When politicians refuse to think: The Ghanaian case

INDIA is spending spend 525 million dollars to build the world's tallest statue. Yes, half a billion dollars for just a statue in a country where millions of people barely survive on a dollar daily. This has caused public anger over such acts of profligacy.

In 2014, the BJP ruling government of Prime Minister Narendra Modhi was an opposition party. They campaigned on ending the rot, waste and unwise spending of the UPA regime of Manmohan Singh. Today, power is theirs and their actions are clearly not different from what they preached against.

In 2008, I witnessed how lavishly the NPP campaigned in their attempt to win parliamentary seats as well as making Nana Addo president. The huge billboards of Nana Addo and the party's parliamentary candidates clearly dwarfed that of Prof Mills and the NDC and made mockery of the seriousness of the NDC to recapture power from the NPP after 8 years in opposition.

In-fact, it was a David versus Goliath affair. The NPP had money to spend and they spent lavishly. Their campaign was more of a Music-Music jamboree. Iconic High-Life kingpin- Daddy Lumba and several other musicians were paid handsomely to entertain crowds without selling out campaign policies.

In one journey from Kumasi to Accra to partake in the funeral of the late Kwadwo Baah Wiredu at the forecourt of the State House, I remember vividly how some members of staff of my alma mater sympathetic to the NPP mocked and teased another tutor sympathetic to the NDC because there were virtually no billboards of Prof. Mills along the road.

The few he had were labelled as not attractive per the opinion of these pro-NPP members of staff. To make it sound funny, these teachers ridiculed Prof. Mills' door-to-door campaigning, claiming it was not strategic and not well thought through as they questioned how a candidate could reach majority of Ghanaians by visiting them house-to-house and door-to- door? Satirically, they opined that it was only unfit candidates who couldn't withstand the tears and wears of rigorous nationwide campaigning that resort to door-to-door.

Yes, Prof. Mills' health issues and how strong or fit a candidate is for office did not just come from nowhere. It existed before 2008 and had been part of Ghana's dirty political environment for years. Nana Addo is not the only candidate to have suffered the he is ‘too-weak,’ ‘too-old’ and ‘too- sick’ syndrome. Mills suffered same and he suffered bitterly.

The NPP in 2008 also hijacked the media. Three days to the elections, almost every television channel had something to show about Nana Addo and the NPP campaign. On December 5 2008, almost every television channel broadcasted a documentary about Nana Addo. Images of his childhood, legal and political career were shown. It was in one of such documentaries that I learnt for the first time that Nana Addo once practiced boxing.

I remember my mother jokingly remarking, na berima tiatia na w)b) boxing saa no.” Translated as, “how can such a short person be boxing like that” In the end, the NPP’s expensive campaign billboards, posters, T-shirts, Maame Dokono and co-celebrities, musicians and the media hijacking could not win Akufo Addo the presidency. The NDC's door-to-door, tiny billboards and oversized six yards faded T-shirts of Prof Mills outclassed the expensive and brightly coloured ones of Nana Addo. The things people ridiculed about Mills and the NDC appeared more attractive and appeasing to Ghanaians.

Fast forward to 2012 and later 2016, the NDC in their attempts to retain power at all cost started behaving like the NPP pre 2008 elections. The huge billboards of the NPP in 2008 which the NDC alleged to have been financed from state coffers had suddenly become the toast of the not long ago economical and socialist NDC.

The NDC's billboards were far larger than what their opponents had erected in 2008. This time the NDC spiced it up by lighting them in the night by Chinese made neon bulbs. During the 2012 electioneering, Hyundai i10 vehicles were purchased by the NDC and given to leaders of its tertiary wing TEIN, across campuses. In 2012, a bus was branded with the images of John Mahama and for weeks kept roaming the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology just to advertise John Mahama to the student populace. Media houses were all choked with the NDC and their edey bee kurkurdu adverts. Notable media personalities were bought and it was clear that were championing the NDC's agenda.

This unprecedented extravagant campaign in 2012 would soon come hunting the entire nation as Ghana was plunged into a painful economic and power crisis in 2014. Amidst several denials by government, the Mahama administration had to go begging the IMF for a bail out.

