Fear, suspicion and desperation

Under normal circumstances, we would expect that periods of national elections would offer exciting moments when we look forward to electing a national leadership that will steer the affairs of state. Not only that; we would elect a leadership that would be able to harness the enormous resources God has given this country to move it from a state of under-development to a developed one. Unfortunately, elections in Ghana have become periods of fear, anxiety and apprehension. Whenever national elections approach, the whole country becomes a vast prayer camp where, with one voice, we pray for God’s abundant mercies and eternal forgiveness to see us through those elections with our bodies intact. It is strange and somehow sad that an opportunity to elect national leaders leaves everybody nervous and prepared for the worst. Strangely, those who are the key players in the exercise that has forced this country into a type of jungle where the fittest survives are the loudest calling for restraint and pledges of commitment to peace. Maybe the seeds of national discord and hostility were planted many years ago when we could not agree on a common ground for political independence. That disunity at independence continued to run through our political discourse and drew a battle line between the for and the against people. Somehow, that antagonism at independence which played a role in the declaration of a one-party state by Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his eventual overthrow faded a bit, as evidenced by the political campaigns of 1969 and 1979 when the country emerged from military dictatorships to civilian administrations. There was a return to the pre-independence and immediate post-independence days when the country was torn between powerful and rival political factions with the return to the Fourth Republic in 1992. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) both campaigned with strong tribal or ethnic undertones, a development which was not good for the psyche of the country. Our politics, for the larger part, is, therefore, not a contest of ideas and how to choose the best among the lot but a straight fight between those who can exert ethnic muscle and fan tribal hatred to win power. While there is the possibility of ethnocentricism, devastating though it is, crumbling with time or diminishing in influence as more and more people get enlightened and appreciate the beauty of unity in diversity, there is a more dangerous canker which poses a greater danger to the survival of our democracy and the stability of our country. This is the commercialisation of politics. Politics is gradually losing the objective of being an opportunity to serve and has rather become a means to instant wealth. If politicians are becoming desperate to win or retain power, it is not because their efforts to contribute to the development of this country are being thwarted but because, in the case of majority of them, their ambition to make it big without any sweat is being frustrated. It is obvious that many of those who have already established themselves in their chosen careers are not anxious to pursue political ambitions, even though they would prefer to have people they perceive to be more sympathetic to their cause in political authority. The only way to solve that problem is to make it more and more difficult for politicians in power and their collaborators in business to walk away with what they loot from state coffers. Once it becomes more unattractive to steal from state coffers, many people will not have the incentive to plunge head-long into politics. As a first step, anti-corruption laws and institutions should be strengthened and granted greater autonomy, with very little or no interference from the Executive, which spearheads the corruption deals in public service. Institutions such as the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Attorney-General’s Department, as presently constituted and operating directly or indirectly under the authority of the Executive, do not offer any hope in the fight against corruption. Until we make it difficult for men and women to turn millionaires overnight because of their political activities, we may chant peace but we should not expect a smooth terrain in our political discourse. We may not get the men and women with the call and the desire to serve this country, except the marauders who want to rape and plunder. Again, until we get an economy that can sustain credible employment for our young men and women, the hordes of our youth will fall prey to political vampires who would exploit their vulnerability. We are a few days away from Election 2012. We have said enough prayers to drown the ears of God. We have signed peace accords and made public declarations in favour of peace. Let’s wake up on Friday morning and cast our ballots peacefully and wait for the outcome. That is an obligation we owe to ourselves, not to any politician or political party. Let fear, panic and desperation evaporate into the skies and in their place, calm and order should reign. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com