Sunday, 10 September 2017

Would Former President John Mahama Be Wise To Call It Quits Now?

It is such a pity that the most influential of the  people around former President Mahama still don't seem to understand the national mood regarding John Mahama's years in power as Ghana's leader.

Ditto the feelings he evokes amongst many ordinary Ghanaians - the vast majority of whom (when they are being generous) regard him as a politican who was lucky to become Ghana's leader: but was too nice to people to be an effective leader of a  nation with a Byzantine system that is difficult to govern and requires tough-minded leadership if it is to be well-governed.

If John Mahama's  handlers understood that reality - and do indeed have his best interests at heart -  they would recommend: that he stays permanently out of active politics; never criticises his successor in office; and maintains a dignified silence on domestic political issues at all material times. It is the smartest way to rehabilitate his battered image.

To be generous (on a purely human level) to him,  perhaps if the office of President of the Republic of Ghana was a ceremonial one, John Mahama would have been more suited to that role.  Unfortunately for him and his many supporters  in the NDC that however is not the case.

Furthermore, when the prosecutions of those amongst our vampire-elites who participated in the brutal gang-rape of Mother Ghana finally get under way, and the shocking revelations of how they ruthlessly swindled our nation out of  trillions of cedis become public, perhaps the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will then finally accept that the Mahama-era is well and truly over - and that the harsh reality facing them is that their party must rid itself of all the corrupt elements in its ranks if it is ever to return to power again.

Finally, there are some who  describe John Dramani Mahama's presidency as a missed opportunity - for both the man and for his party. This blog reluctantly shares that view. Alas, politics isn't about being nice to people - it is about offering decisive leadership that is transformational in its impact on society when it matters most.

Sadly, our immediate past president was unable to do so when it was what Ghanaian society required of its leader in the national interest. That is why former President John  Mahama would be wise to call it quits now and  leave the hurly-burly of the Ghanaian political world behind him -  and enjoy a dignified retirement  (with former U.S. President Carter's good works on the global stage in his retirement years  as his inspiration for a similar role in Africa) instead. Food for thought.



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