The 5 sins in Ghanaian politics

Ghana, as peaceful and united as it may be, can somewhat be divided when it comes to issues surrounding the governance of the country – politics, to put it correctly.

The country is largely divided into three parts, with nearly half of the country being proponents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the other near half being supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the very few ‘neutral’ citizens.

So, every issue about the governance of the country, even issues of the court, is mostly debated or discussed through a political lens.

For instance, almost every supporter of the NDC would be in line with their party’s position, and supporters of the NPP would also follow what their party says, with a few people, mostly members of civil society organizations, being in the middle.

However, in spite of all these political biases, history has shown that there are actions – sins – Ghanaians across the board would not accept or tolerate, no matter the political party they belong to.

GhanaWeb looks at these 'sins' in the following listicle. For the purposes of this article, we will consider five (5) of the worst of the worst sins in the country's politics:

Speaking against the Asantehene



Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Making derogatory remarks against the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is one of the actions that is politically incorrect and for which no one in Ghana can get away with.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the king of Asanteman, has so much power that anyone who dares to make any derogatory remark against him and his kingdom will attract the furor of a large section of the populace.

Disrespecting the Asantehene likely means an end to your political career, if you were a politician, or an outright ban from entering any part of the Ashanti Kingdom.

It can be recalled that the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, incurred the wrath of the Asanteman after he supposedly made derogatory remarks against the Asantehene.

Chairman Wontumi was accused of disrespecting Otumfuo Osei Tutu II by one of the sub-chiefs of the Asantehene - the Kokosohene, Nana Kwaku Duah, in January 2024.

Nana Kwaku Duah accused Wontumi of challenging the authority of the Asantehene and saying that he (Wontumi) had his own kingdom in Asanteman.

The NPP regional chairman vehemently denied disrespecting the Asantehene, saying that he would never even think of it.

He explained that the kingdom he made reference to was a "political kingdom" and not a kingdom like that of the Otumfuo.

The Asanteman Traditional Council later summoned the NPP regional chairman over the matter but subsequently cleared him of any wrongdoing after cautioning him to be careful about his remarks about the Otumfuo.

The founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, also suffered a similar fate when he made comments that were disrespectful towards the chiefs of Asanteman.

Speaking against Kwame Nkrumah



Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

Another 'untouchable' person in Ghana's politics is the country’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who many Ghanaians revere as the founder of the country and whose legacy remains unmatched to date.

The vice-presidential candidate of the NPP and Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), found this fact out for himself very recently.

NAPO infuriated a vast majority of Ghanaians when he made comments that were deemed derogatory of the image and legacies of Nkrumah.

Addressing a gathering of party bigwigs and supporters on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, for his official unveiling in Kumasi, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh emphasized that not even Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, comes close to President Akufo-Addo when it comes to spearheading development in the country’s history.

“It has never happened in the history of Ghana. If President Akufo-Addo retires, I can hit my chest and state that since the nation’s inception in 1957, there has not been a president who has helped the state more than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I am saying that from 1957 to now, whether you pick ‘your’ Kwame Nkrumah... there is nobody who has led Ghana and protected the country or developed Ghana more than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” he stated.

His comments championed calls from the public for his resignation.

However, in a statement to apologise, NAPO explained that he didn’t mean to denigrate the former president or any other president.

Daring Organised Labour



The leadership of Organised Labour

One organisation no politician in Ghana would like to mess with is Organised Labour, which is made up of the Trades Union Congress, Public Sector Workers, and the Ghana Federation of Labour.

Politicians can dare individual labour unions but they would be laughing at the wrong side of their mouths if the entire Organised Labour is against them.

The recent brouhaha surrounding the botched deal to sell 60% shares of four hotels of the state-owned Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel Limited, which is owned by Minister for Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong, was proof that politicians mess with Organised Labour at their peril.

The entire country almost came to a standstill when Organised Labour declared a nationwide strike after the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, stated that the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) had approved the sale of the shares of the four hotels - the Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, and Ridge Royal Hotel.

This angered the labour unions who had stated that the deal was not in the interest of workers.

Almost all labour unions in the country, including doctors, teachers, nurses, and civil servants, adhered to the order not to go to work from Monday, July 15, 2024, until the government announced the termination of the deal.

Not long after that, Bryan Acheampong's Rock City withdrew its bid to buy the hotels, while SSNIT subsequently announced the termination of the deal to sell the shares of the hotels.

Tribalism

Most Ghanaians, no matter their political affiliation, would not condone any form of tribal comments.

A number of politicians in the recent past, including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, have come under heavy criticism for making comments that were deemed tribalistic.

President Akufo-Addo sparked the outrage of Ghanaians, including members of the NPP, when he told victims of the flood caused by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam in the Volta Region that he would not have visited them if he made political considerations.

“I came here because Ghanaians are having difficulties and suffering, and it is my responsibility to try and help. If it is a question of counting who votes for me and who doesn’t vote for me, I shouldn’t be here because you don’t vote for me, but that is not my concern,” the president said.

President Akufo-Addo was lambasted for weeks for failing to visit the flooded areas, with some saying that he was refusing to do so because the people of the Volta Region typically vote for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), and his comments, when he eventually visited the area, made things worse.

Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the senior presidential advisor, also came under fire for passing an ethnocentric comment that purportedly painted Asantes in a bad light.

The Senior Presidential Advisor, in a video that circulated on social media in 2020, was heard saying that the struggle for independence was led by the Akyems and that the Asantes were not involved.

He subsequently issued an apology for the comments he made, stating that the “comment was never intended to stir up ethnic tensions between Akyems and Asantes,” adding that “Ethnic tension is not a thing I want for our country or the NPP.”

The vice-presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr. Matthew Opoku (NAPO), was also criticized for threatening to lead a demonstration in the Ashanti Region if the Keta tidal waves was captured in the 2022 Budget.

“If the Finance Minister dares put Keta in the budget, I’ll also lead a demo to get Kumasi flooded areas in there too. Why are the Minority MPs not fighting for the people of Kumasi because it has flooded about four times already?” he queried.

Supporting LGBT+



A protest against Ghana's Anti-LGBT+ Bill abroad:

Any politician who openly declares his support for homosexual activities might probably be preparing to retire because the person would almost certainly lose the next election he or she contests in.

When the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, during the passage of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill in February 2024, asked Members of Parliament who were opposed to the bill to raise their hands, the entire house was silent.

This portends the political cost that comes with supporting LGBT+ activities because a vast majority of Ghanaians oppose it.

Almost every faith-based organisation has threatened that their members would vote against any politicians who support gay activities because these activities are not supported by the country’s cultures and the three major religions in the country – Islam, Christianity, and the Traditional Religion.

BAI/AE

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