Are Politicians The Only People Who Deserve Better In This Country?

I am very sure by now some people are thinking that Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III is getting crazy. What at all is wrong with this loud mouth police officer? He should probably be sent to Accra Psychiatric Hospital or Pantang before he gets out of control. Somebody should just take care of this guy before he becomes uncontrollable but the truth is that even if I am getting crazy or mad, it is "abodam anitie3". With category of such crazy people, they know the way to their houses and also know to put food through their mouths. I am probably one of them.

I am just expressing my views and opinions in a free democratic Ghana where there is no law barring police officer from expressing his views and opinions. If anybody tries to faults me, it is a constitutional breach and I will fight for my constitutional right as a Ghanaian. No doubts about that whether I remain a police officer or not.

I am asking whether the politicians are the only people who deserve better in this country or what? Is this country only for politicians? Should we all also join politics to enrich ourselves or what? Our politicians are becoming a curse to us more than blessings. Look at how lawless this country is fast becoming with vigilante groups and the rate at which our farmlands and water bodies are being destroyed by illegal mining yet these politicians have the guts to still ask for more of the lean leftover national cake that we are feeding on it. I hear 40 of them who left the walls of parliament since 2009 are asking for retirement benefits apart from ex gratia and I think it's very crazy though their demands may be legitimate. Should every thing in this country be given to politicians at the expense of others?

Isn't crazy to see members of parliament asking for their retirement benefits apart from ex gratia? I thought these people were rather supposed to sacrifice for this country? I hear they are demanding based on the recommendations of Hessey committe.

Every 4 years we vote for them to come to power and make themselves rich. Often times when they come to power the first thing they do is to increase the salaries and allowances of article 71 holders because that is their interests. Their salaries are often reviewed upward despite the public outcry that the financial standings of the country is bad. They come and quote unreasonable economic terms to signify that indeed the financial position of the country is worse yet they still get the gut to better their conditions of services first. As bad as financial status of the country is, the politicians keep having improved conditions of services compared to all public workers together with the use of state cars and bungalows and other lucrative conditions that may come with the portfolio one is holding.

Aside all the improved conditions of services, they become very arrogant and disrespectful to the ordinary Ghanaian who gave them a job. The fouled and inflammatory languages that are spewed from the mouths of some of them raise questions as to whether these so called politicians truly have the love of this country at heart? Some of them are parasites feeding on the milkbush.

When I heard that some 40 former members of parliament are putting pressure that they should be paid retirement benefits apart from ex gratias they received, I really got angry and sad. Yes I was angry because the politician who claim they love this country more than anyone else should actually be exemplary in sacrificing some of their benefits for this country particularly in times that we claim our financial position as a country is bad. I think our politicians are nothing but greedy and very selfish people. Which country koraaaaaa is this where there are so much unfair treatments and discriminations among conditions of services? If it is for the politicians, that one receives a quicken attention but if it is for other public workers particularly the security services, it is always in the dry pipeline simply because we cannot demonstrate or go on strikes because the same politicians have made laws to restrict us.

About a year and half ago when the doctors went on the nationwide strike, the member of parliament for Efutu, Hon. Alex Afenyo Markin argued and threw his weight behind the doctors and almost suggested that the work of the doctor is more important than the police officer considering the number of years they are trained compared to police officers. He considered the doctors to be more skilled than the police of which some of them cannot read or write their own names. He was of the opinion that police officers have policy document in the name of the C.I 76 which stipulates their conditions of services unlike the doctors. I hear he is currently pushing an agenda that every member of parliament should be given a bodyguard. I am not too sure how an unskilled police officer can guard a member of parliament like him though. In my opinion I think the doctors are better placed to guard the members of parliament since they are skilled more than the police as posited by Hon. Alex Afenyo Markin. May be the honourable member parliament of Efutu at that time argued by laying more emphasis on education and its accompanied qualifications more than the role police officers play in this country.

5 years since the parliament of Ghana passed the C.I. 76 and its mouth watery benefits, nothing better has happened to the ordinary police officer but rather more police officers are rather punished and dismissed based on the C.I 76. No member of parliament has taken the pain to see the level at which the implementation of the C.I 76 has reached but rather their interests has always been to have more police protections and escorts. They are interested in increasing the workload of the police just like an animal of burden. More police officers are dying in robbery combats but no politician is asking questions or summoning people to answer questions but rather their interests have always been more police guard for them and their families. That is how selfish and greedy our politicians have been lately.

It was supposed to be the plan that every two years, the Single Spine Pay Policy will be reviewed to cushion the ordinary public servants but that has never been the interest of the politicians but rather keep thinking that public servants should ironically sacrifice their conditions of services for better Ghana in future whilst they scoop everything with their two hands. In fact, it is the wish of these politicians that public servants do not receive salaries under the guise that the financial status of this country is bad and also due to the fact that greater part of the nation's budget is spent on wages and salaries. 7 years down the line since the Single Spine Pay Policy was introduced, taxes and inflations have eaten up the meagre income of the ordinary Ghanaian worker whilst that of the politicians is on the increase.

Since it is almost a crime for the police officer to press for better conditions of services, the C.I 76 has been left to rot even though my friend honourable Alex Afenyo Markin considers it to be a policy document that makes the work of the police officer lucrative more than that the of the doctor. Now that his party is in government and based on the fact that he is serving on the security and defence committee of parliament, he should look at the level at which the implementation of the C.I 76 has reached since that informed his decision to argue that the police looks lucrative than the work of the doctor. Just as he is pushing for more work for the police, he should see to it that his bodyguard is paid an overtime as specified in regulation 35 (2&3) of the C.I 76 if he should get one.

After making laws to prevent members of the security services from going on strikes and demonstrations to press for better conditions of services, they are rather adding more butter to their daily bread and over working the members of the security services. Somebody should please tell those 40 former members of parliament that in fact, the financial status of the country is bad and for that matter they should sacrifice a little bit for this country. It appears to me that our politicians are becoming overly greedy and selfish.

We are breeding disgruntleness that will put this country into crisis someday. Our politicians are becoming overly greedy and selfish and we must check that. The country is not for them alone.

Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III
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