Ghanaians Must Ask Our Politicians Tough Question PRESS RELEASESNOVEMBER 11, 2014-NO COMMENT Many at time one gets marvelled by the extent at which politicians, especially those in government, among other things relate to the citizenry or electorate in particular. The way they carry themselves with impunity can be equated as thin gods of the country. They listen to no one; they hear nobody and nobody has the right to question them on their doings. They have the sole right of authority to do whatever they want in the country at anytime and at wherever they want and whoever they think should be their victim or beneficiary. What is the link between the electorate and the politicians in government? The electorate are the citizens who entrust the right to govern the country into the hands of the few individuals in society called politicians. These few ones are to serve the interest of the larger populace by taking decisions which will be in the interest of larger society. In the process, the accountability of their stewardship in terms of practical evidence of how the country’s resources have been used becomes paramount. Improvement in the standard of living of the populace is directly proportional to the judicious disbursement and utilization of national resources to affect the lives of citizens especially in the areas of employment, education, health, energy, agriculture and housing. What is the understanding of the electorate in this democratic equation? It is evidently clear that the greater majority of the electorate in the region of over 75% do not understand their role in this democratic dispensation of ours. To them it’s all about queuing to cast their votes for their choice of party or personality but the most crucial aspect of the process which requires the demanding for answers of the basic wants from these politicians are never pursued. Anyone who dares to ask questions is seen as an opposition and a bad luck and had to be crashed. Do we have institutions to help educate the electorate? If the right to elect a leader is a civic right ,then the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is the agency mandated to education the electorate on their duty of due diligence in their choice of a leader after carefully assessing the aspirants based on their history and plans to address the fundamental universal societal needs of the electorate. The NCCE has become a neglected body whose existence is not even known due to what many will perceive as a purposeful aim to neglect the outfit with the requisite support from government. How will you complain of no funds to execute your projects when the one who appoints you knows that those actions of empowering the people will go against him? The Information Service Department has also become a propaganda machinery of the government of the day. Where have we faulted as citizens of Ghana? How come no Ghanaian questions the government or the president on issues of corruption, employment, pension, energy, budget and functions of state agencies as well as programme timelines of the MMDAs? Government and its communicating facility are now controlling a significant number of rented presses and the electronic media with ferocious propaganda machinery to attacking anyone who does question the direction of the country now. Our members of parliament are conspicuously mute especially from the main opposition party. They have become more like pedestrians in the scheme of national discourse of which they are representing the citizens. Is it because of majority will always have their way, or the minority has failed to raise the awareness of the electorate in order inspire society to demand answers from government? If state institutions are not working and parliament cannot stand in for the people, then what value can be placed on having them been elected to serve the interest of the people? The academia, religious organizations and the CSOs have lost their credibility in state affairs. Their impacts or pronouncements are politicized or discredited by state agencies to the extent that it dents their image and the personalities involved. By virtue of that, many of them, especially those in academia and CSOs, have taken on the slogan” either you are with us or against us” to join the milking wagon of the government machinery and are also now spewing garbage on to the electorate with their pronouncements of national discourse. The citizens must wake up and demand answers. NCCE must be up to their functions as an agency of educating the public about their democratic rights and responsibilities to promote the self correction to bring about changes. They should come out to save the country from the darkness of ignorance to the state of consciousness of light. It is the right of the citizens to know the consequences of whatever action they are taking in the light of the country’s development. A politician does not do you a favour but rather you do him a favour. The time has come for every Ghanaian to demand answers from politicians to know the direction of the country from those we have entrusted the affairs of the state to them. The earlier we start pushing for answers to our basic challenges the better our chances to survive as a citizens of Ghana. The systemic collapse of correct functions of state agencies has provided safe and fertile platform for supposed powers to excel. We pray that the judiciary and the police service shall rise up to save the integrity of the state from the hands of the national looters in suits. A WORD OF CAUTION TO THE POLITICIAN IN GOVERNMENT: A Ghanaian is as tolerant as a tortoise but as rude and murderous as the angel of death. Never take the patience, tolerance and calmness of the Ghanaian for granted because when he/she rises up in anger no one in human flesh can subdue him/her into calmness.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:57:32 +0000
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