Ghanaians In The Quest For The (Savior ) President In 2016 Election

I just got myself a new phone. It cost me almost a fortune. I have been forced to acquire this phone because somehow I couldn't bare myself in ' an incommunicado' state anymore after my young boys mischievously made sure my two year old phone would not respond to any command. Even though I am excited about this new toy of mine, I am worried about the persistent worsening economic conditions of the masses in this country . It does look like nothing would ever happen to bring some respite for anybody in this country. I don't care about what anybody would say. This country is not making any progress: nothing is happening.

And just like any Ghanaian who is honestly or pretentiously seeking for that leader who would come to lead the country into making real progress, I am tempted to be in high hopes for this election. But sometimes I ask myself whether all these calls to prayers and fasting for that anointed leader each election year is not just an exercise in futility .

Because even as we call on the supreme being to direct us in our choice of leaders in each election, we would go to the polls in our partisan best; we would go to the post with our ethnic and religious biases; we would go to the polls as people who would buy and sell our votes; we would go to the polls in our unpatriotic selves. But in all these frailties, we always have hope that God would find a way to make his Choice for us. And as in our case, it doesn't matter whether a section of the populace would cry a stolen verdict or not after the election , some of us would go on the street dancing and singing that the elected leader is God's own choice for us. Soon, we would realize that that was another false hope exercised by us.

It is like a vicious cycle. For almost sixty years after independence, we still hear each elected leader singing its own high praise that it has laid the foundation for the country's economic take off. The current president is seeking reelection singing the same tune. It has taken us sixty years just deciding how to dig the foundation of this country. As at now, I cannot bet my last cedi on the idea that this would be the last foundation that would ever be dug for this country's by an elected leader.

It does look like there is something we cannot get about in respect of our aspirations and desires for this country. I am beginning to think whether or not there is a way to halt this cycle of false hopes that our elected leaders always leave us with. I am beginning to question whether the answer to our societal aspirations truly lies in finding that leader.

The people of Israel came to their prophetic leader Samuel to demand their own King as all other nations had . They had believed that having their own King as other nations had would ensure that they would be better protected from their enemies than they had been before ; their own earthly leaders would serve better in leading them to achieve their aspirations as a young nation. Even when God had warned them that their own earthly kings wouldn't act to serve their interests, the people insisted they wanted their king.

God gave in to the nation's demand and gave the young nation Israel a first king in the person of Saul. Just as was predicted by God, kings after kings could not meet the people's aspiration. They couldn't even protect the people against their enemies; least leading the people to achieve statehood. Scandals upon scandals were associated with the leadership group. Whilst the people were at war battling their enemies, the army commander -the King himself -was at home sleeping with a young solder's wife. Even Solomon who was tauted as most wise king was not better. He came with a gargantuan plan to build a temple for God who had been a fortress for the people all these years. Any time the people had sought for help when their earthly leaders couldn't protect them from their enemies, God had intervened. So the people thought it was fit to build a temple for God. If he God was given a dwelling place among the people, he would be quick to come to their aid when the need arose.

For twenty years the people had laboured to build the temple. They had cracked stones; they had fetched stones, sand and water just to build a temple for God. It was a good plan by the king. The people went through the unending difficulty to finish the temple. The least the people expected from their king(president) was to lead them to give reverence to the place they had bled to build for God .

Before the people could say Jack, Solomon had abandoned temple prayers. He was more interested in worshipping at the shrines of the gods of his numerous concubines. It is not today that leaders started disappointing their followers. That is why you shouldn't be surprised that the president would go against all common sense to release the 'Montie 3' in spite of what anybody would say. Leaders do not always act to the expectations of the people. They can act in the most uncommon manner.

The people of primitive Israel never had the leader they had desired until Jesus arrived on the scene. Even when Jesus had arrived, the people were in dire need of a leader especially when they were under the Roman colonial rule. They had wished Jesus would serve as the earthly leader they desired. But Jesus had told them what they couldn't understand. He told them about the change of heart of the individual. That the problem was not about finding a leader to lead the liberation of the people. But the call was to ask the people to have a change of hearts. That the people must pursue a new path.

Think about it. If we here would be honest in our body politics; if we would be guided by truth in our electioneering process; if we wouldn't be tribalistic; if politicians were to be truthful and honest even as they seek our votes; May be, we would in the end be able to vote into the right places men of integrity to see to the affairs of the state. Men who would always act in our general interest . We would not have leaders who would go and steal our monies in state coffers; such people wouldn't find a place in our governance system. These vile men who would offer our young women for a night what they offer their fathers for a month's pay in the public service.

As at now, our leaders have no clue about how to get this country back on track . The president at the moment is following suit to give our state enterprise to foreigners for pittance. Close to four hundred of such had been sold off by past governments to foreign interest.

These are difficult matters. In this election, I am tempted not to worry myself about whether it is the elephant or the umbrella that would win the election. Don't get me wrong. I am not pessimist. I just want to protect myself against getting disappointed again. I just hope we will one day find that significant leader. I hope he would appear soon. I hope we would not be back into our past colonized state when he appears.

For now, I will pause here and relish this moment with my new Infinix Hot Note that cost me a fortune to buy. PAUL ZOWONU - ACCRA