"At long last, the battle has ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!"
These were the exact words of the hero who fought to liberate Ghana from our colonial masters. 58 years after this liberating speech, one would have expected that Ghanaians would by now be feeling the 'liberating breeze' in the country. But is that the case now? Your guess is as good as mine.
The first president of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah left behind a demonstrable piece of leadership 'Medal' that was meant to be inherited and passed on from one sitting president to the other in an attempt to serve the people and place the interest of Ghanaians above everything. I refer to this 'Medal' as the "Ultimate Responsibility". The 'Medal' is now around the neck of President John Dramani Mahama who took office as president on 24th July 2012, following the death of his predecessor, H.E John Evans Atta Mills.
In his desperate bid to keep hold of Presidency at the time, President John Dramani Mahama in the 2012 electoral year, made numerous promises to the people of Ghana, assuring us of better living conditions, creating jobs, resolving the power crisis to mention just a few. His outlined promises did give Ghanaians a yardstick to measure his competence level and based on his own promises, it is evident that he has failed as a president. His administration has recorded the worse power crisis yet to come in the history of Ghana. President Mahama's administration has failed at serving the interest of Ghanaians.
Providentially, Ghanaians can heave a sigh of relief because fortunately Ghana is practicing a multi-party system, which allows multiple political parties across the political spectrum to run for national elections, and all have a similar or equal chance of gaining control of government offices, separately or in coalition government. Now, the two next major political parties that remain the hope of Ghanaians to recover its lost glory happen to be the New Patriotic Party and Progressive People's Party.
Having recorded 47% in the last electoral year, the NPP must surely see itself as the next political party that Ghanaians are likely to resort to and for that reason is behaving like an 'overly-pampered' child. The internal wrangling, cacophony and violence spewed by the NPP is an open secret. The state of the NPP now in Ghana can be likened to, and I repeat, an 'overly-pampered' child who happened to be the only child until a second child was born, but who still craves for all the attention because that is what the child had hitherto received.
Perhaps the NPP feel they already have about 47% votes stored in a bank for them so with the incompetence exhibited by President Mahama, it will surely be a one touch one victory for them.
Hmmmmm!!! Very Interesting. Not so fast, the NPP can't forget the 'second child' in the story above; the PPP in this context.
The PPP though not very old, is the third most Influential political force in Ghana, with credible leaders like Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom. No need to doubt my claim, it is a fact.
Let us place Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, President Mahama and Nana Akuffo Addo, on the same continuum. All 3 aspiring Presidential candidates have been members of Parliament and Ministers of State but Dr. Nduom was the only one who was unanimously accepted and elected by the people as an Assembly Member which gives him a better appreciation of the need for grassroots democracy and development.
Dr. Nduom has done more in the private sector on his own to create jobs and promote made-in-Ghana goods and services in a practical manner better than any of them. For instance, the last time I visited Ghana, I lodged in one of Nduom's hotels called Coconut Grove Regency hotels in Accra. The information I gathered and confirmed from the staff was that they do not serve anything imported. This is what we call leadership by example. He has continuously invested in our local market contributing to our agricultural sector. With Job creation, he has created over 50 companies with several employees, decreasing the percentage of unemployment in the country.
If what Ghana needs are solutions to the economic, private sector and energy challenges, he is better qualified by education and experience than what either Prez Mahama or Nana Akuffo Addo combined can deliver. He has made a personal commitment against corruption by making public his income tax returns and asset declarations. He is committed to using the best talent that Ghana has to ensure rapid development.
Don't we, as Ghanaians deserve to enjoy at least the freedom and liberty Dr. Nkrumah fought so hard for? Wouldn't it be right to at least have a feel of 'comfortability' in our own land? So what are we waiting for? It is not too late to enjoy what Ghana is naturally endowed with. What we need is a "Joshua" to lead Ghanaians to the promise land. Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom is the "Joshua" we need.
Would you contribute to making this a reality? The power is in your vote. Make the right choice. (END OF PART I)
By: Ruth Appiah Osei
University of Nordland, Norway
Email: [email protected]
Date: 14th January 2016