Corruption under the Mahama administration appeared to have been state sponsored, approved and led by the president himself. His brother Ibrahim, was fingered in several shady deals. If the main boss was accepting a Ford Expedition vehicle as a gift or bribe as others still allege, how was he expecting his ministers and other appointees to reject similar gifts? Murtala Mohammed, a former deputy minister of Trade and Industry in a leaked tape claimed some people in the NDC has acquired ‘ill-gotten wealth’ Jerry Rawlings, the founder of the NDC also claimed majority of government appointees were thieves.

The NDC's 2016 campaign was no different from the previous one that plunged Ghana into total economic paralysis. Monies were spent like never before. People were paid and bussed to follow the president nationwide. At a time, the president and his wife were campaigning with state helicopters.

Chiefs were bought with cars, and they soon dirtied themselves, their stools and images by meddling in politics. Media houses like Montie, Radio Gold, TV-XYZ, Ahoto Fm, Metro TV, TV-Gold and several newspapers became the propaganda mouthpiece of the NDC. Randy Abbey, Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay Fm, Bobie Ansah, Mugabe Maase, Adakabre Frempong Mansoh, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. and a host of others showed clearly that they were doing the bidding of the NDC. Isn't it strange that Kwesi Pratt and his CJA cronies who demonstrated against increase in the prices of petroleum products under the Kufour administration would suddenly go missing when the prices of these same products were increased outrageously relative to world market prices during Mahama's tenure? Kwesi Pratt and his cronies who were now swimming in the largesse of power no longer thought about the ordinary Ghanaian whose livelihood is hugely dependent on the prices of petroleum products. Yet, our former president strangely claimed a so called media caballe were sabotaging his administration. Really, Mr. Mahama?

The NPP now in opposition and without enough funds quickly learnt their lessons. This time there were no musis-music styled campaigns. Nana Addo and Bawumiah were seen in almost every town in Ghana.

The party utilized the huge potential of its youth. From NPP Loyal Ladies to V-16, Mass Action for Nana Addo, Professionals for Change, Zongo for Change and a host of other groups, the youth were sent to every part of the country, campaigning door to door.

The party and its youth took advantage of the free advertising space offered by social media and for four years sold their message, propaganda and policies predominantly on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter. The party solicited huge funds from Ghanaians in financing its campaign.

Mobile Money applications and other initiatives were launched and made available for all Ghanaians to contribute to the party. At a point, head potters were even making financial contributions towards the party’s course. In the end, the NPP’s little-by-little retail campaigning won over the NDC's huge extravagant campaign.

My worry and point, why do politicians do the same things they always complain about in opposition when they get power? Are politicians only good at seeing the problems of the nation when in opposition? Why do governments pay little attention to the cries of the opposition but expect them to be listened to when they become the opposition? Why do politicians seem to care about the resources of a nation when in opposition but loot these same resources with impunity when given power? Why do politicians always think they are right even when the entire nation think otherwise?

A clear example is the decision of President Mahama to grant asylum to some former detainees of America’s infamous and illegal prison for terrorists called the Guantanamo Bay. Amidst the public outcry and condemnation by majority of Ghanaians, the president exercised the powers given him and accommodated these individuals on Ghanaian soil. Maybe, the brain of the politician only works when in opposition but ceases functioning once given power.

Since the screening process for President Akufo Addo’s ministerial nominees began, I have been mesmerized by how some minority parliamentarians who not long ago were ministers of state have tried chronicling the problems of Ghana to the would be ministers, seeking from them how they intend addressing them. Not long ago, these same people, happily chronicling Ghana’s problem were active members of the erstwhile Mahama administration. Had they been asked about these problems during their tenure, they would have boldly claimed all these problems had been solved. If they have conscience, which I believe they do, then that conscience should have guided them, that to be talking about all these problems just two weeks after handing over power to the current administration means their government did absolutely nothing about these problems when they had power for eight good years. Why could they not identify all these problems when they had power? Why were they not concerned about these problems when they had power? A perfect example is how sympathizers of the NDC, who not long ago argued that dumsor had been fixed by Mahama are quick to post on social media platforms calling on Nana Addo to attend to dumsor in their areas. If indeed dumsor was fixed by Mahama, how could it still persist? Maybe and just maybe, the brain of the politician works when in opposition but ceases functioning once given power. Power it appears blinds politicians and the partisan citizen from the obvious and makes them lose their sense of fair and honest judgment and assessment of issues. Politicians it appears only think about their nations when in opposition but refuse thinking once given power.

May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our politicians think about Ghana at all times.

MICHAEL KWADWO NKETIAH (Writer, Activist and Social Commentator)