Features
Pride of leadership
I Read Government. And I believe I know what governance is supposed to be. However, I don’t understand politics. I have tried not to give myself the headache of trying to understand what it is all about. I guess I have a fair idea about democracy and its nuances. I have a fi rm belief that every society must practise democracy to suit its peculiar culture, customs and norms, not what is dictated by foreign or external forces.
I have observed that global leadership is dictatorial. America is a typical example, where democratic processes inside of that country are followed to the letter, yet the US dictates what other countries must do. Then comes in Donald J. Trump. We all have seen what Trump did to the democracy America prides itelf in. On January 6, 2021, his supporters descended on Capitol Hill and vandalised the very cradle of that country’s democracy. When you elect a rabble-rouser President, what do you expect? Pride and arrogance of leadership cost him the presidency in last year’s election. Pride of leadership has caused the collapse of empires, dynasties and governments. Empires like the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, British and others have come and gone. Indiscipline of leadership in some cases drowned these empires. Some were caused by the powers behind the thrones. Many of those powers were wives, concubines, fathers or even siblings who wielded power over the emperors, kings or whatever fancy
nomenclature they went by. Sadly, many modern leaders have not learnt from the history of these empires and strut around as if they are the chosen ones of God to run people’s lives. And this is my worry. I keep saying that a disciplined child cannot be born of an undisciplined parentage. The calf watches the mother’s mouth as she munches the grass, not so? Ghana’s Minister of Finance has gained notoriety for disrespecting parliament. Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta chooses to go deliver the economic policy of government at a time convenient to him while the lawmakers who would approve or disapprove the policy sit on their haunches waiting for him. Simply put, this is pride of leadership. If our leaders cannot respect institutions of state and their protocols, what business do they have in leadership? This is not an attack on the person of the Minister, but he is an example of what is festering in our national life. President Nana Akufo-Addo is noted for his punctuality at state events. I remember he was to attend the 170th anniversary of the founding of the Presbyterian Training College at Akropong in 2018. Because of our offi cial lateness to events, I almost did not attend though some of us had a special invitation as old students from the Principal. President Akufo-Addo was there before the scheduled time. Former President John Mahama hardly respected time when he was in offi ce, but Prof. Atta Mills was a Pride of leadership
stickler for punctuality as President Akufo-Addo. I had the opportunity of covering an event involving former President Kufuor at Sekondi in 2002. He was late. When I asked my buddy, former President Jerry Rawlings, why he attended certain functions late, he only answered that it was all “for effect.” I did not know what that meant but I let it pass. It is perfectly in order for public offi ce holders to be late for any event because of the workload they carry or for whatever reasons. But it is a mark of good leadership, maturity and respect for others to send a message to the gathering that for XYZ reasons, you are unable to beat the time and that you should be given whatever number of minutes to be present. You win respect as a result. But what do our offi cials do? They saunter into the programme before ranting out apologies when those gathered are either tired, angry or agitated by this offi cial behaviour. No sooner had that budget statement been delivered than the Minister in charge of roads, Mr.
Kwasi Amoako-Atta, decided that all toll booths be shut down on the country’s highways. I am told this minister is himself a member of parliament and knows the Standing Orders and their protocols. How come he could order the closure of toll booths when the House had not approved the budget statement? Indiscipline, if you asked me. Or is it pride of leadership? Leadership must inspire. Leadership must be exemplary. Leadership must encourage others to want to strive for leadership positions in service to their people. Leadership must be honest with the people. It must show a commitment to serve and not run roughshod over the people. With this behaviour of some of our leaders, what do we expect of those who will come after them in future? Personally, I do not care how our public offi ce holders conduct themselves in their offi cial positions, but they must be mindful of the signal they are sending to the youth who are acclaimed as the leaders of tomorrow. Where is the tomorrow for them if we corrupt their today with our negative attitudes? Give the Devil his due. In spite of accusations of highhandedness, Salifu Amankwa brought a certain discipline to the Nkrumah Circle area of the capital. Discipline is the watchword here.
Ten years after he left and more years after his death, people were still afraid to walk over the lawns around Circle anyhow they pleased. Leadership must uphold discipline at all times. What are human rights when lawlessness pervades the very fabric of society? Ghana did not go before Nkrumah. And all of the leaders who have gone have left Ghana behind. So, this country will be there after we are all gone, but the Ghana we leave for the generations after us will determine how history and posterity will judge us.
Writer’s e-mail address: akofa45@yahoo.com
By Dr. Akofo K. Segbefia
THE state of feeling rejected, could be a terrifying experience especially for those who have become used to fame. If not properly addressed, it could lead to depression and the consequences, could be disastrous.
When you are on top of your game in whatever profession you find yourself such that you become famous, a lot of people try to associate with you. The phone never ceases to ring and one is tempted to feel loved and very important.
