Defrosting Ghana's frozen democracy with 24 hour economy

The year 2024 would go down in history as the year that Ghanaians finally took that leap of faith to vote on national issues and not party colors.

Many Ghanaians, both at home and abroad, have been wrangling with the thought that Ghana, our motherland, can never deteriorate into a civil war because their argument is that Ghanaians are very peace-loving people. However, over the past 7 years, the Ghanaian of 2024 has been more emboldened to finally begin to call it as we all see it, and credit goes to the various social media newscasters and opinion leaders who speak for the general and national interests void of party politics.

Now let us not forget that many of these youths at the forefront of this push to bring more awareness to our people all live outside Ghana, where they witness/experience what the benefits of democratic values and development mean to their citizens. The Glass NKOAAA approach, started by Twene Jonas, gave birth to the flooding of views and awareness on the issue of comparison between Ghana and the countries where these social media influencers now live, and the question that then raises is: why can’t Ghanaian leaders that travel to many of these foreign destinations, where they see these beautiful developments, infrastructure, ways of living, etc., come back to Ghana and never want the same for their own citizens?

This creates what we call a frozen democracy, just like the eggs of humans are frozen in fertility banks to be used later.

Ghanaian leaders have frozen up our democracy, and some argue that they want to be the only people who get to enjoy traveling abroad to see and enjoy the better ways of life so that when they get back to Ghana, they will continue to see everyone that has not gotten that privilege as someone beneath them, and therefore they have the right to lead them. But today that bubble has burst out and scattered all over social media thanks to patriotic Ghanaians who seek to empower Ghanaians back home to want the same things they enjoy in their various countries of abode.

The 2024 elections will be a test to see the fruits of their labor, and what is critical is how these fruits will be harvested by Ghanaians, who today understand the need to vote on issues rather than on personalities and cheap rhetoric.

The ruling government seems to fail to let Ghanaians know about what they have been able to do over the 8 years of their governance, let alone show Ghanaians what the over 500 billion cedis borrowed did for the country, other than what some see as lavish lifestyles while the people wallow in abject poverty. The Cathedral project that the NPP reeled in notable pastors and priests for has actually created a dent in the minds of millions of Christian voters in Ghana, so much so that pastors are now helping Ghanaians descend from corrupted promises that go to serve carnal interests.

Finally, the damage control that the Vice President of the country embarked on, trying hard to make the Christian population of the country see past failed promises, does not seem to yield the desired or anticipated results because he seems to have shot himself in the foot by saying stuff like, Ghanaians should now try out a Muslim president, a statement that takes away the essence or patriotic stance of a Ghanaian and reduces it to religious politics.

Our democracy indeed needs defrosting, and the various rhetorics from all the players in the political arena seem to create the needed heat to defrost and dismantle the old status quo. From the ruling NPP party through the opposition NDC party and the now-Butterfly Movement, Third Force, etc., all have discerning Ghanaians who want what is right to be done by the very people they vote into power, so 2024 indeed will be a deciding moment for the democracy of Ghana.

The international community on the sidelines is watching with eagle eyes to see what happens, and those that have already been stunk by the poor economic decisions have folded up and left the country.

Fellow Ghanaians, it’s time to overlook cheap rhetoric and sloganeering and to choose wisely so our collective lives will be better for all. God bless our homeland Ghana.