Heading Out

South Africa is kicking Jacob Zuma and the ANC out of office. In Germany, Angela Merkel is losing ground because the people say so and Britain has closed itself out of the European market with the “Brexit” vote. You might not agree with all the reasons for these developments by citizens, and particularly when you think that the USA might just vote Donald Trump into office – I shudder and get feverish.

But more exciting and what I welcome is the Turkish push against ISIS and the possibility of cessation of fighting in Syria, routing Assad out of office and the choices we can make freely of who governs us in Zimbabwe, DRC, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Like many Africans, I am fed up with the way we do our politics and I am desperate for a change in elective procedure. I am desperate for a change in the threat of Boko Haram and all the dictators to whose advantage illiteracy contributes wealth and hegemony and I believe sincerely that given half a chance we can show a different side of Africans and demonstrate some capability to exceed if not match what is dished to us by the West.

In South Africa where they have moved from the first past the post voting to electing municipal officers on a proportional representation basis, the ruling ANC is reeling from a badly managed economy and corruption by a misdirected leader and we are readying to see a more appealing party that conveys some hope in the future and is pressing for a change in the way the autocracy washes its face chin up in spite of the looming financial crisis and anaesthetized politics, as if nothing else can dislodge the solid majority bequeathed by Nelson Mandela.

And this week, the NPP mounted the stage at the National Theatre, where their Vice Presidential candidate took the stage to compare claims by the government of its economic success in making roads in places not necessarily justified; but only after “stealers” had successfully stopped them from using their preferred choice of the International Conference Centre.

The NDC is claiming re-election on the basis that over the eight years, their massive infrastructure push intended to achieve enormous economic activity and create much needed youth employment across the country, has been wildly successful and they deserve another term in office to move the process on. Of course the NPP disagrees and went wild on the podium to reiterate their development and state their case for a return to make Ghana a much more liveable landmass for the next four years.

Unfortunately for the ruling party, Ghanaians are yet to be convinced that this is as clear-cut as they would like us believe. I certainly don't; I neither see the roads nor feel the employment and the jury is still out whether all these roads actually exist and were built in this term of their government.

Every possibility for development I believe in was in Bawumia's two-hour delivery. I want to see factories in every district. I want dams in every village, I would like to see a change in the way we elect District Chief Executives, I desperately believe we should change the way we borrow money and spend, I want free education to SHS level and I need to be assured that we will put these resources into bigger more targeted solutions; visible and measurable and clear solutions to rural and community development.

But let me add to the list. I want proportional representation all the way down to district level; I want parliament to change to a more resource management institution, where financial resources will be better distributed to districts and administrative and development autonomy devolved to districts and municipalities so we can judge capability properly and measure growth direct with comparisons from data that the regions can collect and analyse to ensure that citizen's needs are addressed and particularly, that youth can find placements in places of excellence right at their doorstep of birth and not have to travel needlessly to come to urban centres to beg for their rightful access to better education and jobs.

We cannot keep on mismanaging our economy year after decade. There are countries just next door; similar weather, nearly identical produce, same foreign markets and same access to commodities as we have. Ivory Coast is in a tsunami of development. You need to go see what Outarra is doing with the resources he has at his disposal and how he has succeeded with a war-ravaged inheritance to stay the lead in cocoa, palm oil and now cashew. A remarkable achievement by any standard, and no blaming world markets. By the time we re-visit elections and this piece next time, they will have up-to-capacity energy solutions for their industries and we will still be haggling over killer tariffs for ours. It is what we do. We haggle and bicker while the cocoa production shrinks and our revenues dwindle to our levels of religious acceptance. We give it to God and wait for the rains to fill our single lake.

But what is it we have to do in Ghana?
Change the avaricious politicians who have strangled our development till they realise we will keep advocating for better governance and more progressive living standards and sit up to meet our needs. This primitive attack approach to resolving good governance and development has to end. If nothing struck me at all from Mahamudu's speech, it was his clear voice and sincerity of the direction needed to turn the economy.

The NDC Government has gone to town to call him a liar, his use of data, which they generated and recorded, has created an uproar because the numbers are true. Even so that the ever so subdued Veep, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has peaked from under the blanket of quiet and waded into trying to disprove his matched counterpart. They don't question the results; they insult Bawumia's intelligent interpretation of the numbers that demonstrates the flaws in their financial strategy and their failure to better the NPP success between 2000 and 2008.

I will count down the first 100-day program for a change to district elections and hopefully mayoral and/or municipal chiefs who will respect the will of the people and engage every citizen in their community as well as the traditional chiefs who should once and for all stop selling our civil rights for land cruisers, motorcycles and bicycles.

Democracy is not a war, it is not “Aleppo”; we should grow up into elections from this year. I don't have to agree to your politics. Respect mine as I will yours and let my ideas metastasize citizen thinking so we can all make sensible contributions away from primitivism. Those who find this too difficult to accept have an option. Head for the door, it is right in front of you, and don't bother with the lights, “dumsor” has already taken care of them for you.

Ghana, Aha a yε din papa. Alius atrox week advenio. Another terrible week to come!

Sydney Casely-Hayford, [email protected]