Why most Ghanaian Presidents develop dead goat syndrome

Once upon a time, in the village of Asempaneye, it was customary then that the very day twins are born, the talking drums should be beaten to alert the gods to seek their divine protection. If not they will have to be sent to the evil forest to be sacrificed to propitiate the gods for the occasional sins of the land. It was also a reality that when anyone breaks the rule during the period of ban on drumming and dancing, great famine and unexplained death come upon the entire village.

This day was different. The great news was that the wife of the divine drummer had just given birth to twins. But the birth of the twins came on the day the ban on drumming and dancing had begun. Interestingly, it was also a taboo to prevent the divine drummer from playing the drums anytime he was ‘led by the gods’ to do so. What would you do if you were the divine drummer, knowing very well that every man is bound never to act against the dictates of his own conscience and interest? This is the reality that political leaders face each day because the issue of collateral damage is unavoidable in any political decision. Some will lose, others will win. Some will be hurt, others will be smiling. Some will die, others will live.

In March 2015, President John Mahama addressing Ghanaians in Botswana in response to industrial actions in Ghana stated that “I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don’t think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn’t fear the knife because it is dead already. I have a dead goat syndrome. And so we are going to ensure that we maintain fiscal discipline going forward.” This was a hard truth from a government so committed to transforming Ghana and changing the lives of its people for a better Ghana.

He was vehemently lambasted by people especially his political opponents and the ‘neutral’ media. Infact, what he said is the reality and secrets of political leadership in Ghana. In the Ghanaian experience, as a President, you only choose what you want to listen to because what you hear may greatly influence your political decisions. That is a great attribute of every great political leader; choose what you want to hear.

In Ghana, every person is a President and knows how best to run the country. In Ghana, every person is a coach when it comes to soccer and knows the best players to be selected for a match and the best strategy to use. As a President, you possess power and allocate wealth to your people. As a President, you must normally seek to attain a dead goat syndrome in order to survive the diverse demands from interest groups and ordinary citizens. This is primarily because, as Steve Jobs stated in the Business Week in 1997, “A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

Every politician must understand the secrets of political leadership. God gives leadership attributes to some people but in a democratic dispensation He does not choose or impose a leader on any nation. No man has a divine right to lead another man. The tales and visions of a divine being who also have a vested interest in the affairs of mankind are told and lived by men. A divine being whose existence, nature and will are subject to the interpretation of mortals is never seen but we are told by mere men of what He says. The voice of the people is never the voice of God because men vote and not God. All these doctrines are figments of our imagination perpetuated by men of influence because it serves their interest.

The constitution is also made by men, interpreted by men, implemented by men to serve men. Integrity, honour and ethics are all inventions of men to serve their interest. So it is prudent for a political leader to serve those persons who actually put him there and seek their interest first. In the arena of politics, economics, showbiz, religion and sports, interest must be driven by passion. The only difference between branding and politics is that one is a better liar. They both seek the trust of the majority of people or audience share in order to maximize their power or competitive advantage. They follow the same principles but differ in approach. But the issues of mentoring and coaching remain the same.

Politics is less about morality and more about political correctness. There are no rooms for saints in politics. The truth about politics is that, it is about influence and power, not service and welfare. Inequality, insecurity, instability, injustice, unequal distribution, general lack, diseases and poverty are all necessities that require political leadership. So it is in the best interest of any political leader to see these vices being perpetuated and be seen to do something about them because if these evils are not in the society there will be no need for political governance.

The ability to cheat, deceive, love, do good, eat, drink, innovate, destroy, build, corrupt, reproduce, learn, preserve, destroy and seek peace, are all cultural tools that must be chosen carefully by political leaders with time, opportunity, space and precision based on a strategic interest. This is because men are born into the arena of politics, economics and religion with the instinct of emotions and interests. There is nothing real in the arena of politics, but ghosts of interests.

These interests do flourish with wealth, power and beliefs always. In the arena of politics, men are gorillas in their acting human costumes. They are usually cast by their choices and directed solely by their interests. They are with you because of what they are getting. The principle is simple, ‘We live together, you die alone’.

It’s your duty as a political leader to enjoy or suffer your rewards in this arena. Most great and moral men usually die to survive in this arena. The feared, cunning and strategic leader is likely to succeed than the loved, chaste and benevolent leader. In this arena, power and especially its maintenance is usually for sale. Sex, alcohol, violence, alliances, lies, facts, charms, magic, prayers, rules, regulations, betrayal, spying, espionage, cheating and bribes are usually used as weapons in some arenas. Others are greed, drugs, propaganda, leaks, scandals, stealing, competitive advantage, unfairness, rigging, gerrymandering, vote buying, sorcery, treachery, charity, welfare, warfare, corruption, and compensation.

If you are interested in political leadership, be ready to live up to the task and understand that as a political leader you are not alone, the people who represent you are part of you and you should stand up for them at anytime where necessary. Also know that, if you listen to everything you will fall for anything so you must have some attributes of a dead goat in order to survive the terrain. As a divine drummer, you must make a political decision to either save your children or ‘the people.’ Your decision may help you sustain your position or lose it forever.

There comes the obvious. Why would every new President develop a dead goat syndrome in Ghana? It’s because he is a politician and politicians hardly learn the best way. They usually abandon the aspirations of the people and their campaign messages or appear to be delivering on those promises and usually go for the increamentalist approach to policy making. We are aware that during the first one year of their administration where they enjoy massive goodwill from their citizens, governments use this period to ask the citizens to tighten their belts because the previous government mismanaged the economy whilst the elite enjoy fully their benefits as article 71 office holders.

After the grace period, the government will opt for foreign aids and obscure the deadly conditionalities, the labour negotiations will be at the forefront and strikes will begin. Will we see a new dead goat syndrome victim at the presidency who listens to only the dead who are the people around him and disregard the real concerns of the living who are the suffering populace?

Also, the elite or the ruling class who are the prime beneficiaries of our democratic system of government remain the same always, whether political leadership changes hands or not. This is because the government does not change with new leadership. The government is the machinery of the state controlled by the elite. Only the administration changes, but governments remain the same. For the political elites, it is just a change of titles from majority in parliament to minority but the value is the same. They seek their interest first. Therefore, a President must be crafty enough to balance the whims of his masters, his administration, the elite, his political party and that of the ordinary citizens.

The good people of Ghana will be watching, hoping that every new administration will live by their campaign promises, work for the interest of the vulnerable citizen and restore hope. Indeed, in every state of nature, men found a nation and create a history for it; not physical strength but reason prevails; not greatness but pettiness gains; not the gods but men rule; not saints but politicians rule.

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