Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana has criticised the intellectual community for failing in its role to the state in leadership, giving everybody the notion to assume such responsibilities.
He says it is the failure of leadership in the country that has given everyone the urge to contest parliamentary and presidential slots in the country, especially with those seeking to run as independent candidates.
He contends the intellectual class in leadership’s failure is the cause of market women, artisans, footballers and others seeking political power from the people.
On TV3’s KeyPoints Saturday, April 27, 2024, Professor Gyampo maintained that with the human resource Ghana can boast of, where some are even exported to develop other countries, it is surprising that same people perform abysmally when given the opportunity to lead their own people at home.
“If you look at the calibre of people who now wants to go to Parliament and want to run as President as independent candidates, it tells you that we have failed. It means that the intellectual community that was supposed to vote to select an intellectual to represent them has failed.
“It is because leadership has failed that’s how come now you have everybody getting up and say I want to go to Parliament, I want to run as President,” he said.
He lamented further that “we are a country that can say we export human resource to other countries to go and develop but when it gets to us, when we are given the mandate to govern our own people, we perform so abysmally, we hate ourselves, we try to involve ourselves in all manner of misgovernance and corruption such that it creates an impression that…”.
Professor Gyampo added that if those from the intellectual community are refusing to perform in the leadership roles entrusted in their care, it then makes sense to allow those perceived to be less educated but with the passion to develop, lead the nation.
“If those who are supposed to do it, those that we trust have been educated and they claim that they are lawyers, economists, finance people, if they can’t do it, then please, let us allow the market women, the traders, footballers, those that we feel are not educated but are passionate about development, let us begin to identify them and ask them to lead us,” he advised.
Elect people with passion for Ghana to lead us – Gyampo urges voters
