Does Parliament want to destroy Ghana?

Power corrupts and abosolute power corrupts absolutely, it is often said. There is no doubt that Parliament has absolute power to make laws for this country. This power resides with the Majority in the House.

It is again said that in a democratically elected Parliament such as that of this country the Minorityshould have their say while the Majority has its way. One underying ingredient of this concept is the tyranny of the Majority.


The question then arises whether the Majority in Parliament should exercise its power in the interest of this country or in its parochial interest.


This writer is of the view that the power of the Majority must be exercised in the supreme interest of this beloved country. He also believes that if everyone sincerely pursued the national interest, there would be very little disagreement. It is only when a group's interest is portrayed as the national interest that problems arise.


Every student of criminology knows that the first question to ask when a case of homicide is reported is: Who would benefit from the death of the victim? This approach assumes first and foremost that human action is predicated on expected benefits to be derived.


Opayin Kofi Boadi, the father of this writer, used to put this concept in a picturesque way: He used to say: "Afun Kwaku epunu afunu agye amadee no na efri ehoo waa wie" Literally put: "Kwaku the hunchback accepts to carry a heavy load in addition to the load he is already carrying because of the benefits he hopes to derive."

So the question is: What benefits does the Majority in Parliament hope to derive that it wants to pass the Representation of the People Amendment Bill?


Is the Majority being haunted by the idea that because their Government had brought about economic hardship to the majority of the people, while they wallowed in oppulence, the people would not vote for them so they would have to rely on the votes of those outside who are not suffering?


One has been forced to view the situation in this way because the danger that the passage of the Bill portends is sp obvious yet it is bent on passing it.


When this writer had the privilege to visit Germany at the invitation of the German Government to witness State Elections in the Free State of Saxony and Brandenburg in September 2004, he discovered that proxy voting depended heavily on the honesty of the officers of their Electoral Commission and the trust the people had in them.


At Potsdam, this writer saw an Electoral Officer, a Lady in a room alone, putting mailed proxy votes into mailbags to be sent to the various counting centres.

The question is, in this dear country of ours would the average voter accept that before the ballots are counted the electoral Commission brings a bag full of votes purportedly cast by Ghanaians resident outside to add up to the locally cast votes?


My Brother! My Sister! This is a recipe for confusion in this country. In this country suspicion is so much. Our Elders say: "Oyaa suro Oyaa", which literally means: "Each one is afraid of the other". This mistrust gave birth to the use of transparent ballot boxes. This country has a history of stuffed ballot boxes before votes are cast and experience they say is the best teacher.


Can anyone imagine the confusion that would erupt in this country when the local voters had elected a President and the Electoral Commission came to announce that with the addition of proxy votes a different person had won the election?.


Oue Elders say: "Se wo nim owuo a hwe nnda", which literally means :"If one does not know death one should just take a look at sleep." At the close of voting in Election 2004 the whole country sat on tenterhooks as the Electoral Commission delayed in announcing the results. Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, was forced to call a press conference at the Castle, Osu to announce that the New Patriotic Party had won so their supporters should not panic. He was, however, quick to add that it was not the official results. One would like to entreat the majority in Parliament to spare this dear country of ours this hazardous trip.