Vice President of Policy Thinktank IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil has indicated that it’s about time the country gets real leaders and fighters who will manage the economy well and make things better for its citizens.
Giving details of who a true leader is and how to recognise one, Mr. Bentil in a Facebook post stated that “Leadership is about fighting, about pushing boundaries to make things better... it’s not about leaving things alone and letting things find their level! If you see true leadership you will recognise it! And if you see NON-Leadership, you will recognise it. One of them makes every effort, win or lose, they fight!! The other throws up their arms and says ‘thats how things are’ let them find their own level, im not to blame... Ghana needs real leaders...fighters!!!”
His comment follows President Akufo-Addo’s speech at the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Bar Conference in Takoradi on Monday. The President, among other things, said it’s not his job to convict any person accused of wrongdoing or engaging in acts of corruption, his mandate instead, he said, is to refer the cases to appropriate bodies for investigations and subsequent punishment.
The President further accused his political opponents of orchestrating methods to tag his administration as corrupt and make him look bad in the eyes of Ghanaians.
“It is not my job to clear or convict any person accused of wrongdoing or of engaging in acts of corruption. My job is to act on allegations of corruption by referring the issue or issues to the proper investigative agencies for the relevant enquiry and necessary action. That is exactly what has been done since I assumed the mantle of leadership on 7th January, 2017,” he said.
Meanwhile, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party and a former Director of the Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who wasn’t pleased with Mr Bentil’s comment on Facebook reacted to the post questioning, “As a lawyer yourself, am I to understand that what you are saying is that the President should charge the institutions of state to find fault when they say there is none?"
Kofi Bentil, in response to Gabby’s question, also made it clear saying, “I decided to leave the issue at a conceptual level for many reasons in order to avoid questions like yours. Of course there’s no point proceeding on that path. That said we all want to see leaders and their teams fight for the common good. If that’s happening or not we will know. It’s not good when there’s a clear feeling that we are not fighting”.
Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa