Death In The Name Of Dirty Politics

The democratic credentials of Ghana as a nation can never be over-celebrated. It is not a small achievement for a country in the sub-Saharan Africa to go through six (6) successful general elections without events capable destroying the peace and stability of the country.

As a result, Ghana has been touted as a model of good governance and a beacon of democracy in Africa. Let me put on record that Sierra Leone has taken Ghana's place to be the most peaceful country in West Africa, according to a 2015 report by the Global Peace Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace. Ghana lost its place to Sierra Leone due to the access to small arms and light weapons, increased internal and external conflict among others. This should sound a signal to Ghanaians that gradually the successes we have chalked over the years in our democratic dispensation are fast eroding.

As Ghana prepares for the much anticipated general elections on December 7, concerns of political violence, tribal conflicts, smuggling of weapons and terrorism remain the most feared among political and social pundits like myself.

Now, I have watched with keen interest events leading to the upcoming general elections and I am of the opinion that if care is not taken we will come out of this elections very bruised. As I alluded earlier on, the stakes are very high for both the incumbent government and the various opposition parties.

Over the few days, Ghana has witnessed political violence between the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in three separate incidents. If my memory serves me right, at least nine people were injured in these three separate incidents and this should be worrying particularly because Ghanaians go to the polls in a few days. The NPP and the NDC who are the worst culprits, clashed right in front of the residence of the NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo few weeks ago. Since then, two more clashes have been reported: First in the Asokore in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region and later Region. The incident at Asokore in the Eastern region was particularly bloody. These many believe, are evidence of an embedded and well-calculated schemes by some of the political actors to cling to power by fair or foul means.

This year’s political campaigns have been relatively on a low key and that is what makes the whole situation quite volatile because all the political actors are keeping their cards very close to their chests.

The use of social media as a tool for politicking has been massive this year. Social media though effective can sometimes amplify slanted views or political biases. With the 2016 presidential election taking place in few days, social media can be more powerful or dangerous. President Obama was the first president to successfully leverage social media before it became as ubiquitous as it is today. His AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, the popular networking site, quickly became one of the most popular threads of all time. Part of the campaign strategy was to reach minority groups and young voters which proved to be highly effective in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Given the success of these campaigns, it’s hardly surprising to see some of the presidential candidates in Ghana like President John Dramani Mahama, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom active on Facebook and Twitter. Indeed, some of today's political discourse starts on social media, and the medium often amplifies virulence and biased information.

This year’s presidential election is not the first event in which social media has been used as a political tool, but today it carries dreadful weight and influence over the eligible voters especially the young and the young at heart. We have seen both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the biggest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) not forgetting the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) use social media to their advantages, but it's often the surrogates, supporters and fanatics who shape perceptions, according to whatever views serve their preferred candidate's interests.

A close monitoring on social media shows that we are reaching a tipping point. The abuse of the various social media platforms like facebook, twitter, Whatsapp among others by some politicians in the upcoming polls can no longer be underestimated. It is therefore important that a bit of focus is shifted to how social media is managed within the electioneering period. The Inspector General of Police’s decision to ban social media was received with mixed reactions across the country. Whilst others believed that it was a call in the right direction taking cognizance of the fact that the teaming youth of these political parties have taken entrenched positions even on the internet and have fears about the unknown, another school of thought believes that banning social media will amount to infringing the rights of the ordinary Ghanaian and an abuse of people’s freedom. Nevertheless, these two opposing thoughts all agree that there must be caution and enough education on the use of social media in reporting and discussing issues before, during and after the general elections. It is critical that information is verified before reposting to avoid giving party fanatics the opportunity to create fear and panic.

Like in the recent Presidential elections in the United States of America, Ghanaians have also had their first share of prophesies from men of God about this year’s elections. The involvement of the prophets in governance of nations dates back to biblical times. The issue of prophesies is a very common phenomenon, especially during each election year. But while some people treat these prophesies with the contempt it deserves, others put a lot of premium on the revelations.

Right from the beginning of this year, some men of God have revealed who would eventually emerge the winner of Election 2016. They include Ghanaian prophets, Agyemang Prempeh, Emmanuel Kofi Enim and Owusu Bempah. Most of the prophesies have centred on the flag bearers of the two leading political parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the leading opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP). Though these prophesies differ, it is not in my place to confirm or castigate any of these revelations but it is imperative that the so-called prophets of God show circumspection in pronouncing the ultimate winner of the Presidential elections. This has the tendency to create animosity in the mindset of some electorates.

As we inch closer to December 7, let us be mindful of the fact that electoral accountability is key to a free and fair elections. One gray area these political parties have not explored much is how to handle defeat. Yes, no one goes into any contest to lose but parties must also be mindful that power lies in the bosom of the voter and not the politician. Politics is about trading of ideas and not blows. The game of politics is never like football where two teams can play a drawn game and close. Most definitely, there will be a winner and a loser and both will play a vital role in making sure that Ghana comes out of this election “Better together”.

It is important that actors in this game come to the realization that irrespective of the grounds one cover, the assurances by electorates, prophesies by men of God and projections by pundits, the pendulum can swing to any direction, the possibility of losing to an opponent is real.

Let us all resolve today that there will not be any bloodshed or killings in the name of politics. It is my hope we learn that to celebrate what we have in common rather than our differences. May we (Ghanaians) come out of this election in PEACE not in PIECES.

God bless our homeland Ghana.
Benjamin Osei Boateng
The writer is a Communications Strategist & Social Analyst

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