President Roosevelt Franklin (Former US President) once said “I have come to a conclusion that in life not all men have wisdom, not all men have knowledge, not all men have eyes to see though they are not blind’’.
To link the above statement to a recent one by President Kufour when he confidently boasted of his government’s achievements, then clearly the President is right. For in politics when there are many political parties anxiously trying to form the next government, they will deliberately close their eyes on the achievements of a party in power. On the same stand, it will be naïve to claim that the Kufour government had not made errors. Certainly as a human institution they have made mistakes that is why it is incumbent on the next government to aspire to avoid the avoidable mistakes.
Equally essential is to re-echo an assertion made by Hon. O. B. Amoah when he emphasised that the path taken by President Kufour will be hard to follow and since it has become clear that the NPP leadership race has unofficially moved into full swing, to put it bluntly, the various personalities vying for the NPP ticket are unstoppable.
A reported news of ‘a locked’ explosive campaign strategy by Vice President Aliu, Hon Alan Kyerematen’s alleged lavish campaign train, a flair campaign tactics by Hon. Nana Akuffo Addo’s team, a well coordinated campaign message by Hon. Osafo Marfo, Mr. Dan Botwe, alias ‘General,’ causing shock waves in the constituencies, etc. is an indication that the choice will be a close call.
In my last article I strongly stressed the need for the NPP to have a person who will be able to unite all the NPP family and the Nation. Timely, Dr. Kofi Apraaku reiterated my message when he met a group of NPP supporters in the Ashanti Region.
One thing which is very significant, is that the sound foundation laid by the Gentle Giant Kufour is going to blossom under a new leadership from 2009.This conviction of a new and a refreshing impetus from 2009 is not based on political lenses but sound economic and social indicators that are emerging. Arguably, on the platform on which all these can materialise urgently demanded that the NPP Delegates elect a person who has the qualities of a team player.
A researcher for the Germany Christian Democratic Union was recently quoted as saying that a “government must be run as a team, disorganise your team and no economic blueprint can change the economies of a Nation’’
In comparing Ghana to other African countries-with almost similar resources like ours- then gladly the country had not done badly. But what is fearful is the unpredictable nature of global developments. These developments have put extra burden on developing countries to plan ahead than the status quo of political expediency where because of votes; sound economic and social policies are abandoned in order to please the electorates. Modern thinking had clearly banished an experimental policies of government and no government should ever attempt that venture but rather pursue vigorously policies that ultimately will benefit the country.
Ghana is seriously fighting a severe battle on both economic, social and security front and these are what threaten the country. When our economic policies are geared towards addressing current and future expectations, then Ghanaians will be free to live a good social lives that will be translated into moral values.
The fight against terror and building bridges with our foreign neighbours and destroying the emerging indispline in society are all issues that need to be addressed. Supremely, it is evident that global thinking is increasingly making it impossible for a single President to surmount all the difficulties facing his country. It therefore calls for a person whose persona clearly demonstrates a good team player. A person who will command the respect and confidence of his Ministers, Party Officials, the Security Personnel and Ghanaians as a whole.
There are reported cases all over the world where Presidents have vision to push his/her country forward but a lack of team spirit from Ministers have derailed well-packaged policies. A disorganised cabinet or a President who lacks the respect from other Ministers will invariably stall many good governmental policies and frequent resignations are all but signs of a divided government. Ghana cannot afford to have a government that frequently experiences in fighting, that is why the need to have an individual who will be able to bring all his Ministers together as one body and as a team is non-negotiable.
It is based on this argument of having a united team in government that the NPP Delegates should continue to think about the candidate among the numerous Presidential hopefuls whose attitude had shown the ability to be a good Team Player and likely to have the fullest support from his Ministers.
Administering a country is a very tough task that need a President who can have the confidence and support from his entire Ministers otherwise it will crumble in no time.
I strongly believe that when it comes to a Good Team Player age does not matter. Hence the age group of messrs Dan Botwe, Kwabina Agyepong etc could be a good Team Player if they have the right strategies, equally worth mentioning, is that the age category of Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Osafo Marfo etc should never be a barrier. To sum up, Youthfulness or adult maturity is both irrelevant.
The NPP Delegates should consider the merit of a leader who will be able to assemble the best human resources available at his disposal and also being able to give individuals the chance to table their agenda for their respective Ministries and how to achieve results. One of the most admirable characteristics of a Team Player is the Servant leadership style, empowering and encouraging others to function instead of merely using them to fulfil his own objectives, which invariably destroys Teamwork.
