The Politics of “Pull-Him-Down"

Last week, the former Chief of Staff, Mr. Kojo Mpiani, took his turn before the Presidential Commission on Ghana at 50 and had some profound advice for the nation. He said “This atmosphere of looking at everybody with suspicion, my Lord, cannot, I'm afraid, move this nation forward. We cannot build a nation this way.”

The Chairman of the commission, Justice Duose agreed, stating “I hope the press which is leading the campaign of vilification in this country has heard you well. As I sit here, they have started vilifying me. I am going to be here for a short while but they have already started pulling me down”.

Co-incidentally, just this week, Sudanese billionaire Mr. Mo Ibrahim announced that there will be no award after his foundation had short-listed Nigeria's Obasanjo, South Africa's Mbeki and Ghana's own Kufuor for the prize that bears his name. Afterwards, there was open jubilation by some Ghanaians because President Kufuor did not win the award. That was a textbook case of “Pull him down politics”. While Mr. Ibrahim has a right to decide when and if to give away his money, President Kufuor deserved to win. An award is given, not to a perfect person but to someone with worthy accomplishments. When Africans voted Nkrumah the greatest African of the last century, they were not endorsing his introduction of one-party state or Preventive Detention; they were recognizing his contribution to the emancipation of blacks all over the globe.

While Mr. Kufuor had many faults, he was a good President who moved Ghana and Africa forward.

He made it acceptable for African leaders to submit to review by their peers by volunteering Ghana for the first African Peer Review Mechanism.

He made it routine to have an African leader at every G-8 summit by getting invited virtually every year. His government conducted the closest election in Africa's history and handed over power to the opposition party.

He was a peacemaker on our continent. That was the last of the many contributions he made to the building of the democracy we all proudly joined President Obama in celebrating with a visit to Ghana last July.

Here at home, he helped expand the frontiers of our freedom, and gave us the NHIS that has freed over 11 million Ghanaians from the clutches of the “cash-and-carry” system. Oh my, how soon we forget! While Africa has a long way to go, we have come a long way and as President Obama recognized, Ghana has led the way with Kufuor playing a key role. In our recent history, Africa has produced Abacha, Amin, Bokassa, Bongo, Mobutu and Rawlings of “hand over to whom?” fame amongst many other less than democratic leaders. President Kufuor is a long way away from any of these leaders. Indeed, what has happened on the freedom front in our country since Kufuor left office should underline how good Kufuor was. Even as I write, in places like Niger, Gabon and Madagascar, democracy is under pressure. Honouring Kufuor would have been a very powerful message to the Mamoudou Tanjahs of Africa. And it would have been the moral equivalent of President Obama honouring Ghana with a visit. It is inconsistent to celebrate Obama's visit and what it signified while rejecting an award for Kufuor and what it signifies.

But my interest is really not whether or not Kufuor won the award. It is the joy so many took in Kufuor's failure to win the award that disturbs me. As Ghanaians, should we not pull for any Ghanaian who has a chance to bring honour to our country? Would the prize not have brought honour to Ghana and infused some cash into our economy? Since when did we start wishing failure on one another? I know if Nkrumah was alive, he would have been pulling for Kufuor to win the award. Those popping champagne and doing cartwheels because he did not win are wrong and must be ashamed of their conduct.

To return to Mr. Mpiani's point, we seem to have a collective desire to destroy everybody in public life.

We vilified Nkrumah after his overthrow.
We demonized Busia after his overthrow.
We killed Afrifa, Archeampong, and Akuffo in disgrace.

We humiliated Limann.
We embarrassed Rawlings and we are hard at work doing worse to Kufuor. Unfortunately, this attitude does not stop with only our former Heads of State. Some former Ministers have been treated just as badly. We routinely presume that our political leaders are corrupt without any evidence. Like spectators watching the bulls at Pamplona, we eagerly anticipate the downfall of our politicians. This is not of course, to pretend that none of our politicians are corrupt or that those who are should not be punished. It is the certainty with which we presume them guilty of any wild charges that should worry all of us.