When a disaster strikes and the fame or the money which was the source of the attraction fades away, the circle of friends and fans begin to shrink and the phone will start to stop ringing until the call stops voting completely.
You will be shocked at how people you considered friends, will no longer be calling you or pay casual visits as they used to. You will begin to notice that messages you leave after calling them and not getting a response are not replied to and that is when you begin to know who your true friends are.
One of the most popular movie stars was an actress called Sharon Stone. In an interview with one of the media houses that was published, she spoke about how people who should have come around to encourage her in her moment of depression, shunned her. The calls stopped coming.
This is what the Bible admonishes that the arm of flesh will fail you and therefore we should put our trust in God. It could be a very frightening experience and can easily lead to depression.
Human nature being what it is, people will want to get close if things are okay. Everybody wants to associate themselves with interesting things, famous people, rich people etc for mainly selfish reasons.
We need to develop the habit of putting our trust in God and relying less on human beings. The lesson we have to take along in life is that, no one marries his or her enemy so how come people who took vows that they will love each other become so hostile to each other that they want to go their separate ways in life? Such is the reality of life.
It is therefore prudent for people to recognise that, life is full of uncertainties and so there is the need to prepare your mind for uncertainties so that when they occur, they do not disorganise your mental sanity.
A lot of people have experienced situations where people who they could have sworn will never betray their trust have disappointed them when they were through challenging moments.
If there is one thing famous people should desire, it should be the ability to identify who are true friends are. Countless stories abound regarding incidence of celebrities who have lost their shine and their wives divorcing them soon after.
It is sometimes useful as a famous or rich person to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage to safeguard or protect yourself from any future unpleasant surprises.
People can be very pretentious these days, it goes both ways. There is this real life story where a man married a divorced wealthy woman and convinced her to sell her house so they could build a new one together, with the excuse that people are gossiping that he is being housed by a woman.
The woman agreed and they put up a new building. After a few years the man asked for a divorce, only for the woman to realise that the land on which the building was situated, was bought in the man’s name.
This can drive a person insane, if you are not mentally tough and this happens to you. When people hear that you are homeless, a lot of your so-called friends will stop calling, so that you do not become a burden on them.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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‘But, er …. I don’t even know your name’.
‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today’.
‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the cafe for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again’.
‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch’.
‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time’.
‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the cafe is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done’.
‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go’.
We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.
‘So where are we going, Paul?’
‘To Royalty restaurant. It’s a twenty minute drive away’.
‘So, do you enjoy your job?’
‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’
‘That’s my plan. I hope it works’.
‘It will, if you are determined, and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person’.
‘Thank you very much’.
We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes, ‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul’.
‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me’.
‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’
‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah’.
Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.
‘I will never forget you, Paul’.
‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful’.
‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’
‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill’.
‘Okay Paul. See you then’. What a lovely day, I said to myself as I opened the front door. I closed the shop and got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror and took a good look at myself. ‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that’. I will not forget that, again.
Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby ‘I’m going’, he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.
He spent the greater part of the weekends at the club house with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.
‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it’.
‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over to you when I realised that there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it. One thousand cedis.
‘Well let me have it. I have to be going’.
‘I will let you have it if you will tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money’.
‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’
‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you, if you will withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand’.
‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money’. I handed it over to him, and he ran out’.
The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast, and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.
‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work’.
‘Well, I want to inform you that I will inform my parents, and your parents, about the situation in this house. As I said yesterday, things are getting out of hand. You spend most of your time drinking. You get drunk every evening, and through the weekend. And you are also spending your time and money on a prostitute’.
‘How dare you? One more stupid word from you …’
‘Am I lying, Martin? You have just started life, yet you are behaving like a rich, elderly man who has already seen his children through university, and can afford a life of fun. As I said, I’m going to inform our parents. Maybe your parents can straighten you out before it is too late’.
‘Look, we can talk this evening. It’s nothing like what you are saying’. He walked away, shocked.
That evening, I was expecting to have a meaningful discussion with him, but his mother called early in the evening to offer me some ‘advice’. Her son had called to say that certain developments at home were disturbing him so much that they were beginning to affect his work.
And, ‘as a loving mother to her daughter’, she was advising me to submit to my husband, and support him in prayer, and not ‘drive him from home’. Men would always be men, and she was telling me ‘from experience’ that no matter how much time Martin stayed away from home, he would always come home to me.
She had been a young wife before, so she understood the challenges I was facing. So I could be assured that if I followed her advice, all would be well. And, of course, she didn’t allow me to tell my side of the story.
Martin came home very late, and very drunk. And from the next morning, he carried on as before. With some hesitation, I called my dad and told him all that had gone on.
‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so”. I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do. Continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you, but if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.
A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks Elaine informed Mom and Dad. We endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if there was no change in two weeks.
Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks, and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day.
I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men’.
‘It’s fine with me’, he said, ‘if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’
‘ First of all, Martin’, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him’.
By Ekow de Heer
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