Ghanaians have become politically savvy

Following the declaration of the results of the 7 December 2020 general elections, some Ghanaians have expressly concluded by making the sweeping statement that Ghanaians have now become politically savvy, thus, Ghanaians have grown wiser politically. They can now read between the fine lines to choose what is indeed good for their individual wellbeing, their collective interests and the prosperity of the nation.

Savvy is defined by the dictionary as, “practical knowledge and ability”

For me as a distinct individual, the statement being made by others that Ghanaians are now politically savvy is subject to scrutiny and debate. The election results which for some strange reasons have become contentious, underlie the difficulty of comprehension of multi-party politics by many a Ghanaian.

Some people believe if it does not go their way, then the whole nation should burn. Some people believe they were born heads but not tails, thus, to lead but never to follow. Hence when the tables turn against them, they must resort to mayhem in order to achieve their objectives.

Going back to the main topic of discussion, the Election 2020 results could be said to be oxymoronic. It is a bittersweet result for two reasons. It is sweet that the electorates have proved to our politicians, especially, the Members of Parliament that they cannot continually take them for a rough ride. Why should they vote for a person to become their constituency’s representative in parliament but he/she after winning the election will turn their back to them? Why should they vote for someone who will never visit the constituency for years until it is about time for another election where they will need the constituents’ votes to ensure their re-election?

Yes, it is not the basic function of a Member of Parliament to bring developments to the constituencies but that of the Municipal and District Chief Executives. However, the MPs are known to lobby the government through the various Sector Ministers to get developments to their various constituencies. This is aside their actual functions of participating in parliamentary processes of making laws for the nation and the citizens.

Again, there should be periodic interactions between the MPs and their constituents through the creation of what prevails in the United Kingdom as the “MP Surgery” where those with specific concerns can meet the MP or his/her staff in attempts to seek solutions to their problems. The problems could be personal or collectively concerning to the constituency. But for the MP to run away from them for unknown reasons, therefore not being seen as helping secure the needs of the constituency or the constituents, then no wonder that they will vote to kick such MPs out.

By sending this strong warning signal to the MPs that they cannot assume to be untouchables, any MP that has won their seat in Election 2020 will sit up to do what is expected of them to better their respective constituencies.

On the other hand, how can Ghanaians claim to be politically savvy when they allow themselves to be influenced by blatant lies? Does an Akan proverb not hold it that, “Wa ni tuo tum a yen ntia mu”, to wit, or translated into English as, “You don’t deliberately step into danger?”

Here was a former President cum Presidential-candidate, John Dramani Mahama, telling it to the face of the Ghanaian electorates that he lies as a politician, to the electorates in time of election to win their votes. The truth will be there, but lies will be told to people as long as by so doing you can turn their hearts over to you to get their votes. How do you, if you were politically savvy, take such a person so convincingly on his utopian campaign promises to vote for him?

If you were politically savvy, how could you so easily bring yourself to be influenced to accept a GHC10 or GHC20 note in a face/nose mask for a gift, on an election day, while about to join a queue to cast your vote, to instantaneously change your mind to vote for the candidate or political party offering you the gift?

To be honest with you, whoever accepted that pittance to vote for mediocrity is a BIG FOOL. How could you exchange your prosperous future, that of your children and offspring, I should say, for such a meagre offer that cannot last you even one day? He who fails to see the long term benefit of the free Senior High School education, Planting for Food and Jobs and the Industrialisation of the Ghana economy policies and programmes as are envisaged and embarked upon by the government, really has a problem as a human being. No wonder that John Mahama truthfully mocks Ghanaians as having a short memory hence can easily manipulate them as and when he wants.

How could Ghanaians cast such a greater number of votes for a political party leader who when he was the President, presided over his younger brother duping the nation of millions of Ghana Cedis? Was his brother not failing to pay for his import duty taxes to the tune of 12 million Ghana Cedis (GHC12, 000,000) at the time that the cover was blown off his head by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong (Hon), MP for Assin Central constituency? Had this same crook sibling of John Dramani Mahama not borrowed GHC58 or US$58 million from the Merchant Bank and GHC260 to GHC302 million from the UT Bank without paying even a Cedi of the money so borrowed back to the banks hence the banks going insolvent, bankrupt and collapsing finally?

Did John Mahama not illegally cede 75% of the Nyinahin bauxite deposits to his same younger brother when he had about a week to exit the presidency, having lost the 2016 presidential election? Do Ghanaians know the computational monetary worth of that bauxite? Is it not by taking away that illegally-leased bauxite concession to Mahama’s brother, and leasing it to the Chinese that the NPP government has raised money to construct the ongoing asphalted roads in Ghana?

Sorry, but to be honest with you, are we so stupid as people to be easily convinced to vote to bring back such a corrupt, visionless and incompetent person to rule us at the expense of a visionary leader who has put in place policies and programmes able to eventually uplift the black people from the economic and humiliating abyss in which we are currently held down in chains around the neck, wrists and legs?

To conclude, I understand the reasonableness of Ghanaians casting protest votes but to take that for them being savvy is highly contestable. From my viewpoint, as stated above, they are not. They voted in that manner to warn our politicians not to underestimate our intelligence anymore, pure and simple!

Much as I cannot blame them for the manner in which they cast their votes, I can as much inform them that they nearly cost the nation the credible emancipatory economic policies in implementation.