We need a gov’t that solves problems; not because it wants votes – Prof. Gyampo

Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has hit out at government for now releasing funds to patch potholes in an election year.

Government through the Ministry of Roads and Highways last week announced that $150 million has been released to patch potholes across the country.

In a statement by Prof. Ransford Gyampo, he noted that Ghanaians must stop the ignorant subservient excitement for the release of $150 million for patching portholes.

According to him, this is an elementary job expected to be undertaken by the PWDs and MMDAs periodically.

He said starving these institutions of the needed resources and releasing money in an election year for them to undertake a basic task, is a blatant insult to the intelligence of Ghanaians.

Prof. Ransford Gyampo in his statement stressed that Ghana needs a government that will solve problems because they must be solved and not a government that just solves problems for votes to win an election.

“We must thwart the efforts of our political elites to perpetuate some of these tendencies. Everything must not be done because of elections and votes.

“We need a better government style that solves problems because they must be solved, and not for the purposes of soliciting votes from some ignorant unsuspecting voters. It didn’t work when Kufuor reduced petrol prices when we were going to undertake the second round of our 2008 elections, and it cannot work now that Ghanaians have become even more discerning,” Prof. Ransford Gyampo said in his statement.

Prof. Ransford Gyampo further indicated that the next crop of political elites in Ghana must rescue the nation from this sense of despondency.

Read the full statement below:
Let us stop the ignorant subservient excitement for the release of 150 million for patching portholes. This is a very basic and an elementary job expected to be undertaken by the PWDs and MMDAs periodically. Starving them of the needed resources and releasing money in an election year for them to undertake a basic task, is a blatant insult to intelligence.

We must thwart the efforts of our political elites to perpetuate some of these tendencies. Everything must not be done because of elections and votes. Our political elites, especially those outside power, must be up and doing. Their role in challenging some of these interventions must not be confined to their flag-bearers and a few acerbic communicators. Parties outside power must have a well-functioning and dedicated machinery built not around specific individuals, to keep regimes on their toes. This would ensure the effectively discharge of their duties by regimes, in line with the fiduciary trust reposed in them by the people. This is very important because, sometimes, the audacity with which the political elites in power conducts themselves and boldly make certain abstract claims, especially about how they have performed, speaks to the weaknesses of the opposition.

Ghana belongs to all of us but it is more responsible thing to do for the political elites seeking for political power to be more forceful and proactive in tackling and haggling the ruling government for the purposes of keeping them on their toes. Civil Society and Academics can only augment what the political elites do.

As we grow and become more discerning, we must not look on for our poor people to subserviently praise works that are expected to be done, but deliberately delayed to be undertaken in an election year, just for the purposes of soliciting for votes. This is a bogus practice that must be outgrown by our democratic practice.

We need a better government style that solves problems because they must be solved, and not for the purposes of soliciting votes from some ignorant unsuspecting voters. It didn’t work when Kufuor reduced petrol prices when we were going to undertake the second round of our 2008 elections, and it cannot work now that Ghanaians have become even more discerning.

There is a gradual dissipation of public confidence in the political elite of today and these vote-buying tendencies accentuates the challenge. The next crop of political elites in Ghana, must rescue the nation from this sense of despondency. For, democracy would bleed and none would be spared, if public confidence in duty bearers and political elites is completely eroded.

Yaw Gyampo
Prabiw,
PAV Ansah Street
Saltpond
Suro Nipa House
Behind Old Post Office
Larteh-Akuapim