Editorial: Challenges for the new Leadership in Toronto

At long last, the much-awaited elections for new leadership in the Ghanaian community in Toronto have been conducted and concluded peacefully. First was the election of the new Executive of the Ghanaian Association of Ontario which was followed by the election of a new traditional leadership of the Asanteman Association of Toronto.

We have decided to devote our Editorial opinion this month to these two elections for obvious reasons: First was the leadership vacuum that had been created in the Ghanaian community in Toronto over the past couple of years. For at least two years now, there was virtually no coordinating leadership in the general Ghanaian community in Toronto. What was left of the old executive that had outlived its usefulness and was more or less totally incapacitated, had no direction. They continued to stall and resisted all attempts to organize elections to replace them. The community can therefore heave a sigh of relief that at long last a process for elections for some leadership has been concluded. A “new” executive committee has been elected.

WE of The Ghanaian News, however, wish to sound a note of caution. We wish to place on record and remind the community that the President of the “new” Executive Committee has been part of a previous equally inept leadership that was in place some five or six years ago. That leadership held some promise from the beginning of its mandate but lost its focus along the line and at some point up to the end of its mandate became almost dysfunctional like the one that has just left office. Much as we wish the new executive headed by its “new” President well, we wish to challenge them to show fresh thinking, propose fresh ideas and provide new and effective leadership. The expectations the community holds for the “new” leadership is one that should be seen as totally different in all respects from the last two leaderships of which the head of the “new” executive played a leading role. Gone should be the days of experimentation and procrastination. The Ghanaian community in Toronto expects and demands nothing closer to ineptitude, arrogance and decisions and actions shrowded in secrecy. Transparency should be the watchword. It must be drummed clearly into their ears that they hold office at the discretion of the community. We will and shall be watching their every move. That is our sacred duty as the mouthpiece of the community and we shall not fail.

The next refreshing news is that of the election of new traditional leadership for the Asanteman Association of Toronto. This is an organization and community that has been bedevilled over the years by bitter inter-necine wars, infighting and constant bickering. Being the largest grouping of Ghanaian ethnic groups in Toronto, as in many other cities around the world, the Asanteman’s constant and predictable internal fights have always spilled into the larger community. They have carried these bitter internal fights to childish and sometimes dangerous levels where they have sough to destroy each other through the use of public humiliation of their opponents.

We are glad that sanity now seems to have prevailed in the Asanteman community culminating in peaceful elections of new leadership, a process we have not seen for a long time. Now is the time for the new Asante leadership to display the maturity with which they conducted the last elections for leaders. We salute them but caution them that we shall also be watching and monitoring their activities. They owe themselves and the community a respite for peace. A word to the wise.....they say is only enough!!!