LETTER TO KWASI PRATT: A third-term bid for transformational leaders like John Mahama is a necessary evil

Uncle Kwasi Pratt is one of the treasure chests of outstanding journalism in modern Ghana. His impressive erudition about the politics of Ghana knew no bounds. He not only stands for a puritanical PanAfricanism but also an ardent critic of colonization with its concomitant peripheral capitalism. Pratt has no fondness for metaphysical nonsense and absurdity about so-called prophesies. Colonialism, imperialism, and neo-colonial postures are sources of discomfiture and consternation to Kwasi Pratt. It therefore appears superfluous and places the writer on a satirical spoof to critique an opinion piece Mr. Pratt shares with the media. Nonetheless, the writer disagrees with Kwasi Pratt. “The point they make is that President John Dramani Mahama is the only one among the 32 million people of Ghana who has leadership qualities,” ghanaweb August 25, 2025.

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Although I disagree with Mr. John Dramani Mahama (JDM) on certain issues, such as a proposal to build a new capital in the Greater Accra Region, the president has transitioned to a transformational leader. The idea of Ghana’s new capital is long overdue, but it should not be sited in the Greater Accra Region. Bono East Region must be the ideal location for such a new capital.

Iain Hay defined transformational leadership as that which: “… facilitates a redefinition of a people’s mission and vision, a renewal of their commitment and the restructuring of their systems for goal accomplishment. It is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents. Hence, transformational leadership must be grounded in moral foundations.” Effective leaders have a conviction that they are 'on show, ' meaning such leaders picture themselves as being on the stage. They understand they are being watched and leverage their visibility by playing to their audience. Transformational leaders nurture a mass following for themselves due to their good works.

Transformational leaders require more years to usher an economy near its intended climax. For instance, Lee Kuan Yew used 31 solid years (1959 to 1990) to transform Singapore. Mahathir Mohamad was the Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 (22 years) and from 2018 to 2020 (2 years) for a cumulative total of 24 years. Benjamin Netanyahu remains the longest-serving prime minister of Israel, spanning over 17 years, from 1996 to 1999, from 2009 to 2021, and from 2022 and still counting. Sheikh Khalifah bin Sulman Al Khalifah served as the Prime Minister of Bahrain from 1970 to 2020 (50 years). Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India for 16 years (August 1947 - May 1964). Sir Robert Walpole was a prime minister of Great Britain for 20 years (1721-1741), and Margaret Thatcher served as prime minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990 (11years).

Mr. Pratt, all these leaders did not think they were only individuals endowed with leadership qualities in their respective countries. In 1891, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia issued his famous circular to the European partition authorities that if people from distant powers were scrambling for territories in Africa, then he had no intention to be an indifferent spectator. Menelik thus participated busily in the scramble for territories on behalf of Ethiopia. So Mr. Pratt, if the standard bearers of democracy had leaders who leveraged long years to transform their countries, why must John Mahama be an indifferent spectator?

Mr Pratt, the European political thinkers like A. V Dicey (credited for the rule of law), Montesquieu (credited for separation of powers and checks and balances) did not have the continent of Africa in mind when propounding the foregoing theories. On the continent of Africa, from Marrakesh to Maputo, and Ashanti to Zulu, certain laws were passed to cripple African resistance against colonization. For example, the British passed the Witchcraft Ordinance in 1912 to suppress the influence of the Nyaibingi movement in Uganda. Nyabingi was a religio-political movement that pioneered anticolonial struggles in Uganda. From 1850 to 1950,

the belief in Nyabingi centered around a woman healer, “Muhumusa” who wielded supernatural powers akin to the Amazon Queen. Muhumusa organised anti-colonial resistance against the Germans and was detained later on by the British in 1913 until she died in 1945. Mr. Pratt, not everything copied wholesale from advanced countries is suited for the African context. If the people of Ghana still want President Mahama for a third term, we can just amend the constitution to suit the needs of the country. It depends on how John Mahama performs. John Mahama will fail if the national democratic congress (NDC) benchmarks their governance on the failures of the Nana Akufo-Addo- Bawumia-led government.

President John Mahama is a consummate democrat who handed over power peacefully before. He will not plan anything sinister. The 1992 constitution is at the crossroads. Ineffective effort to clamp down on illegal mining is an ample testimony of the constitutional weakness Ghana must go back to the 1969 constitution with a head of government and a ceremonial head of state. The power to fight illicit mining must be given to the ceremonial head of state, who will not be directly responsible to the voters. “ Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve” by George Bernard Shaw. Ghana deserves development, not needless competitions that polarize the country. Paul Kagame is a good pacesetter for Africa.

By Nana Yaw Osei, Ph. D., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.