Are we fighting for the right kind of Power?

It was an incredible sight to witness a great multitude of our fellow citizens pacing the streets of Accra for better electricity infrastructure in the country. Organizers of the February 18 demonstrations refer to the persistent power crisis which has had negative economic implications for business and ordinary Ghanaians as the motivation for the protests. It is news to no one that Ghana faces many serious economic challenges. With the instalment of democratic governance two decades ago, was cautious optimism for economic prosperity to come with the established political harmony. We would be doing injustice to all the past great leaders of this country if we were to say that there has been no economic development whatsoever since 1992. Surely, we have come very far. Currently the literacy rate of Ghanaians is higher than it has ever been. More Ghanaians have access to medical care than was the case in the eighties and nineties. In 1990 the average life expectancy age at birth was 57 years. At the moment, this is number is 63.

One may ask, the country has seen incremental progress over the years, so what is the problem? Whilst modern technologies have become more accessible over the years - which has contributed enormously to some of the developments outlined above- , public sector governance continues to worsen. Mismanagement of public resources has contributed to an increasing volume of government debts. Citizens are facing unheard hardships. In the fall of 2014, the financial affairs became so critical that the government had to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout. With a crippling economy, worrying levels of impoverishment, it is an under-estimate to say the Ghanaians have reached their saturation level.

Whilst relying on the established democracy in the country, once every few months Ghanaians take to the streets in high numbers to demand a better economy, fair labor conditions, reliable public services etc. Despites the hundreds of public protests, very few if any can be deemed as leading to progress.

The latest series of anti-government demonstrations have been triggered by the persistent power outages in the country which has led to the collapse of many viable enterprises and exacerbated individual economic hardships. Inasmuch as it is great to know that the continuous belief in democracy and in the freedom of expression is the driving force behind these

demonstrations, we are however inclined to ask, is it really electrical power that we the people should be fighting for? We believe the answer to this question is NO!

In our view the demonstrations should rather target the core of our economic predicament: the apparent ineptitude of citizens in ensuring the most qualified candidates are given the mandate to lead this nation. What we should demonstrate against, is allowing ourselves to be deceived by politicians time and time again prior to elections. We should recognize and accept part of the responsibility for implicitly or explicitly making a few political parties complacent about their role in Ghana's development. Our actions or better yet indolence instill a sense of belief in many politicians that we the people are toothless, and that the former will be elected to power no-matter the level of (non) performance.

Some of us are willing to accommodate incompetent leaders if it means we can personally benefit from their mandate. We are prepared to reward corruption with re-election as long as we receive short-term benefits from the former. Politicians have the audacity to insult our intelligence because we have engendered a conviction that power starts and ends with them.

Fellow citizens, as much as our leaders should be blamed for their poor economic choices, we need to also point a finger to ourselves for condoning their (in)actions. Whilst many of our compatriots engage in strong advocacy for public mindset change, their voices are hardly discernable because of the political culture we have sustained the past two decades. We must join them in their noble protest to change the foundations upon which our democracy depends. We must fight for a profitable and true democracy anchored in a truly powerful people. We must move away from the status quo in which citizens have been dehumanized and considered mere assets for achieving personal financial ambitions.

When the right conditions are in place, we can and should protest about individual issues like inadequate water supply, delayed workers' pay, power outages etc. For now, what we should fight for, is regaining the absolute power of the people! We must work to advance our own needs, using politicians as instruments and not relying on them as our redeemers. We must protest against our declining moral values. We must redeem ourselves. It is our responsibility to pass Mother Ghana on to future generations with our heads held up high. We are responsible for our own fate.

The 2016 National Presidential and Parliamentary Elections present a unique opportunity for the People's redemption. Let us grab this opportunity and run with it. Cast your vote based on the competence of your preferred candidate and not based on where s/he comes from or his/her political affiliation. Let us get the right persons in place and the seemingly insurmountable problems we see now will melt as snow in the face of the midday sun. Reclaim sovereignty, reject empty politics and redeem Ghana!

Issued by President
CiPED Movement
Ms. Manuella Appiah
+31 630 471108
+233262131680