Are they political martyrs?

Hon John Mahama, Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi and running mate for Prof Atta Mills recently toured the Northern Region amid funfair. Unfortunately, laughter turned to tears when an accident involving the supporters occurred resulting in a death of a young soul and life threatening injuries sustained by others.

This is an unpleasant situation for family and friends and is going to evoke an awful lot of melancholy for the family. Soon after hearing the news, I kept wondering why my brothers and sisters in the north love to put their lives at enormous risk during the political season. Undoubtedly, it is highly hazardous to ride motor bikes and bicycles without helmets, go on breathtaking speed and display unnnecessary-riding antics to the admiration of an oblivious crowd. What is more, the life of pedestrians is also in jeopardy when cyclist over indulge in unrestrained excitement.

One can excuse the cyclists but what is inexcusable is when vehicles join the fray and endanger the lives of many during political campaigns. This is particularly frequent again in the North when drivers in their political excitement try to get vehicles dance on our roads. This begs the issue of health and safety during political campaigns. It must be written that the frenzy that endangers lives during political campaigns in the North is widespread and affects all the political parties.

Now that the NDC have displayed how they can welcome the running mate of their party, you don't need to accurately conjecture what the NPP supporters are planning in terms of a welcome party for their running mate when selected. The battle to undo each other in marshalling supporters on the streets rages on! What have we as Northerners benefited at all from all this political game play? Easy answer- very little but thank God is not nothing.

But do we need to die for a party at all? Absolutely no. There is no martyrdom in kissing death for a political party at all. NDC and NPP have had their time in government and they have their merits and demerits. NDC constructed roads in the North and NPP came and advanced it. NDC extended electricity to the North and NPP pushed it further to the hinterlands. NDC had the misfortune of gazing in awe when the ethnic conflict swept the eastern corridors of the region culminating into loss of lives and destruction of property. NPP had the calamity of staring in utter inaction when Yendi simmered and boiled and the result was eerie. The Yana and his subjects lost their lives in a horrendous manner. So what is it to choose between NPP and NDC that we should seek martyrdom?

It depends on where you stand and I respect every ones choice but I am afraid choosing to die in the course of a political party only for the party to lose your vote and leave family and friends dazed with sorrow is a step too far and a costly one at that!