POLITICIANS AND THE FALSE PROPHETS

The truth, they say is bitter but has to be said! I have no option! For some people, my words may sound like an arrow, piercing their heart; nonetheless, the truth has to be said! If my words would sound meaningful to an individual, that is the platform I need!

Personally, I am of the opinion that politicians are the same! They all speak the same language! The very words that come out of their mouths sound similar! Their tone, the same! Their mannerism, no exception either! Everything that a politician does is with the sole aim of benefiting himself! They might make claims of having the interest of the nation at heart, others might even shed a few crocodile tears, they might beat their fits on their chest, and sound passionate, but in the end however, the story remains the same; a disappointment!

In our Ghanaian society today, how many selfless leaders can we identify? Whether they promise heaven or earth, in the end, they enjoy the real benefits! Why would an individual, go through all the turmoil and humiliation, just to obtain a government position? Considering the struggle and mayhem associated with politics, it is always baffling and overwhelming the number of people who would do anything to find themselves in this ballgame! Even for the seemingly powerful individuals in our society, it always leaves me in awe whenever I listen to their sweet words of plea and persuasion, when soliciting for the votes of their electorates! Why would people succumb to this hell? Is it about selflessness, sacrifice, accountability, dedication, allegiance? How many of our leaders can be easily identified by these qualities? Your guess is as good as mine!

As the name implies, politics is all about the ticks! The blood-sucking insect! They are all blood-suckers! Others have also found alternative meanings for this word in re-naming it “Poli-tricks”. Indeed, I am tempted to agree with them! Politics is all about the tricks! Our politicians are using tricks on us, and for some reason, we fail or perhaps, choose not to see through these tricks! They trick us into believing that they can make things better in our society, and in our lives! They trick us into believing that they have our interest at heart! They trick us into believing that they are the most suitable for the job! They trick us into believing that they are better than their opponents, and perhaps predecessors! They win us over, and in the end, leave our hopes and dreams shattered! In the end, we are left bankrupt, poor, hungry, stranded, broken, and far worse off than before! They are all using us for their own selfish benefits! Beware!

On our various media, in our various political campaigns, on the various political platforms, it is all about a battle! The battle of words! Like our rap artists of today, the one who speaks the most words at a time is usually adjourned, the best rapper alive! Hence for our politicians, the one who makes the most promises is ultimately seen as the most popular, and the best candidate! O Ghana, I wish we would all open our eyes and see the stench we find ourselves in! A politician promises you heaven, when he practically lives in hell! He promises you peace, when he cannot find an inner peace! He promises you stability, when he is surrounded by turmoil! He promises you wealth when indeed; he struggles to keep his finances in check! He promises you food, when in truth, he hungers! He promises you a job, when he is actually seeking for one! How long would we allow ourselves to be fooled? Are we that gullible? O Ghana, awake from your slumber!

Just like the Holy Bible warned of the false prophets, so must we all be wary of our politicians! Their only language and philosophy is of lies and deceit! Their words are only of deceit! Must we rely on human strength to reach the heights that we so much deserve, as individuals and as a nation? Can the words of one man, or perhaps, several lying individuals, bring us comfort? Absolutely not! Indeed, this country has seen several caliber of leadership within the past decades, and still does. In all those years, we have seen the good, the bad, and the evil! A lot of these politicians have failed us! And yet, we seem not to have learnt any lessons! A few however, have made their marks, and to these few, we salute them all!

I am of the strong conviction that politicians are the same! Listen to them, and indeed, you will believe me! They speak a common language, perhaps, from a common dictionary! Politics is a game, and this game takes the swiftest to win! Like con artist, we are being conned each day! Like a typical player, we are being played! No trader would speak highly of another trader's goods, to the disadvantage of his own! Every sales person has been trained to market his brand of products, goods or services as the best, to the disadvantage of his competitor! So are our politicians! How many politicians of our day would proudly declare an opponent as the best candidate, even on grounds of morality or competence? Your guess is as good as mine! They would only speak of themselves as the best, although in truth, it is an absolute lie and deception! For these reasons, many honest, hardworking, and capable individuals have been destroyed in our game of politics! Those who have succeeded have usually been the ones who have mastered the game of deception! The con artists! In the end, we are at their mercy! Is it then surprising that Ghana has failed to reach the heights that she rightly deserves? We are being conned each day! Oh Ghana, awake!

