Forget Bawumia and embrace benevolence leadership over his slogan “it is possible”

With the upcoming general elections, it is crucial for the Ghanaian voter to evaluate former President John Mahama and Dr. Bawumia based on their track records, policies, and demonstrated commitment to a better Ghana. Looking at the two candidates, John Mahama embodies the qualities of benevolence and empathy. On the other hand, Dr Bawumia, for the past seven years, has no good track record to campaign on. Let me now bring your attention to campaign slogans. It is important to critically evaluate slogans that use biblical messages to see if those slogans aligned with their stated values. For example, President Nana Addo used the slogan “the battle is the lord’s”, his cousin Ken Ofori Atta refusing to go to the IMF made biblical references by citing how Caleb, Joshua, and Jesse had the courage to capture the promised land. Dr. Bawumia is following President Nana Addo by using a phrase from the gospel of Saint Mathew that reads “It is possible”.

The slogan "IT IS POSSIBLE" is being used by Dr. Bawumia to rally support from Ghanaians. This is once again a deceptive tactic. As mentioned earlier, both Dr. Bawumia and President Nana Addo used slogans derived from bible verses, for example, Matthew 19:26 and 1 Samuel 14:47 respectively, to give the impression that their policies were sanctioned by God. However, they often used these bible slogans to benefit their own interests and those of their friends and family. You do recall that initially Dr. Bawumia and his NPP administration blamed President Mahama for their mismanagement of the economy. However, as soon as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war occurred, they shifted the blame from President Mahama to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war. It is crucial for the Ghanaian voter to critically evaluate these biblical based slogans. When President Nana Addo used the slogan “the battle is the lord’s” he portrayed it as if his policies were sanctioned by God. We must evaluate Dr. Bawumia’s political rhetoric and actions, rather than blindly accepting his slogan "IT IS POSSIBLE".

We need genuine and benevolent leaders. Not charlatans and hypocrites whose government has been accompanied by poor leadership and corruption. As for those men of God who claim to predict election outcomes, they are nothing more but mere jokers. I doubt whether the presence of true men of God exist in Ghana. We must be careful about politicians who use biblical verses to gain support, especially if their actions do not align with the principles of benevolence and compassion. After all those biblical campaign slogans, one may ask what was the outcome? The reason why you should embrace benevolence leadership over the slogan “IT IS POSSIBLE” is that John Mahama embodies the qualities of benevolence and empathy.

Ebenezer Ato Ntarkurfah Jackson

Cornell University-Johnson School of Management

MBA Class of 2015