Economist, Kwame Pianim, has said that the bane of Ghana’s development is the lack of courageous leaders who will make difficult but necessary decisions. He said many of the country’s leaders have been all too flippant and ambivalent when faced with difficult choices. Mr. Pianim, reckoned internationally as an economist of repute, was speaking in Accra at a forum dubbed, Ghana Speaks Lecture Series under the theme: “Managing Competitive Politics: The Winner Takes all Rule, Democracy and Development”. The lecture, the second in the series, was organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG). The unprincipled nature of the country’s political leaders, Mr Pianim contended, has led to a situation where sustained economic growth has eluded the country. That, he said was because consistently, politicians had in election years tried to spend their way into power, thereby derailing economic gains made. “Ghana needs men and women of courage, integrity and professional competence,” he said, who will take decisions regardless of whether those decisions affected their future political fortunes or not. Mr Pianim was also not happy about the wanton disregard for fairness and rules guiding the country’s Civil Service. He said the penchant to dismiss civil servants believed to have allegiances to political parties opposed to those in power did not create the necessary congenial atmosphere for civil servants to perform their constitutionally mandated functions. He expressed regret that even when civil servants, who have fallen victim of the high handedness of government have secured court rulings directing their reinstatement, governments – past and present - have flagrantly violated those court rulings. “If you want people to obey the laws, you must first obey the laws yourself,” he counseled. Mr Pianim emphasised the need for civil servants to be insulated from the arbitrariness of political leaders. The Executive Director of IDEG, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey agreed mostly with Mr Kwame Pianim. He said the electoral process imposed some restrictions on the politicians forcing them to take difficult decisions. Dr Akwetey advocated a rational merger of differences by the major political forces, arguing, that would allow for a sort of power sharing which will eliminate the current rancorous competition for access to resources which is also negatively affecting the country’s development. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana