Ghana's army of rebel voters

"The politicians live in the biggest mansions, drive the most fashionable cars, send their children to expensive schools abroad and wallow in opulence, sometimes beyond common sense."

The rising flood of rebel voters on our voter's register in recent elections constitute a veritable threat to our national aspirations.

In 2020, out of the over 17 million registered voters, close to 4 million people did not turn up to vote. Only a little over 13 million people voted.

And this worrying trend is set to get worse looking at the despondency among Ghanaians about electoral politics. Chances are that a lot more people would find more prudent ways to spent December 7th rather than queuing in the sun for hours to cast a vote for politicians to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses.

So far, neither the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) nor the Electoral Commission (EC) has been able to persuade rebel voters to go out and cast their ballot.

The politicians themselves have been largely unsuccessful in convincing people to go out and vote. Thus, the stage is set for even more voter apathy and absenteeism in this year's elections than in previous years.

While this matter requires some scientific interrogation, it is easy to hazard a guess for the growing voter apathy in our recent elections.

On top of the list is voters' zero confidence in the ability of politicians to improve the living conditions of every Ghanaian.

Recent political developments have shown that a vote for a politician is a vote for the exploitation of Ghana's resources by party lynchpins, their family members and mirmydons to the exclusion of other Ghanaians.

The politicians live in the biggest mansions, drive the most fashionable cars, send their children to expensive schools abroad and wallow in opulence, sometimes beyond common sense.

Thus, the ritual to legalize their largess every four years by casting votes for them is nothing but an outrageous arrangement to perpetuate their illegitimate wealth and happiness against the suffering and unhappiness of the masses.

Indeed, the only time politicians respect the masses is when they need our votes to keep us rooted in poverty and discontent while they legitimize their hold over our wealth.

Thereafter, you need an appointment to see them, permission to pass by their street, and police protection to spend a few minutes in their office.

Unfortunately, elections is the only legitimate way to capture the state. The whole electoral edifice appears to be a gentleman's arrangement to transfer state resources from one politician to the other without violence while the poor looks on helplessly, powerlessly, fatally, painfully and wretchedly.

We can only envy them --- the politicians --- when they speed past us in their convoluted V8s or at worst refuse to cast our votes for them out of good conscience.

As much as it is our right to vote to enrich them, it is also our right to drag our feet and refuse to vote if voting brings us no happiness except envy and regrets.

Let someone else vote for them. But like Pontius Pilate, rebel voters will wash their hands over the crucifixion of the Christ if that would guarantee them a cleaner conscience.

Let the blood of the nation be on the voters!