Ghana's Great Gamble

"In blunt terms, we have lost the battle for economic revival even before we cast the first ballot. We are in a very depressing economic manhole.The more elections we have, the more retrogressive our progress."

Whether we like it or not (and l don't like it one bit), John Mahama or Mahamudu Bawumia will be inaugurated president of Ghana on January 7th 2025. It is an irreversible conclusion and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

But which one of them is the lesser of two evils? Who is likely to be more sympathetic to the poor, fight the cancer of corruption, stabilise the cedi, resist cronyism, liberate the poor from depressing taxes, desist from spending obscene amounts of cash on the Black Stars, creat jobs for our despondent youth, save our hospitals from collapse, and ensure that no hard-working Ghanaian goes to bed hungry?

You know the answer, don't you? Well, neither JM nor MB or any other such abbreviated politician trumpeting his abilities on radio or tv has what it takes to rescue this country from our economic mess.

Ghana needs a leader with the vision of Nkrumah, the drive and power of JJ, the humility of Professor Mills and the gentility of Kuffuor to lead us into greatness.

In other words, we need a bold, pragmatic, unselfish, inspirational leader with the DNA of greatness, the aunction and the mind of God to galvanise our politico-economic resurgence.

These are two venerable gentlemen by all standards.But in leadership terms, they are average leaders. At this critical period in our nationhood, average talent would only frustrate us further and continue the merry-go-round of trial and error. Neither Mahama nor Bawumia has the mentality to revolutionise Ghana with big things.

JM is a dead goat while MB is a loquacious cheer leader. Give me one country whose economy has been transformed by a dead goat or an idealistic talking magician who doesn't walk his talk!

My optimsm for Ghana's future as far as these current crop of leaders is concerned is below average. Which means that our expectations of either of these gentlemen require a massive haircut, in fairness to their natural abilities and the hollow economy they are both fighting to inherit.

In blunt terms, we have lost the battle for economic revival even before we cast the first ballot. We are in a very depressing economic manhole.The more elections we have, the more retrogressive our progress.

And yet, these two respectables, despite all their disadvantages, have already commenced the usual pre- election firefight with promises and counter promises on a fiery scale.

JM will introduce a 24 hour economy. BM will model a blue economy and anyone with a Ghana card can take a car loan to boost the economy. Jesus Christ! I told you we lost the battle even before we started.

While other nations are talking about space technology, nuclear industrialisation, medical astronomy, single cell diagnostics, and many more of such tantalising innovations that push the boundaries of possibilities, our best brains are dreaming of Ghana card car loans and 24 hour economy when we have no idea how to maximise 8 hours! Great small minds indeed!

And now, we are putting a political strategy in place to officialize public waste and mediocrity! And this at a time our public debt is 667 billion cedis!

Whether it is JM or MB, lonely Alan or even a combination of all these resources in one unity government, the value would remain the same. Nothing will change. Not even with faith that is bigger than a mustard seed.

Have you noticed that we keep jumping from frying pan to fire with every new government? Every new election deepens our domestic hardship and makes the previous one look like paradise.

By all means, let us campaign and let's have an interesting policy debate even if it is just a big joke. Ultimately though, all the political mumbo jumbo is much ado about nothing, like Akufo Addo's "one village one dam" hot air!

There is more suffering ahead.