Philanthropists or politicians?
"One of my goals in life is to help people have a positive experience of giving,"I want them to walk away from me thinking” --Diane Adam, American philanthropist.
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Diane Adam enjoys volunteering her own time, resources, money and talents to support humanity, as well as helping others experience the fun in giving as a lifestyle.
Normal politicians may be more concerned about winning or retaining power than about maintaining principles and engaging in charitable deeds.
A politician is someone who exercises a position of governance over a human community, particularly a state while the word philanthropist, according to Douglas Harper (2016) is derived from Latin and Greek “philanthropia” which means kindness, humanity, benevolence, generosity, big-heartedness and love of mankind. According to the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners,’ the word philanthropist can be explained as someone who believes in helping people, especially by giving money to those who need it. The key words here are, helping people, giving money to people. Can we say that any of the presidential candidates has been helping people and giving money to the needy or the masses? How many of our leaders are seeing to it that all school-age children in their regions/hometowns are in school? Is there any political party’s manifesto that addresses the needs of the needy? In other words, a philanthropist is someone who has the desire to improve the educational, material, economic, social and spiritual welfare of humanity, especially through charitable activities.
Can we pinpoint any presidential candidate who is a philanthropist and is willing to mobilise a group of philanthropists to give to the nation and its citizenry? Ghanaians need to verify and assess charitable deeds, visible contributions and achievements of political leaders to the nation to enable them to elect genuine philanthropic politicians.
A philanthropist will generally make one feel good, while a mere politician whose agendum is to amass wealth and to pursue personal aggrandisement will make the masses poor. Ghana needs philanthropists-cum-politicians and not mere pure politicians. Heartless politicians will punish and prong the nation into abject poverty and pandemonium. People who seek to ascend into any leadership position should have contributed visibly to the development of the community. Philanthropic deeds cannot be overemphasised in Christianity.
Biblical philanthropy
Jesus Christ endorsed philanthropic deeds and emphasised that all those who refused to show care and love to the needy could go to hell as follows,
“Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me…” (Matthew 25:41-45)
According to Jesus Christ, what we do for others demonstrates what we really think and care about him. This is the real Christian social responsibility which is synonymous with philanthropy. Does Jesus’ statement imply that church/political leaders and Christians who do not take care of the poor and needy can go to hell? James, Jesus’ brother also stressed what constitutes real/impeccable religion by saying,
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27)
In short, political leaders who purport to be Christians without engaging in philanthropic activities are deceiving themselves.
What is the way forward?
The African continent, particularly in Ghana is full of needy people who lack basic necessities of life and cannot even fend for themselves. What are we doing now to alleviate the untold hardship and suffering of the masses? Let’s stop professing and adhering to the self-seeking and selfish ideology,” “Me mma nie, me yere nie, kanko”, as echoed by Opanin Kwadwo Kyereh. Let’s vote for philanthropists-cum-politicians and not just mere politicians and nouveaux riches.
Ghana needs people who are ready to give away personal belongings and money to accelerate development and not those who are desirous to take away and embezzle state funds. Apart from political parties coming out with their manifestoes, it is incumbent upon all presidential candidates as well to have personal philanthropic developmental agenda for the nation at least for five regions.
In conclusion, to ensure accelerated all-round national development, opting for philanthropists-cum-politicians in Africa particularly in Ghana is very crucial. Selfless philanthropists-cum-politicians and thinking people are facilitators for all-round national development.
May the Prince of peace, the Almighty God bless Ghana, particularly philanthropists-cum-politicians and take away every encumbrance that can mar the forthcoming election in December 2016 in the name of Jesus Christ.
The writer is a lecturer at the Ghana Technology University College, Faculty of Informatics. Writer’s E-mail: mtabiri@gtuc.edu.gh