gain political position is worth the sacrifice because of the economic gains associated with holding political office.
There is a deep-seated mentality of our people regarding the perks of political office. The psyche of our people is that even if one makes an extreme human and financial sacrifice to gain political power, the economic gains associated with political leadership makes it a worthwhile investment.23
Whilst financial resources are necessary in meeting the genuine cost of organisational work required for a political aspirant to interact with the mass of his people to understand his/her vision in order to meet their aspirations, the current situation is becoming a commercial transaction between a political leader and his/her constituents.
Political leadership is regarded as a highly respected position preserved for honest people with very high sense of responsibilities and integrity. Political leaders are expected to be multi-skilled visionary people with multiple human management skills, excellent communication skills, strategic thinking abilities, compassion, empathy, courage and conviction, among others.
They are people who practise leadership by example through demonstrating accountability, transparency and responsibility to make informed and timely decisions.
Political leaders should be strategic thinkers who are very honest in accepting their mistakes and take a cue from them without giving excuses. Political leaders are futuristic thinkers who plan for today’s generation with future generations in mind.
Effective political leadership requires a unique combination of skills, traits, and authentic qualities of honesty and their main motivation is to make extreme sacrifice to serve the people who have entrusted them with the privilege of leadership.
In summary, the important question is whether or not a political leader is motivated by SELF or SERVICE?
The important questions of whether a political leader is someone who is futuristic and plans for current generation with future generations in mind and whether he/she is motivated by SERVICE to his people and the nation or he/she is motivated by SELF are important questions that people should address before placing absolute trust in their political leaders.
Unfortunately, our electorate place emphasis on commitment to political parties and which political aspirant would dole out monies and freebies without considering the important issues of the character traits, social skills, integrity and motivation of the political aspirants.
So the tension and acrimony which are associated with the election of our political leaders which sometimes degenerate into violent conflicts become diversionary issues which prevent the electorate from adequately assessing the competencies, integrity and motivation of political aspirants.
The time is ripe for the Ghanaian electorate to appreciate that it is only in an environment of peaceful elections that they can be able to assess whether the political aspirants are motivated by the desire to provide honest and selfless leadership to the people of this country. A genuine political leader gives out more than what he/she would expect to gain through the selfless leadership he/she provides.
A political leader must always think about leaving a lasting legacy for which he/she would be remembered for and not the wealth and properties he/she would acquire for himself /herself during his/her period of tenure of office.
An excerpt of the eulogy for the late President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States who died on December 29, 2024 stated inter alia:
“President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States of America was a trail blazing politician and humanitarian. He established the Carter Center, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering . He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts. Throughout his life, Carter has been known for his commitment to public service, his strong Christian faith, and his dedication to human rights. He continued to be an active voice in global affairs, even in his post presidency.”
The late President Jimmy Carter is an example of a political leader and a statesman whose legacy as a political leader would transcend generations. The story of selfless intergenerational political leaders like the late President Jimmy Carter should be a guiding post to direct our political leaders to strive to become leaders who would be remembered as being motivated by dedicated service to humanity and not self aggrandisement.
BY DANIEL OWUSU – KORANTENG
