VOTE FOR CHARACTER AND COMPETENCE

VOTE FOR CHARACTER AND COMPETENCE

Kofi: Hello Ama, it’s good to hear from you again since our last conversation on phone a couple of months ago. The situation in Zimbabwe isn’t getting better. How’s Ghana?

Ama: Kofi, I am confused.

Kofi: About what?

Ama: I am struggling with which political candidate or party to vote for in Ghana’s upcoming general elections. I am being ridiculed of the candidates I desire to vote for. My friends are saying those candidates will never win so I should not waste my votes. Auntie Asantewaa and Uncle Ahoto are also insisting that I should vote for candidates of that political party that majority of the people in our community have always been voting for. I am now thinking of not voting at all so that I can have my peace of mind.

Kofi: Ama, you have a choice to either vote or not. You also have the right to decide which candidate to vote for should you finally decide to vote. You need to vote for a candidate you are convinced of even if that person is not going to win.

Ama: But why should I vote if my choice of candidate is not going to win?

Kofi: Casting a vote is a sacred exercise which must not be taken lightly. When you vote for a candidate, you give that candidate power to make decisions, if he wins, that will negatively or positively impact your destiny. That is why you should not just vote for anybody or a political party merely because they are the choice of many other people or opinion polls favour them. Your vote is a reflection of your personality and what you think. Will you vote for a dishonest idiot or a person who is morally bankrupt because he is the candidate of a popular political party? Voting for such a person will mean you endorse his character, beliefs and political ideologies.

  

Ama: So Kofi what should a voter consider before voting for a candidate?

Kofi: I will say character and competence.

Ama: What do you mean by “character and competence?”

Kofi: Character points to integrity and trustworthiness. A person of integrity does what he said he would do. They are trustworthy people because you can count on them to deliver their promises even if doing so will hurt their personal interests and that of their cronies. A political candidate who fails to carry out his promises after winning elections, without reasonable excuse, does not deserve your endorsement. You don’t have to vote for a candidate you do not trust. Competence on the other hand points to capacity to achieve what the person is promising. It relates to the skills, intelligence and experiences of the person and persons connected to him. The candidate and the political party he is leading must possess the needed intelligence and prudence to manage the resource of a nation and lead the people in that nation to attain some desirable goals. That candidate and his team must especially be people of character and worthy of your trust.

Ama: Does it then mean that good character of a candidate is enough to trust him with your vote? What do you make of a candidate who may have good character but is not competent?

Kofi: Ama, both character and competence are very necessary. But, if you were to choose between character and competence; choose character! It is better to have an accountant who is honest but less competent than to have a dishonest accountant who is highly competent. Guess what, that highly competent accountant will collapse your business because of his dishonesty. You should not entrust your treasures into the hands of a dishonest person.

Ama: Thanks so much Kofi for educating me on these matters. I will reflect on them and independently decide on candidates I desire to vote for based on my convictions about those candidates, not ignoring every relevant information about them.

Kofi: Ama, before you end the call let me share with you excerpts of a message, delivered by Dr. Mensa Otabil, I recently read from a website. He gave three other factors electorates like you should consider before voting for a particular candidate and his policies:

“ 1. Vote for your dreams and aspirations. Look at your future projections, where you are going and see the proposal that best suits where you are going in life: what kind of future do you want, what kind of vision (do) you have for your life? Think about your life, consider the proposals and ask yourself: which of these ones will help me become the person I want to be or my children or my grandchildren become what I want them to be? Which idea best fits my dreams and aspirations, not which colour I support or which slogan sounds nice, for which idea best helps me become whom I want to be, so, vote for your dreams and aspirations and never allow any politician to take you for granted...

2. Vote for your beliefs and your values: what do you value, what is important to you, what do you believe, what are the things that you wouldn’t compromise in life? Look at all of that...  
3. Vote for the best interest of your nation. Remember your vote doesn't just affect you but it will shape the destiny of your nation. Look at your nation, where it is and where it wants to be. Which of the proposals will help us get to a better place? Which of them?”

Ama: Thanks Kofi, I am very grateful for this information as well. God bless you!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author of Wisdom Thoughts

                                       Blog: www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com                                       Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com