'POLITICS IN GHANA'

Accra, July 11, GNA - Many Ghanaians consider their mornings and sometimes days incomplete until they have had the opportunity to listen to one morning show or the other which often than not feature politicians who claim to be informing the ordinary Ghanaian about what is going on in the nation, Ghana. Wondering why the use of the word claim? Anyway, that is the importance of my piece.

Politics in Ghana, like in many other democratic nations, is extremely important and an issue of great concern to a greater percentage of the population. A female activist once advised that it was always important as an individual to pay much attention to politics because the people elected to run the affairs of the nation automatically control the individual's affairs whether you like it or not.

According to the activist, “In a democratic state we eat politics, drink politics, dance politics, sing politics and in fact do everything with politics.” How then do we handle politics in Ghana?

It is the hallmark of every politician to solicit votes from the ordinary person in the state in order to achieve his or her dream of having power, whiles the making of promises is the most vital tool used in soliciting for this votes. Whether they are true or not, is for the politicians to tell but for the ordinary people, they hardly get all that they are promised.

The veracity of campaign messages by politicians does not seem to be an issue of great importance to them as it is to the ordinary Ghanaian. Some people have even concluded that it is very unnecessary to join any political party at all in Ghana, not to talk of even voting because rather than all Ghanaians it is only a small section of the population whose lives would improve depending on which government is in power at any given time.

Whenever politicians are campaigning they do not stop to think of how they can accomplish their promises. Their inability to deliver on the promises they make during the search for power have made politicians liars in the eyes of the people. They find ways and means of winning the hearts of the people to vote for them to attain political power.

Being in opposition in Ghana is also another issue worth discussing. In a democratic state the Opposition is very important but in Ghana political parties who find themselves in opposition seriously abuse their rights, especially, their right to criticize constructively.

In Ghana instead of members of the opposition criticizing the government constructively they rather condemn everything the government does, be it good or bad, thus creating the impression that all they care about is the people's interest and not their ambition to gain power for self interest.

Surprisingly the people who criticize the government in power of not living up to expectation often tend to repeat some of the things they

condemned when given the mantle to rule. These issues become even more critical when we take a close look at our current affairs programmes that are run by the various media.

It is always disheartening to hear politicians or their representatives speak either in defense of their parties or against their political opponents, on the airwaves. What will become of future generations of this nation if they continue to be exposed to such language! Politics is a game of chance; it is either one wins or loses. So, honorable politicians in your quest for political power be careful not to pollute the minds of the people of Ghana for your selfish interest.

(A GNA feature by MERCY NANA AFUA MINTAH)