Ghanaian Politicians Are
Disconnected From The People And Have No Sympathy For The Poor
There is a justifiable public outcry against the over 150% increase in salaries
for the Executive and the Legislative branches of government as published in
the Ghanaian media. Coincidentally, just at the same time this outrageous
salaries increases were announced, there was a report in the news (which was
later denied) that Ghana Education Service employees have had their salaries
cut. On the average, the Ghanaian civil servant got a pay rise of 18% after a
marathon negotiations and threats of strike. Why not give members of the
Executive and the Legislature the same percentage increase? I mean if 18%
salary increase is good enough for the teacher, why does the MP or even the
President thinks he deserves more than 18% increase?
The work of the teacher, the
nurse, the Ghana Water Co. guy are equally as important as that of the MP or
the Minister. Our intellectuals who chair these bogus committees to make such
outrageous recommendations are bringing the name of the erudite profession into
disrepute. Kuffour set up a committee chaired by a so called academic to make
undeserved recommendations for a hefty retirement benefits for himself, and now
here we are again with another committee’s  outrageous recommendation unfortunately
chaired by another so called academic . Have our academics become partners in
the rapacious greed that’s ailing our politics and destroying our economy?
Â
The Wikileaks reports
says in some parts : Corruption in Ghana
WIKILEAKS ON CORRUPTION IN GHANA
35. Canadian High Commissioner Bobiash criticized the international community
for hobnobbing almost exclusively with the Ghanaian elite, based primarily in
Accra. He commented that this elite group, comprised of well-off and highly
educated people is out of touch with the other 95% of Ghanaians. The elite have
little understanding of or sympathy for the difficult conditions under which
most Ghanaians live, and Bobiash argued they lack a sense of urgency to do much
about it.
36. The American Ambassador expressed concerns about perception of rising
corruption. British High Commissioner Wetherell agreed with the Ambassador that
there is corruption in Ghana and that some politicians are using corrupt means
to get rich while they are still in power, including some officials in the
Castle..........................#WIKILEAKS
37. According to French Ambassador Jacquemot. Ghanaian elites are isolated and
do not understand the scope of poverty in their country. Jacquemot conceded
that corruption is a problem.........................#WIKILEAKS
The Wikileaks report goes on to detail some specific instances of corruption
and even names a host of politicians in the former NPP government for being
notoriously corrupt but all these people are now walking free with their booty
stolen from the poor Ghanaian. While the masses suffer in a desert deprived of
good drinking water and other basic need necessities, the Ghanaian politician
lives in an oasis of privileges and undeserved comforts yet they still continue
to steal from the poor Ghanaian tax payer.
It would be nice if our politicians will park their government allocated cars a
few days a month and take tro-tro to work. My political friends roll their eyes
when I make what they consider outlandish suggestions. A few, thinking I might
be serious, point out no African politician will behave in such a humble way.
Political power makes all of them arrogant and greedy in an undignified way.
I think some way has to be found to get our political leaders out of their
privileged cocoons. It troubles me that those we elect rapidly become lords
over us and isolated from the concerns of ordinary Ghanaians. Their primary
objective becomes stealing from the national coffers to amass wealth and
acquire properties. They start putting up multiple houses in a year, acquiring
hotels in the name of their children, depositing billions of cedis in their
personal accounts in a matter of months, transferring hundreds of thousands of
dollars from Ghana Airways to their fiancees abroad, drawing various sums of dollars
for per diem on their numerous useless foreign trips which brings the nation no
tangible benefits.
They are driven around in convoys sometimes running over and killing our
children without any sense of remorse, they are whisked past poor neighbourhoods
with a retinue of guards to keep strangers at bay. They behave like animals
chasing Legon girls, under aged SSS girls, and even married women as if they
live in the jungle with the law of the jungle in operation.
Those in government react with angry disbelief when accused by the people that
their greed is hurting the poor. They think they have to increase the price of
petrol to recoup the cost but they themselves continue to draw free petrol
everyday of the week. They use government vehicles for private purposes and
they see absolutely nothing wrong with that. They live in government houses
rent free while they rent their own houses to foreigners for hard currency (US
$).
They don't pay for utilities, they enjoy free electricity, free water, free
gas, and free telephone services. If you care to check their phone bills and
the numbers they call in a month, you will be shocked to find the percentage of
the cost and the calls that have nothing to do with transacting government
business. It will amaze you to find the number of calls they made to girl
friends, and to friends abroad all for the poor Ghanaian tax payer to pay. Why
is it that it is only in Africa that the richest men in any country are
Politicians?
Elsewhere, people leave politics to go into business because they believe they
can earn more there but in Africa and particularly in Ghana people leave
business to go into politics, because they can steal. If we don't disabuse our
minds from the mistaken notion that politics equal easy money and is the
shortest route to riches, we cannot attract our children to train as doctors,
engineers, teachers, lawyers, farmers, etc these are all equally important and
noble professions vital for our economic development as a nation.
So our politicians enjoy free housing, free car with free
petrol, free electricity, free water, free telephone service etc, so you are
tempted to ask what do they use their salaries for? The rest of us work for a
living by paying for these items mentioned above from our salaries but our politicians
don't have to pay for these. They enjoy them free but that isn't enough for
them. They are greedy enough to dip their hands into state coffers to steal
from the poorest of the poor. Our politicians are far removed from the daily
struggles of the ordinary people. They have no idea how it feels to miss a rent
payment or comb through the Help Wanted ads.
No wonder the people have become disenchanted with the politicians. It is
important for political leaders to get out among the people, experience their
daily life struggles and their aspirations and incorporate that into policy.
Politicians seem to have no problem visiting the rural folks at election time
when they need their votes but once elected they forget about them. I do not
agree with those commentators who argue that political life at the top is so
rigidly structured that a leader can not control his or her own agenda. Our
political leaders find time to play golf and to chase girls all over the place
throwing caution to the winds, so why can’t they break out of their comfortable
bubble to organize the people and join them in cleaning the filth that is
engulfing our cities and posing a public health threat? It is partly a question
of will.
Apparently, our politicians have gotten the message that we are satisfied with
their incompetence, mediocrity and arm chair leadership. We are not. If we
don't demonstrate our displeasure with the level of incompetence, greed,
arrogance, and corruption in government they will assume we approve of such
gross leadership failures. In a modern democracy in its infant stages like
ours, rulers are expected to leave their palaces, their offices, their castles,
every so often, and share the struggles and frustrations of their people. They
must demonstrate that they care about the poor. In that way they bring
government near to the people, as things are now, government is far alienated
from the people.
Ben Ofosu-Appiah.
Tokyo – JAPAN.
The writer is a senior social,
political and economic analyst and policy strategist based in Tokyo, Japan. He
welcomes your comments; do4luv27@yahoo.com
