Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal and communications team, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, has called on political leaders and public officials to take responsibility for their actions and show integrity in leadership.
According to him, politicians should be able to take accountability for failing on their words after experiencing reality on the grounds.
Speaking on Channel One TV, Mr. Adawudu said many leaders fail to acknowledge their mistakes once they assume office, despite having made strong criticisms or promises beforehand.
“You get in there, you’re confronted with the challenge, then you realize when I was outside as an observer I said things that I shouldn’t have said,” he stated.
He emphasized that accountability requires honesty and urged leaders to be open about changes in perspective once they experience the realities of governance.
“The thing most leaders lack is to come back and say that, ‘this is what I said, but when I got there…’, “
He added, “When we say something and at the end of the day we see that it is contradictory, we should be able to come and say, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Mr. Adawudu further stressed the importance of integrity and moral leadership, saying that society in general must uphold good conscience.
“Integrity. What we are teaching our children. Children learn by imitation. So what are we doing? It’s like politics without principle, politics without honesty,” he said.
He further criticized the tendency to glorify wrong behavior as smartness.
“You can always wriggle your way through and say, ‘I’m smart.’ So now, that’s the new euphemism we use for dishonesty ‘oh, this guy is a smart guy,’” he noted.
He then questioned the moral direction of the nation and called for greater self-reflection.
“What does our conscience tell us as a society?” he asked.
