When God Lost an Election

By Terry Mante

ONE day, a reputable leader of a country was made to step down because the citizens decided that they couldn't cope with his high standards. This was a leader who had rescued the people from slavery, proffered just and accountable leadership, provided first class infrastructure and social services and protected them against aggressors.

 

In the process of time, the people went to their leader with a relentless request "...Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." So, the leader stepped down for the people's preferred leader to take the spot.

 

Is leadership a problem in Africa? Perhaps! Is leadership the solution to the problems in Africa? Maybe, maybe not.

 

Is western-style democracy the cause Africa's developmental challenges? Well, has dictatorship produced sustained development anywhere on the continent?

 

Do we need leaders who don't care about losing elections? Ah! If a leader loses elections, with what mandate will they implement the good policies they have?

 

Is the voice of the people really the voice of God? Well, that great leader who was asked to step aside by the people was God in Biblical Israel.

 

This seminal work by Terry Mante offers insightful perspectives on governance in Africa and presents a definitive blueprint for creating a functional governance framework for the transformation of the continent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terry Mante Exchange
• Release date: Oct 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393996286

Terry Mante

As a thought leader with keen interest in the progress and wellbeing of people, Terry has written over 400 articles for publication in newspapers and magazines in Ghana and reputable online portals. These works span a range of subjects such as faith, leadership, politics and governance, business, self-help, and career development. His work has been cited and quoted by many authors, bloggers, colleges, companies and PhD candidates in Australia, Ghana, India, Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States, and other parts of the world. As a consultant and advisor, he offers guidance and counsel to individuals and organizations to bring out the best in them and position them to function effectively. He has worked on market research, strategy, branding, corporate training, capacity-building as well as PR and communications projects for clients in diverse fields. He is a personal development coach, business development and management consultant and communications practitioner.

Book preview

WHEN GOD LOST AN ELECTION

The political market of demand and supply

WHEN GOD LOST AN ELECTION

The political market of demand and supply

© 2020 by Terry Mante

Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @terrymante

Facebook/Twitter: @tmexchange1

www.terrymante.org

ISBN:

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electric or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author and/or publisher, except where permitted by law.

INSIDE THIS BOOK

Chapter 1: Give Us A King

President God

The other nations

Demand for a king

Politics of demand and supply

Chapter 2: The People’s King

Like all the nations

The new king

Settling accounts

Record of achievements

Beginning of the end

The people made me do it

Chapter 3: Strong Men Of The North

Bound to happen

The language of unity

MENA wave

Ali, Bouazizi and the Tunisian revolution

Hosni Mubarak and the January 25 revolution of Egypt

The fall of Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria

Uprising in Sudan and end of al-Bashir

Great men are almost always bad men

Chapter 4: Harvesting The Signs Of The Times

Signs of the times

Needs versus wants

Best course

Molders of consensus

Chapter 5: Down With The Dynasty of David

The Queen’s speech

Hard master

Development in shackles

Cultural revolution

Citizen participation

Political redefinition

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS BY TERRY MANTE

My intention for every book I produce is to solve problems, contribute to knowledge, inspire and challenge my generation, advance the cause of human progress and leave a legacy for posterity.

It is my confident expectation that this book will do just that. Specifically, I look forward to a more vibrant, vigilant, and confident Ghanaian and African electorate that will not relent in our quest for good, responsive, and accountable governance.

Chapter 1: Give Us A King

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,and said to him, ...Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

1 Samuel 8:4-5

IN the Bible, the nation of Israel was reputed as God’s own country. Its migrant citizenry had been enslaved by then world superpower Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. They decried the heavy-handedness of the Egyptian slave masters. Eventually, God heard their cry and redeemed them from a land full of bones and rocks to a land flowing with milk and honey.

All along, God led the people of Israel, although He always had a human intermediary – usually a prophet or a judge. The prophet/judge played a role that is equivalent to that of a prime minister in contemporary governments. God was the de-facto president or head of state of Israel. Executive, legislative and judicial authority were vested in God but He often delegated or instructed a ‘prime minister’ to carry out His directives. Everybody served at the pleasure of President God.

President God

OVER the course of my life, I have been part of many prayer meetings where we have prayed for God to ‘lead this nation.’ Do we really mean that prayer? That God should ‘lead this nation?’ Have we forgotten that, thousands of years ago, God used to be the President of Israel? What happened? What were the features of His leadership?

Sovereignty

Supreme power and authority in Israel rested in God. He was the source and final authority in the nation. Because of that, He didn’t need to run for elections. He appointed all the leaders and placed them at the helm of affairs. Every law originated from Him. All the officials of state were His representatives with the mandate to carry out His agenda; they were not necessarily the representatives of the people. The Israelites were His people and He was their self-existing ruler.

Rule of law

A system where rule of law prevails is one where arbitrary power is restricted and placed under well-defined laws. The laws are applied fairly; without fear, favor or prejudice. In President God’s regime, rule of law was the order of the day as He was ruthlessly impartial in adjudication and enforcement of His laws.

Consider Moses, His first prime minister. Under instruction from God, Moses faithfully led the people out of Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land. One day, when the people needed water, Moses appealed to God on their behalf and God said, Speak to the rock... and it will yield its water.[1] However, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod.[2] Although, water gushed out of the rock, God was not pleased. Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, God said, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them.[3]

That is rule of law. God punished Moses for hitting the rock instead of speaking to it as he had been instructed. Because of this incident, the man who had spearheaded the emancipation from Egypt was prevented from entering the Promised Land. Simply put, Moses was fired for breaking the law. Even Moses.

In God’s system, there is no discrimination. Everybody – great and small, rich and poor, young and old, men and women, black and white – is equal before