Think of it. The minister is in the television studios very early in the morning either defending or condemning wild allegations or rumours published in papers that are not found on the newstands. It is as if the minister was awake all night planning how to execute this assignment, which he and others hold dear to their hearts.
Indeed by dawn, even before he gets out of the washroom for the full brief on the matter, he had already started talking on phone to radio presenters.
Joining him/her on the panel will be a Member of Parliament, an executive officer or simply an activist from the opposition party and together with the host for day, they will spend at least two hours talking on matters that have no bearing on the development and progress of this nation.
Very often, they overindulge themselves and drift into mudslinging, accusations, counteraccusations, name-calling and insults to their persons and others. Most of the newspapers they pick their subjects from do not circulate even a hundred copies per edition. Some are not even known and, but for these commentators, would never make any impact on the political landscape.
This is how some of our ministers start their day and move to the next stage. From the television studios, they join other commentators in a radio station and continue with the same discussions, varying the topics as the discussions drag on. During these discussions, tempers are lost, adrenaline flows to abnormal levels leading to inflammatory statements, unsubstantiated allegations, insults and, sometimes, physical confrontations. Very soon, fanatical supporters amass at the gates of the radio station ready to exact instant justice on the person attacking their party or dear leader.
Our minister may leave the radio station but his talking assignment may not be over. While driving to the office or attending a meeting somewhere, he will still be receiving calls from radio presenters and political commentators to explain some of the things he said on TV and radio earlier in the day or to respond to a statement made by a party or government official.
By the time the day is over, this minister had not been able to sit down for even an hour to think of our national problems that come within the purview of his ministry. This is the normal working day routine of most of our ministers.
Some of them may argue that they are doing this to explain government policies or respond to queries from members of the public. If that were so, there would be very little complaining. Even granted that that is the case, ministers cannot spend all their time hopping from one studio to another, whether television or radio, explaining or defending government policies when there are a lot of serious problems that need to be addressed.
The presidency itself has not been saved from this talking syndrome. Most of the time, the presidency is saddled with assignments that could be easily handled at the regional or even district levels. For instance, is there no better way of handling some of these funeral announcements that take a substantial part of the President’s time. Should people come to the Castle to announce the death of every chief or public servant to the President? Definitely, we cannot ignore our national heroes and even in death, they need to be recognised but we need to end somewhere if we are not to reduce the Castle to a funeral home when there are serious challenges facing this country.
Certainly, it is imperative that government functionaries keep Ghanaians informed about government policies and where necessary, interpret these policies to the understanding of all. Beyond that, they have no business indulging in excessive talking on issues that have nothing to do with governance and the progress of this nation. A lot of the things could be left for party officials and activists who have more time to engage in those wasteful arguments.
Parties in opposition cannot escape blame for the manner they over-politicise certain issues, diverting attention from more serious national issues in the process. It is normal for the opposition to go for the jugular when the opportunity offers itself because that is part of the game of democracy. Like a boxer, if you do not hammer on the bloody spot of an opponent, how do you win a fight? So any slip by a party, especially a party in government, as would be expected, will draw blood and serve as an attraction for a party waiting in the shadows to take over.
My worry is that we more often dwell too much on the politics of issues and ignore the substance. Take the recent statement made by Dr Kwabena Adjei, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for example. I suspect that in his sober moments and in the quietness of his bedroom, Dr Adjei will admit that he allowed his frustrations to take the better part of him. His frustrations may be legitimate more, especially when it is becoming increasingly clear that people suspected of looting our national vaults do not only use the law as escape valves but also go further to mock and taunt the rest of us with impunity in the name of political solidarity.
Those in opposition, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the party in waiting and the party that benefits most from any slip by the ruling NDC, have every right to condemn Dr Adjei’s statement and even try to exploit it to political advantage. And even if there are any constitutional provisions that would enable them to seek legal remedies in court, it is their right to do so.
But should our entire world be centred one unfortunate statement? Do we care about the fate of our children as school reopens and whose parents will be struggling to get not only admission but hostels for their children in the tertiary institutions? Do we care about those junior high school leavers, who, through no fault of theirs, will miss out on admission to senior high schools because the state could not provide the facilities?
Do we worry that Accra, our capital city, has become a huge slum because we do not have good roads to many of the suburbs? Do we feel comfortable that even ordinary traffic lights do not work in our capital city? Do we worry that after more than 50 years of independence, we, as a nation, have failed to utilise the vast potential of our rivers for transportation, irrigation, fishing, tourism and watch helplessly while huge volumes of water from River Volta and other rivers drain wastefully into the sea, as we continue to rely on other countries, including a Sahelian country such as Burkina Faso, for agricultural produce?
By all means, careless talk and irresponsible behaviour must be condemned. By all means, let us keep talking to engage our minds. But when talking, we should concentrate on serious matters. Jumping from one radio or television station to another talking will not solve our problems.
When people, against all the frustrations associated with voting in our country wake up early in the morning and endure the scorching sun to exercise their franchise, they do so with the resolve to elect people they believe are capable of improving their living standards. And when a party in power loses an election, it is a clear indication that the majority of the people want a change for a better leadership.
It is, therefore, unnecessary for ministers and other government functionaries to come back on a daily basis to tell them what previous governments did or did not do. If people vote for a change, you are not serving their interests if all that you can do is to come to them recounting on a regular basis, the mistakes of the past without taking steps to effect the necessary changes for the better.
It is important that both the government and those in the minority stay focused and reduce the verbal assaults. Seriously speaking, our country, considering its enormous resources and its physical and population sizes, should not be where it is now. To make things better should be the collective objective of all and demands more hardwork and less talk.
fokofi@yahoo.co.uk
kofiakordor.blogspot.com
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