Our politicians are just like the false prophets in the bible, who only scheme against their fellow men, to their own selfish advantage! In our cities are the relatively younger generation, who are being incited each day as combatants for these false prophets! These unfortunate youth, are being used in this game to secure votes for some unscrupulous politicians! Rather sadly in the end, these young men and women are left stranded after their bosses have had their wishes granted! It is an undeniable fact that our politicians are friends and colleagues! For the sake of this dirty game of politics under mutual agreement, they present a divided front to us, the electorates, fans, voters etc, when in truth; they are great pals who share jokes, drinks, exchange ideas, strategies, and businesses, among others! They agree to disagree! Behind the scene, they plan ways and means of misleading us, in order to win over our gullible hearts and votes, and in the end, screw us up! Yes, that is the wicked game of politics! So did the false prophets, in the holy bible! Oh Ghanaian youth, awake! Be not deceived! Let not the words of one power hungry individual, stir and lead you on to destruction! The interest of our nation far supersedes the interest of one selfish individual!

Our youth are being incited each day as combatants when our wicked politicians keep their children occupied in fancy schools and pleasure trips, surrounded by gluttony! Like the game of chess, they scheme on how to win our votes! In so doing, good reputations and images are tarnished heartlessly! Innocent people have been attacked, assaulted, and even killed! Each day, they scheme on new ways to turn us all against each other to their advantage! And yet, on a typical Sunday, we all gather in our churches in the fight against the devil! Must we look any further? Our politicians are indeed, the devil in disguise! Just like the false prophets!

Within some parts of this nation are several people who live in absolute poverty and deprivation! Rather ironically, these same people give out monies are dues to our various political parties in the name of party dues, in order to fund the selfish agenda of our politicians! The poor becomes poorer, and the rich, richer! Even the very little we have is being taken away from us, in the name of politics! It is the same with our false prophets who collect monies from us in the name of alms-giving, and in the end, squander these monies on selfish grounds! Instead of us constantly giving out to our politicians, let them give in return! We constantly give our, without receiving any in return! How long must this continue? Oh Ghana awake!

It is high time our politicians start paying us back! Like the false prophets, they keep taking from us! The country continues to wallow in absolute deprivation and poverty! Thousands of people are homeless! Several other thousands hunger and thirst each day! Others also live under poor health! A greater percentage of this nation cannot boast of living the average life! The little we have is being taken from us in the name of taxes and party dues! What has your party done for you? What has our politicians done for us? And yet, our politicians live in abundance! They thrive on our ignorance and perhaps innocence! They become richer, while we grow poorer! Even the supposedly most comfortable person, grows fatter, as soon as they go into politics! They supposedly richest individuals still end up stealing once they go into politics! Politics kills innocence! Politics corrupts! For these reasons, are politicians to be trusted? Who then, can be trusted?

As the good book says, it is better to trust God, rather than men! Let us all beware! Elections are around the corner, and as expected, the gargantuan promises have begun; whether credible or incredible! It is for us to either choose to be deceived or not! We ought to be able to discern! A politician is a desperate person; desperate for our votes! A desperate person takes desperate measures, and so, in the game of politics, all kinds of claims are made. For this reason, we ought to be cautious! Who then can be trusted? In the past, the few decent politicians have ended up being corrupted! Corruption seems to be a part of the game! The trusted few have in the end left us disappointed! Must we then not vote?

Of course, there is the need to vote! In as much as we all believe in the assertion that we cannot trust our own selves, to even consider others, we still cannot live without trust! We need to elect leaders who would strive to move the country forward! The lives of our leaders are living testimonies! We know these people! We work for, or with these people! We live with them! Let us at least, access their lives and their lifestyle and make the right choice! Let us vote for morality, competence, and integrity! That is the key, and rather not on grounds of tribal affiliations, party politics or perhaps physical outlook! Our choices in the past, have failed us, and so, lessons must be learnt!

Anna Esi Hanson ([email protected]), Takoradi.