Election 2016
God, and your arms, be prais’d, victorious friends,
The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead.
England hath long been mad, and scarr’d herself;
The brother blindly shed the brother’s blood.
The father rashly slaughter’d his own son;
The son, compell’d, been butcher to the sire;
All this divided York and Lancaster
Divided in their dire division
O! now, let Richmond and Elizabeth,
The true succeeders of each royal house
By God’s fair ordinance conjoin together!
And let their heirs (God if thy will be so )
Enrich the time to come with smooth-faced peace,
With smiling plenty, and fair prosperous days!
Abate the edge of traitors, gracious God
That would reduce these bloody days again
And make poor England weep in streams of blood
Let them not live to taste this land’s increase
That would with treason wound this fair land’s peace
That she may long live here, God say Amen!
Shakespeare
It was emphatic, very assertive and convincing, it was incontrovertible and decisive, Ghanaians made their mind long before the 7th of December 2016. The victory was sweet, the defeat was resounding; no amount of electronic massaging could have turned the verdict. The cruising to victory was a hopeless journey, the comfortable lead was very discomforting, the massing of party supporters to the premises of the dazing President was just to offer him psychological stability. The change which was blowing across the four corners of the country was so intense that morning birds heralded its coming with sweet music at dawn. The leaves of trees gossiped and whispered in joy, even the bulls moaned in ecstasy, the coming change. It was only those inebriated with arrogance and disrespect of the Ghanaian, who were blind to the coming change.
Yes, the referee in the game was certainly not impartial, when the NPP, through vigilance and hard work had collated a substantial percentage of the results from the Polling Stations across the country, the spokesperson for the match commissioner comes out without any figures to tell the world that massive over voting has occurred elsewhere in the Ashanti Region. No such complaints had come from any political party contesting the elections in that particular region. What was the object, to create an avenue to cancel some results in favour of the battered NDC? The plot was exposed: the Chair of the Commission comes to tell the world that her system had been compromised. Which system? The system put in place to rig the elections?
The primary source of information as far as the elections are concerned, were the statement of polls from the polling station which at the end of the day were posted at public places for the perusal of all. These were not compromised in any way and they could not have affected the results. If the Commission at the time could not collate its results from the polling stations, then ‘nara ooo, nara aa’.
The big question now is what was the change about? Obviously, the change was not for the sake of change. This country had heated up; there was hopelessness and helplessness all over the place. Nothing was, but what was not. Families lost their balance in the normal scheme of things, the youth had lost all hope of making a decent living, the future was so clouded with fear – uncertainty hanged around everyone else except the ruling class. Students were agitating, workers were losing their jobs, those entering the job market have had the gates shut at their faces. Businesses had collapsed and many more were collapsing and there was no salvation in sight as long as the NDC was in charge.
Corruption had become a national pastime, but available to only those who had access to public funds and resources. Public funds were being dissipated through over invoicing, inflated contract sums, mostly done through sole sourcing and in many instances plain thievery. Accountability under the NDC has been anathema. There was rat race in the race to acquire wealth and see who is who in the looting of national resources.
Those who did it in a manner that drew public anger and complaints were quickly sent to the official seat of the presidency to be coached in how to steal without being caught. Most of the juicy contracts of the state were handled by a select few at astronomically high costs. Processes and procedures were thrown to the dogs by the Mahama administration. Indiscretion, rashness and open indecency became the modus operandi in public affairs. So entrenched were these aberrations that the only laxative that could purge the gunsels in government was the change that the good people of this country have brought about.
They were so intoxicated by their evil deeds, and so confident in their often perpetuated evil manipulations of elections that no amount of wise counsel would put the breaks on them. They were impervious to reason, and doing what was wrong to the society at large, but to their individual benefits, it was a nobility engraved on marble stone carved and polished by them. Under the Mahama led government, indecorous acts by state appointees became acceptable way of governance. Prominent and elderly citizens of the state who dared criticize not even the personalities in government but the way the nation was being managed, incurred the wrath of the babies with sharp hard teeth. So acidic and acerbic were their tongues that their victims could not wash off the dirt splashed on them even in the Atlantic Ocean.
The more insulting a party member was, the higher his or her chances of being appointed a Minister of state with public resources to further ply his or her obnoxious trade. Mahama himself openly engaged in tribal and divisive politics to the detriment of national unity and cohesion.
What change do we expect from the incoming administration? Ghanaians can be assured of honesty in government, openness in public discourse, humility in social and political interactions, transparency in the way things are done, modesty from appointees of the President, efficient management of our collective resources for the benefit of all. There is going to be massive departure from grandiose and populist execution of public projects to investments in social and economic infrastructure that will enhance economic growth and its attendant job creation outcomes to ensure that the youth have jobs.
Ghanaians will see a change in leadership style that is founded on transparency, rule of law and participation, respect for individual rights and above all, respect among ourselves as Ghanaians. There is going to be a change in the fiscal and monetary policies of the country such that businessmen as well as individual Ghanaians can predict and plan their economic lives into the future. That the offensive acts of impunity exhibited on a daily basis by public officers with callous disregard for the feelings of the public, will give way to accountability and probity.
The people of this country in general are also required to change their way of doing things, attitudes towards each other, the state and everything that belongs to all of us. State institutions set up by law should change their lethargic attitudes towards their work. They should refrain from being dictated to by political party hirelings and faceless people with no defined authority. The Police Service in particular must do its work professionally to guarantee the safety and security of each and every single individual of this land.
The situation where the Police acts or does not act on the basis of one’s political colour should change to the principles of equality before the law. Civil Servants as well as Public Servants must act in line with their training and ethics. Change in attitudes will help the nation grow. Party faithful in the victorious party about to take power must be moderate in their expectations from the President—elect. Not every one of us can be appointed to a public office. Let us allow the incoming President to select from among the generality of our compatriots, those who can help him improve this country. The change must change us positively.
Let me wish you a Merry X’mas in advance. I have postponed my mahogany bitters until post January 7, 2017.