A leader who aspires to be a Good Team Player has a listening ability and ever prepared to give his Ministers the chance to demonstrate their expertise. His ability to always consult his Ministers and establishing a small study group that will advice him on the way forward are his hallmarks. One major deficiency in the Ghanaian Politics is the absence of think tanks that have the analytical means necessary to mould our will, knowledge and institutions into a policy paradigm that allows us to obtain success. Has any of the prospective candidates of the NPP any idea of how to do things differently?
A Good Team Player does not cause division in his government by a ‘bazooka leadership’ style; if he does his cabinet colleagues are going to ultimately sabotage his leadership. It is worthy of note that almost 90% of the personalities vying for the NPP Presidential ticket cannot be described as having a’ bazooka’ type leadership.
Another sticking point that always astonished me is when I hear some Ghanaians equate a good President to the one whose speeches and actions are seen as ‘Action Man’. They argue, ‘this man will never give a damn to any foolish element in our society.’ Painfully, some people have criticized President Kufour for his slowness to act and his extreme calmness. We want action, they lament. They confess that after President Kufour, the NPP dared not elect a person in a similar character as President Kufour. They argue, if President Kufour was an “action man’’ the armed robbers terrorising Ghanaians could have gone into hiding. They also allude that the ‘stubbornness’ of the Ghanaian needs an ‘ACTION MAN’. That is their opinion and am not prepared to fight them but one thing they have forgotten is that there are many past and present Heads Of State who have turned their respective countries economies around with their sober and calm attitude and this includes President Kufour.
Seriously, I cannot comprehend the wisdom in their argument and frankly their assessment of President Kufour’s attitude is completely frivolous. In a democratic dispensation, you do not expect a President to be going around chasing armed robbers or instructing the Courts or Judges on how to deal with armed robbers, if he does we will turn round and condemn him as a dictator. The pace at which the Courts handle armed robbery and other criminal cases is unfortunately the price we pay for a constitutional rule-very slow. I have on many occasions challenged these people to cite situations where the President should have showed ‘actions’ that he did not and they replied; he should have sack Dr. Richard Anane long time, Become a President and keep on sacking your Ministers on mere newspapers allegations, your government will never survive. What I think every sensible President should do which I think in the Dr. Richard’s case the President did, is to set up an investigation team and when there is a case to be answered, you hand him/her to the constitutional bodies to deal with the matter. Frankly, but for President Kufour perceived calmness Ghana wouldn’t have enjoyed the peace and the developments we are currently enjoying. I must boast regardless of the few negatives of the Kufour Administration, he is the right man at the right time. Again if all Ministers were working as a team, there wouldn’t be any need to single out the President as ‘a show man’. Or ‘not a showman’
A Team Player who will be able to skipper his ministers to achieve results for the country and resolve that the destiny of Ghanaians are in their hands. Can any of the names mentioned be able to establish a ‘think tank’ that in consultation with Ministers push this country into another level?
Which of the names mentioned when they become a President can delegate governmental function to a Minister, for the Minister to sheepishly (humbly) oblige?
Truly all the multi-candidates vying for the NPP ticket are good materials, they are all talented in their respective fields; Vice President Aliu Mahama calculated speeches and appearance; Hon. Nana Addo’s flair in the English language; Hon. Alan Kyerematen’s ‘baby’ face; Hon. Osafo Marfo pragmatism; Dan Botwe the ‘foot soldiers’ man, truly the race is not over until it is over. But what seriously can distinguish them is the one who has demonstrated the ability to be a Team Player whose colleagues will willingly implement his instructions without dissent.
A Team Player has a motivating attitude who will stand and encourage his Ministers to pursue policies which they sincerely believe can transform the fortune of the country. Many good policies had been abandoned in the past when Ministers faced hostile reactions from a cross section of Ghanaians. A good Team Player is the one who will encourage his Ministers to take the toughest decisions that can propel Ghana into an acceptable level.
As the NPP Delegates meet all the respected personalities in their constituencies, one unique factor for them to look out for is an individual who will not be a ‘show man’ but working as part of a team and never taking the credit solely for the government’s achievements. A person who has demonstrated over the years that he will not bully his cabinet colleagues to succumb to his actions. A Good Team Player who will be able to imbue into his Ministers the need to keep Cabinet strategies secret.
Had Ghanaians being fully conscientious and political matured, it wouldn’t have mattered whether that individual is from the North, an Ashanti, a Ga, an Akan or Voltarian or even a brother to President Kufour. What could be a good thing is to have a person who will be able to have a Team of achievers and a team of Ministers whose priority will be on how to drive Ghanaians to a little bit of the comfort zone and soothe our woes.
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