Betrothed to Vanity

In her book titled ‘The Hitler’s Gift’, Jean Medawar details one major effect of the Second World War on Germany—an effect it will take a very long time to recover from. A few decades before the war, Germany was an academic/research powerhouse, producing almost a third of all Nobel laureates. It turns out that most of the brains behind these successes were either Jewish, of Jewish decent, or against the war. In the run-up to the war, they all migrated and were warmly welcomed by the allies (UK, USA, France etc). These researchers/teachers went ahead to make new discoveries, formulate groundbreaking theories and win awards; and Germany is still struggling to recover from that lost glory. Hitler’s Germany exchanged its prowess and leadership in excellence for anti-Semitism.

But the allies learnt something important from this. Once the Einsteins, Krebbs, and Tellers started shinning and bringing dreams alive, the politicians realized the importance of attracting and encouraging the best brains to keep producing great ideas; the importance of training the appropriate youth to take over leadership. Ever wondered why America still attracts and trains the best brains all around the world? It is called reproduction. Any society that has a good reproductive mechanism for its leaders succeeds.

Leadership in Third World countries have been bashed and reproved severally both internally and externally. Well-meaning citizens in these countries have always wondered how we always end up with corrupt, backward and failed leaders. Maybe the problem is not with the leaders, the problem is with how they are selected and produced. What are the selection and reproductive mechanisms available in underdeveloped societies to produce leaders? Do we just allow the corrupt leaders to train their cohorts? After all, crabs begot crabs. Here are some examples:

A bank manager chooses the most morally-compromised subordinate, puts him in a position of leadership to aid and abate his corrupt practices and ensure that the subordinate in question is well positioned to take over from him when he is gone so his tracks get covered. A cycle is created that feeds that chain, resulting in excellence being sacrificed on the altar of compromised morality.

A school teacher picks a beautiful girl in the class, have an affair with her, and gets her access to examination questions. She does so well in class and goes on to college where she meets another immoral professor who exchanges grades for sex. She comes out with excellence and sells herself out to big government appointee for a position at a big company or even in government. Soon, she is an MP or a minister.

An SRC president of a big university buys a used school bus for a price more than what the original would cost. He graduates and does his national service in the office of the President of the nation. Next thing and he is a national executive of a major political party and before you know he is standing for election.

The director of a district education office refuses applications from qualified teachers who apply to his district just because they are more qualified than he is and have potential of rising to the top in no time.

Or the endemic pull-him-down syndrome which is very well known but generally untouched.

These are scenarios that depict how our leaders are produced in Ghana and the rest of the underdeveloped world. Amazingly, not just do they have nothing whatsoever to do with excellence, there is no room for excellence and ambition; rather, vicious cycle of rottenness has been created. Overtime, the psychology and expectation of the citizenry change to adapt to the leadership. The result is that quality leaders stay away or find refuge elsewhere. It is like ‘The Hitler’s Gift’, also known as ‘Brain Drain’.

I am convinced that we as a country need a serious youth policy. Not one that seeks to make political capital out of the youth, but one that makes a down-payment for quality leadership. Although the country is at a stage of total psychological dimness, it is possible to for once make a policy that attracts the best brains where they are needed before we lose everything.

Barnabas Otoo

o2barns@gmail.com