While Justice Duose fingered the press, I am not sure that the Press alone is to blame. I believe the biggest culprits are our politicians who eagerly denounce other politicians to the press in order to look good themselves. Of course, whenever the tomorrows that Mpiani referred to comes around, those who denounced others are in turn denounced.

The unfortunate thing is that when for instance, NPP members call NDC members thieves and all other kinds of names and NDC members return the compliment in equal measure, Ghanaians believe both of them and conclude that all politicians are thieves and criminals.

The sad part is that this attitude of vindictiveness is not just reserved for members of other parties. We attack members of our own parties with a viciousness that we seldom show to other parties. For instance, baseless charges and violence between members of the same parties have led to harm. The NDC nearly split up after voting shenanigans in Koforidua a few years ago while in the NPP there has been a death of a party member from attack by a fellow party member. More to the point, there is evidence that some of his own party members had a hand in Kwame Pianim's disqualification in 1996. Amongst the smaller parties, there is a believe amongst some CPP members that the stories that broke about Dr. Nduom with regard to corruption and teamwork, in 2008, were engineered by factions in his own party.

Indeed, even the motive behind the establishment of this commission when the auditing process can uncover any misdeeds is suspect. Purely and simply, this commission is an attempt by over-eager NDC politicians to put those who handled Ghana at 50 in a bad light. Presidential and/or Judicial Commissions have been a very effective weapon for vilification of opponents over the years.

While the politicians are the primary source of the destructive stories, the media are their indispensable allies. Unfortunately, the recent proliferation of media outlets has worsened the problem.

A few years ago, one of my non-Ghanaian friends visited Ghanaweb and was amazed at what she read.

“Doctor” she asked “Why do you guys insult one another so much?” To cap that, she asked me the meaning of a Ghanaian word one of the respondents had used in describing another contributor and as a gentleman, I could not bring myself to translate that word. Sometimes, others get to know us through our internet sites and we must be conscious of that.

While leading politicians are the major targets of this vilification, we extend it everywhere. Recently, I wrote an article on how our nation should tackle the swine flu and one of those responding just attacked me for being an NPP member viciously. I and many others were completely at a loss as to how an article on swine flu had anything to do with my party affiliation but that was typical.

What can we do about this cancer that is destroying our nation?

First, we must all accept that while we are all entitled to our opinions, nobody is entitled to their own facts.

Second, our politicians must do a better job of looking for facts. That is why we must pass and implement the “Freedom of Information” Bill as soon as possible so that people can have timely information about the workings of government.

Third, we must strengthen our Parliament so that in real time, they can ask for information on behalf of the people and thus minimize room for speculation.

Fourth, we must strengthen the National Media Commission so that it can hold journalists and media outlets to account for irresponsible reporting. It should not be possible for a journalist, for a few cedis, to destroy a reputation made over a lifetime with a few well-placed stories.

Fifth, all of us, as human beings must give others, even if they belong to other parties, the benefit of the doubt. We must accept that others who come from different parties or regions or tribes, may have different perspectives from our own and still be good patriotic Ghanaians.

Let us, when we meet on the pages of our newspapers, on radio stations, at internet sites and other places to debate issues, attack ideas and principles instead of people. Let us show courtesy and consideration to all.

Consistent with this, I pledge that someday, if President John Evans Fiifi Atta-Mills ever did well enough to be short-listed for an award, I will be praying for him to win. That is what good citizens are supposed to do.

Even when others have wronged us or our country, let us punish the wrongs while loving those involved.

Next, we must eschew the penchant for revenge. When we seek revenge because others have wronged us in the past, our nation will never grow. An eye for an eye, eventually, will leave everyone blind.

As Richard Nixon left after resigning the Presidency in 1974, he gave his staff advise that all of us must heed.

Said the departing President, “Always remember, others may hate you… But those who hate you do not win unless you hate them. Then you destroy yourself”.

Finally, stemming from the last point, we must love one another, as people and as citizens of the same country. None of our tribes, our parties our regions or our religions can build this nation on their own.

Let us work, together, as the Satellites did to win the world cup, to move our nation forward.

Credit: Arthur Kobina Kennedy
Email: [email protected]