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The culture of Personal Wealth Accumulation in Ghanaian Political Office - Our Bane

Feature Article The culture of Personal Wealth  Accumulation in Ghanaian Political Office  - Our Bane
APR 5, 2019 LISTEN

As I try to gather the tools for community and national development here in Babylon(whiles in voluntary political exile), I constantly reflect on my motherland - Ghana.

And as I do so, what nags me worryingly the most is that Pervasive and corrosive leadership culture of personal wealth accumulation by Ghanaian political leaders from the local assemblyman to the President of Ghana, from the NPP to the NDC, and from the regional chairman to the general secretary. Everyone is guilty as charged.

Even the apostles of probity and accountability have been found wanting and subtly admitting culpability in this national culture of corruption of public office for personal gain. Don’t ask me for details because that’s where the devil is hiding.

Our leaders or mis-leaders (since they have woefully failed to provide any leadership over the years) avowedly and avariciously competes among themselves to accumulate material wealth at the expense of the poor people.

Furthermore, from there, they develop the natural tendency to want to perpetuate themselves in power in order to protect what wealth they have already illegally accumulated.

So we have people seeking second, third, fourth terms in office just to protect their loot whiles gaining the opportunity to accumulate more. A second or third term in office for any regime has nothing to do with finishing ‘unfinished’ business.

And if there is any ‘unfinished’ business for any public office holder, it is the business of personal wealth accumulation, for no public office holder can ever truly finish his business with an insatiable people. Someone else must always continue from where someone left off!

If they were incapable of finishing their business in the first term, they are incapable of in any other additional terms in office. This is my reflective conviction.

And this is what my people - the people of Ghana - need to realize. No political regime or office holders deserve a second term when they have failed their first term. Without this crucial realization by the people, the misleaders will always be in office to accumulate more personal wealth without ever facing accountability. It is even more serious with NPP and NDC protecting each other’s corrupt officials for their own two-party state solution.

And when they go a-borrowing on behalf of we-the-people, it is only because of the sole purpose of diverting such borrowed funds into their private pockets. Nothing more. The public interest is almost always never a factor.

In my constant reflections about the future of Ghana and it’s development-oriented leadership,

I am inclined to the idea that any truly selfless leader who emerges for Ghana will NOT seek multiple terms in office in order to accomplish any development goals.

The future belongs to leaders who will set an agenda for four years, give it their best shot and make way for another team of talented men and women to make a further positive contribution. Constant rotational leadership is a sure way to deepen liberal participatory democracy in our nation.

The reflections on Ghana continue unabated...
Source: Sacut Amenga - Etego

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