Are our leaders failing us?

The primary role of governments is to improve the wellbeing of their citizens. So, then what becomes of government that do not seek to better the lots of their citizens?

Such governments are branded wicked and insensitive to the plights of the masses who gave them power. Ultimately, such governments are booted out of power for failing to improve the standard of living of their people.

Uunder Ghana’s current democratic dispensation, we have had six governments including the current one. Yet, there is no much to show that the standard of living of the masses is improving.

Instead, we see a trend of abject poverty wreaking damages to families. Many ordinary Ghanaians continue to wallow in poverty. The situation is, however, terrible for impoverished communities across the country.

The underlying reason in all this is that many a times our governments quickly tend to forget the very people who give them power, when they are in government.

Therefore, Today is not surprised that we are recently seeing loads of protests against the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). And one characteristic feature about these protests is pressure on government to address socio-economic problems plaguing their communities.

Many of these communities have had to contend with some of these problems for decades, with successive governments making one promise and the other to fix them.

Though, the paper is lashing out at the duopoly of the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), it must also be said that we, the citizens, particularly those who vote to elect leaders in this country, are equally blamable!

We have always swallowed hook, line and sinker most of the things that these two parties—the NPP and the NDC—tell us during campaign periods, even when it is obvious that they are hoodwinking us to win power.

Perphaps, it is about time we looked at the ways of these two political parties and assess their performance over the last two-and-a-half decades of multi-party democracy in this country.

It is in the light of the above that Today is urging Ghanaians to be more discerning when making the choice of electing people to lead. And having given these two parties the opportunity to govern this country, it should not be difficult for us to make an informed choice the next time we have the chance to elect our leaders, even if it means brushing them aside!