BISU has been the mouthpiece of students in the Bimoba traditional area since its inception over thirty years ago; and has also remained the only mouthpiece of the people of the area since there has not been any viable organization or association. For this reason, the Bimoba Student deems it necessary to unite with his fellow Konkomba brother to foster peace in the Bunkpurugu/yunyoo district.
Unionism dates back to the time when the human species began to live in communities. Whenever individuals identified themselves as facing a common problem or as claiming some common aspirations, they tend to come together or form groups. Groups or unions are formed for various reasons including those that sometimes tend to be negative or even destructive.
In this delivery, we want to use BISU as the platform to drum home the calls for proper leadership and peace in our deprived district. This is what Abed Bandim, a brother in the Diaspora, a youth activist, visionary and vicious leader has to lecture. Abed Bandim is the former President of the Bimoba Young Patriot’s Association in Accra. He is also the former President of the Robert Gordon University Students` Association (UK). He was also the First Foreign and Black International Student to be elected as the International Student Officer in Scotland to serve on the National Union of Student, UK.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BUNKPURUGU/ YUNYOO AREA
The recent disturbance of peace in the area and the subsequent accusations and counter accusations and threat of legal action among some leading members of the area is an indication of how divisive and polarised the area has been for a while now. It is an indictment on the kind of political leaders we have and those seeking for political leadership today.
It is about time the youth of Bimobas and Konkombas unite to educate their people to co-exist in order to pave the way for development as leading members of both factions have failed them woefully. I am ready to support the Bimoba students association (BISU) and their Konkomba counterparts to draw up a peace programme and physically educate our people to supplement government and other efforts to bringing permanent peace.
I was deeply touched when I read an article in the Ghanaian Times calling for a cease fire from both factions by a student of Accra Polytechnic and thought of ways to help foster peace and unity. It was also quite disheartened to hear leading political figures of the Bunpkurugu/ Yunyoo constituency on radio trading accusation and counter accusation against each other, thus confirming the suspicion that the recent disturbances might have been fuelled by politician’s mad quest for power.
This must be thoroughly investigated to unravel the remote cause of the disturbances; people found culpable dealt with according to the laws irrespective of their political affiliation and not swept into the carpet. Is disgraceful as it is disdainful to the image of both tribes who have been living together for many years,
It is for the reason I am calling on government to immediately institute an independent peace committee involving the chiefs and prominent persons in the area to investigate and bring peace in the area to pave way for development. The youth of both factions are more than willing to help government efforts for peace and will be seeking for support for education on the grounds.
THE FUTURE
Since 1992 when the then PNDC government lifted the ban on multi-party democracy to pave the way for parliamentary elections, it become apparent that our people have since been deprived of proper representation and development when compared to other constituencies in the area. Thus resulting in the constituency being labeled as the “most impoverished” in the country whose problems are not reported for action by government.
This is because those who had the opportunity to represent us lacked the exuberance, understanding, skill and knowledge to expose unambiguously the numerous problems in the area for institutions and government attention. For example early last year, it took the effort of some medical research students on a tour to bring to the attention of the ministry of Health and government, the contagious and endemic diseases in the area. To further buttress this fact, readers are reminded of a news article in the Ghanaian Chronicle edition of Monday 8, October 2007 where the District Director of Education for the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District, Madam Christina Tampie, about the lack of basic amenities and call on government to fast-track development initiatives in the district to help facilitate development of education in the area. She enumerated among other things the lack of electricity, communication facilities, good road network, modern classrooms and vehicles for schools as the hindering education in the newly-created Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District. According to her, “the only way she received information from her bosses at the regional and national levels was through her counterpart at the Saboba-Chereponi District, who transferred the information to her through a dispatch rider”. I view her call as very timely, a step in the right direction and a reminder to the politicians that they put their selfish interest above the suffering electorate. It is glaring that this calls for desperate changes in the leadership of the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo people. What the constituency wants are leaders who would mainly provide services, foster unity and development amongst my people and endow the youth with skills, foresight, and hope to become great achievers.
someone with the necessary skills, enormous experience both locally and internationally to tackle the problems and underdevelopment faced by our people and find solutions that will bring hope to our youth who are in dire need of motivation having been deprived from our current leaders.
The area want political leaders who will serve as the unifying factors for our people and will eschew policies of divisiveness, mediocrity and avoid politics of petty vindictiveness or otherwise known as “Pull Him Down Syndrome” in Ghanaian politic (PHD) for short against opponents. I end with an appeal of the youth in the district to stand up and be counted among the youth of the country in a fast growing world in peace, unity, education and development for the future is ours.
ON THE NATIONAL SEEN I strongly agree with those calling for a younger but dynamic and strategic leadership for Ghana. Ghana needs vivacious and visionary leadership to motivate and give hope for the youth, to work hard to achieve greater heights and also propel rapid development.
The slow pace of democratic advancement, national development and the high rate of corruption in the country can be traced to the current constitutional arrangement. We need an independent constitution where power is given back to the people and not vested in an individual with so many powers to appoint and disappoint. We now know that, DECs and other government appointees can be manipulated to determine the outcome of even presidential candidates of political parties which is the underpinning point to democratic governance. It is a situation where the input determines what the output may be in every organized social establishment. In my view the current constitution breeds corruption and brings underdevelopment. I call on the house of the Peoples Assembly to consider calling for a public debate and on the August house now to access the possibility of a referendum leading to the amendment of the 1992 constitution.
The lack of public demand for amendment of the constitution is as a result of limited or no knowledge of the constitution by majority of the general public. I concede that there is no excellent democracy anywhere in the world, but we have to study and adopt a system that will best suit us by giving power back to the people and making politicians more accountable to the electorate. Sixteen years down the road of our democratic expirament is enough time to identify the flaws in our constitution and consider rectifying them. To enhancing our democratic credentials and staying ahead and dictating the democratic space in the rest of Africa. Telling the whole world that indeed Africa is capable of managing its own affairs.
I strongly believe that the moral attitude and performance of the people is directly reflected in their leaders, just as their behavior and performance directly reflects on the nation. If you do not have democratic political parties you are more likely to end up with a manipulative government that will breed corruption. All political parties therefore, must guarantee true democratic practises in order to bring hope and trust to the people expecially the youth.
Singed
Abed Bandim (MLitt in Strategic Studies, LLM in IT Law) SRC President
The Robert Gordon University (UK)
