Who does not detest dishonest, hypocrite, incompetent and corrupt politician?

Ghana politics has become a scorned profession, not a noble profession it used to be. Suffice it to stress that we have deferential regard for politicians who have the heart to tell it as it is.

Yes, some of us will hold in high esteem the unpretentious politicians who have the will, the wherewithal and the commitment to do the right thing. And we admire the politicians who have the courage of their aspirations.

Needless to emphasise that more often than not, some politicians would betray the trust we repose in them. Why?

Of course, we have politicians who are morally upright, empathetic, intelligent and knowledgeable. But then again, the vast majority of the modern day politicians are heartless, insensitive, greedy and corrupt, and, lack empathetic qualities to plan and place anything substantial at the disposal of the needs of the ordinary Ghanaian.

My honest and passionate opinion on the subject under discussion is that the vast majority of our politicians harbour vested interests, and, do not care about the wellbeing of the masses.

The late American president, Ronald Reagan, once said that, the most frightening slogan ever heard from politicians was: “We are from the government and we are here to help.”

And who says that we do not have manipulating politicians in our midst? Obviously we have plenty of politicians whose primary objective is to clasp political power by the hook or by the crook so as to advance their vested interests.

Ghana, as a matter of fact, has been lagging behind in terms of economic advancement largely due to lack of true patriots to oversee important positions in the past.

Apparently, greed, selfishness and lack of empathy have been the order of the day. It is an illustrative case of ‘every man for himself’.

Disappointingly, though, the unpatriotic and selfish attitudes of the men and women we often put in responsible positions have indeed cost this nation dearly.

But all said and done, it is never too late; we can undo the wrongs by working honestly, collaboratively and diligently towards a meaningful advancement.

It is absolutely true that we have in our midst some honest men and women who have the wellbeing of Ghana at heart to put things right.

Needless to state that if some nation wreckers elsewhere choose to hide behind political party and steal from the national purse, we will need courageous and ever prepared law enforcement bodies and the judiciary to crack the whip without fear or favour.

“No heart, no brains, no courage – guys, why haven’t you gone into politics?” says a cartoon of Dorothy chatting to the tin man, the scarecrow, and the lion.

Yes, the vast majority of our politicians have no hearts. They are heartless. If that was not the case, how come they have wilfully dipped and continue to dip their hands into the national coffers to the detriment of the poor Ghanaians?

Just take a look at our political landscape and you would agree with me that most of our politicians harbour vested interests, and have no empathy whatsoever.

Dearest reader, how can we make any meaningful advancement as a nation when the greedy and corrupt politicians and other public servants continue to steal from the national purse as if tomorrow will never come?

It is somewhat disheartening to know that the people we entrust with the day-to-day management of the nation continue to steal our scarce resources to the detriment of the penniless Ghanaians.

Dearest reader, at this juncture, let me digress a bit: a few years ago, a Turkish Taxi Driver impoliticly asserted: “Africans are not intelligent”.

The vociferous Turkish Taxi Driver stressed that “Africa’s retrogression is largely due to lack of intelligence on the part of Africans”.

Although I did not agree with the Taxi Driver at the time, upon a carefully considered reflection, I came to a sad conclusion that the impolitic driver was after all on point, for most Africans are intelligent and knowledgeable, but the stark reality is a sizeable number of Africans are deficient in wisdom.

Make no mistake, we have all the skills, knowledge and qualifications. Sadly, however, we lack the needed wisdom and motivation to transfer such knowledge.

Suffice it to state that we have some well-trained individuals who prefer ripping off the system to applying their acquired skills and knowledge at the disposal of the nation.

Frankly speaking, the Turkish Taxi Driver had a valid point, but in my opinion, he should have linked the lack of meaningful development in Africa to the “lack of wisdom on the part of African leadership”.

Well, I think that is a true reflection in the sense that it is the leadership that takes all the important decisions in the nation building.

Thus, it would not be farfetched to attribute the slack in our advancement to the leadership’s persistent awful errors in judgement.

Yes, we have to attribute the looseness in the economy to the elitists who claim birth right to politics and leadership.

How can we develop as a nation when large portions of our scarce resources can be doled out to apologists like Madam Akua Donkor for no work done?

How can we alleviate poverty amongst Ghanaians when some conspiratorial plotters can pay dubious judgement debt in the tune of GH800 million including a staggering GH51.2 million to Woyome for no apparent reason?

Do they really have the nation at heart when they nearly gave away 58% of Ghana’s bauxite to Mahama’s sibling, Ibrahim Mahama, on 29th December 2016, just a little over one week before exiting power?

How can we advance as a nation when the brother of former President Mahama, Ibrahim Mahama, can egregiously evade import taxes to the tune of GH12 million in a period of over two years?

Obviously, we all have a part to play in our torturous journey to advancement, but if the elected politicians failed to put advantageous policies in place, I am afraid, we cannot realise any meaningful progress in the socio-economic living standards.

It beggars belief that in spite of the unbridled corruption, the arrogance of power and the irrevocable incompetence by the erstwhile NDC administration which resulted in massive economic collapse, the NDC apparatchiks would still have the moral authority to accuse others of non-existent sleazes and corruption.

Dearest reader, if this is not sheer hypocrisy and dishonesty, what it is then?

Let us face it, though, the NDC operatives weird attitude and behaviour do not represent true patriotism. Candidly, no true patriot would desperately try to thwart the progress of his/her country through dubious means.

“A patriot is a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. “Every patriot has qualities of bravery, devotion, and honour.

“The term patriotic refers to believing strongly in one's country and defending its honour. “Naturally, a patriot is bound to feelings of national loyalty because of an intense and passionate love of country.”

In fact, if we were to go by the preceding extant acceptations of patriotism, we can confidently and honestly deduce that some of our current crop of politicians patriotism is questionable.

In sum, so long as we have voracious and corrupt politicians and other public servants whose preoccupation is to amass wealth at the expense of the hardworking tax payers, I am afraid Ghana may never see any meaningful advancement in our lifetime.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com