Political Insults in Ghana ; Blame The TV And Radio Stations.
We don't have class in Ghanaian politics all we got is crass. How come people in political office, people who aspire to be in that office, people who call themselves leaders can go on air, on national TV and go that low.? Even kids behave better these days than these self seeking bunch of losers who can't make a living in private life and think Ghana owns them a living so being in political office to steal is the only way they can make it in life.
Do they need anyone to remind them that one's political opponent isn't his/her enemy? But don't just blame the politicians alone, blame the Radio stations, and the TV stations that give them the platform to insult each other. In fact political discussions in Ghana are very amateurish and organized in a crass way, it belongs to the gutters for sure. The program producers on Radio and TV plus the presenters and moderators are far below average in their skills. They are what mediocrity is defined. I don't call these shows discussion.......they are senseless quarreling and throwing abusive language here and there.
There appears to be no rules, or if any there are, they are not enforced. People interject and interrupt each other at will, and it degenerates into a senseless arguments where people shout themselves hoarse and it goes on forever and ....God know what. It is in a way a reflection of our indisciplined national life. Even High Schools debating club/society debates are better organized and students are more disciplined. Of course the moderators a these High School debates always do a better job.
I was appalled at how helpless that Samson guy on Joyfm and Multi TV was when Gabby went on and on and production crew was showing all the insults and the vituperations live. why didn't they cut the program off air? He couldn't control his panelists on his own program. He didn't know what to do.
The most annoying part of all this is that no sanctions are applied to these offending politicians by their parties and their bosses, even though they make hypocritical comments about political insults. Again no sanctions are applied by the Radio stations and the TV stations. You often see these sorry characters a day or two after insulting our sensibilities on radio and TV on the same TV stations and radio stations plying their trade. It is a shame that needless to say after going that low on Radio and TV, these characters are given the same platform to trade further insults. And society doesn't seem disgusted by their behaviour. In other words, no social sanctions are applied to them. WHAT A SHAME !!
This lack of discipline, and lack of sanctions or punishment for offenders is like a vicious cycle of immorality, corruption, and bad behaviour afflicting our politics. In Japan where I live any politician who goes on Radio or TV to behave that way must consider his political career over !! It doesn't even happen here but if it does, that person will become like a social outcast. No matter who that person is, no Radio station or TV station will like to have anything to do with him/her ever again. Voters will shun him and the weirdest part of it all is that even his own circle of friends will run away from him upon seeing him. They wouldn't like to have anything to do with him in public.
Japanese are quick to render an apology, and in most cases very sincere and remorseful apology but that would be accepted but after that be sure that he is history. A few years ago a young brilliant law maker in the then opposition party (now the ruling party) provided a e-mail evidence accusing the ruling government of supporting a candidate who was later indicted for shady business deals. When that evidence later was proved o be fake, the embarrassment he suffered forced him to resign from his seat and was kicked out of the party. Later reports said he was ostracized by family and friends for bringing dishonour to their name and FINALLY all these became too much for him to bear that he took his own life by committing suicide.
No Ghanaian politician will ever consider resigning for lying to the people. Koku Anyidoho is still arrogantly walking the corridors of power after his botched "the mansion is a gift from Regimanuel Estates" in explaining Mills newly acquired so called mansion. It was a huge lie by the newspaper that published that news item and Koku added to the lies by entangling the government and the Presidency on ethics problems. Koku Anyidoho should have resigned but he didn't deem it fit to apologize let alone resign.
We as a nation are indisciplined, we reward mediocrity, cheating, arrogance, corruption and all the negative vices that impede national progress. Not until we are able to put in place and strictly enforce a regime of sanctions at all levels that shame, and punish wrong doing we shall continue to struggle in darkness. We have some of the finest anti corruption laws in our law books but they are not enforced. You can put all the ink in the world to paper and write some of the best laws in the world but if they are not enforced they are useless and bloody waste of time. Good intentions alone are not enough. What matters is the political will to carry them through. I am done.
Ben Ofosu - Appiah,
Tokyo - JAPAN.
The author is a senior political and social analyst and a policy strategist based in Tokyo. He welcomes your comments; do4luv27@yahoo.com
