Politicians, Election Violence and divisive behaviours: killing Ghana

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Politicians and their election violence coupled with divisive behaviours are Killing Ghana and making ordinary citizens scared ahead of the 2020 general elections. The feeling ordinary citizens have currently is that Ghana is no longer a safe haven and incidence at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Bye Elections and others during the aftermath suggest that, politicians only support what favours them whether good or bad.

Violence and divisive behaviours

As a child growing up I was taught a lot of good things about my country, Ghana, through songs, books and other forms of oral literature at home in school. I sang many songs too, the passion, pride, and joy in my singing could motivate an entire army to win a battle. I loved my country I thought it was a big united front until I begun to understand the dirty side of our politics as a country.

I grew up only to realize great divisions along tribal lines, religion, beliefs and the greatest of the divisions being political. This is because in a political party you could have members of diverse tribes, beliefs, and religions which should unite us and foil help such occurrences but the reality is that politics seems to make us enemies rather than people with different ideas regarding how our nation should be governed. Divisive behaviours and selfishness have taken the better part of us. Sad to say, that sometimes, our politicians fuel these occurrences.

According to the Electoral Commission of Ghana, there are thirty (30) political parties in Ghana but only two have managed to gain the interest of the majority of Ghanaians. Since 1991, it’s been these two parties who have come close to the presidential seat, they are like a tossed coin if it’s not the head it definitely will be the tail. For the past twenty-eight (28) years it’s been these two, even though the remaining political parties manage to win a few parliamentary seats, it’s nothing to write home about.

I want to use this opportunity to commend the remaining twenty-eight political parties who vie for presidency every four years, for their determination, I believe Ghanaians have a thing or two to learn from them.

The two relevant sides, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have ruled this country for the past twenty-eight years. they mount their campaign podiums and make all the attractive promises to Ghanaians all in a bid to get elected into office and at the end of the day Ghanaians fall for one of them, mission accomplished.

When they assume office they are no longer the same people who made the promise but HONOURING their own promise becomes difficult and sometimes I see reason with them on such actions because if they tell us the TRUTH then we won’t grant them their wish. There is one thing that is done perfectly by these our politicians, that is, performing the duties of a party in opposition.

When it comes to that there are no excuses they execute such duties perfectly it makes me wonder if Ghana will be a better place if these two political parties end up in opposition at the same time I think they can keep whoever the incumbent might be in good check and also keep them on their toes for the entire term.

Just recently there was a by-election to elect a replacement for a dead member of parliament, this proceeding was supposed to be a peaceful one, because it was for just one constituency out of the two hundred and seventy-five (275) constituencies we have in Ghana, but it was rather unfortunate that we made it clear to the world that Ghanaians are desperate for unnecessary violence, whatever happened at the polling station on that fateful day was totally uncalled for.

On an actual election that involves the whole nation we barely have enough policemen at all polling stations, that is where you will hear people giving statistics about civilian and police ratio. A troop of “Ninja” SWAT team was deployed by “No one” in the police branded vehicle, fully armed stormed the polling station did what they taught was right and left. Election violence in our democracy is a big minus for a country that makes so much noise about the maturity of her democracy.

Then a leader of an opposition party suspected foul play because all the victims where members of his party so he said ‘my party has a revolutionary root so we will match your violence boot for boot’ (paraphrased).

A good leader is one who seeks the interest of his people, but in seeking the interest of your followers must it be at the detriment of others? and if your act of seeking the betterment of your followers means that putting these same members you are fighting for, at risk?  then you are nothing less than a “wolf in a sheep’s clothing”. We are at a point of civilization where conflicts which result from election violence is an outmoded practice that needs to be abolished and so must leaders who use cunning ways to suggest violence must be treated as an outlaw.

As a people we owe it to our nation and future generation to either improve or maintain the sanity we are enjoying now, disrupting it will be a spit in the face of posterity. Ghana is too big for any of us, so together “ let us uphold and defend the good name of Ghana” and make this country governable. Ghana is more important and bigger than any politician and his or her political ambitions.