Political Football Of Ghana Politics: A Canker worm To Our Development

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals (Martin Luther King, Jr.).

The pertinent question is, are our leaders really dedicated, honest and faithful as they pledged? Continue reading as I spill the beans.

Political football is defined as ongoing unproductive wrangling or posturing between political factions, resulting in failure to deal with an issue or problem in a "decisive or appropriate way". It is a contentious political issue or problem that is often debated or discussed, but that remains unresolved and handed off to others.

In recent times, everything in Ghana has been politicised including, but not limited to education, agriculture, and employment. The political climate in Ghana is hazy as a result of the NPP-NDC affair. Political opponents over the years have resorted to pestering and specious arguments just to thwart the efforts of the government in power. No wonder some of the MPs go to radio/TV stations to deliberate on issues but to our dismay, not a scintilla of truth can be found in their discourse. They only go to TV and radio stations to convince the people with sophisticated econometric models, flamboyant theoretical structures which most often than not lead to inappropriate policy prescriptions and wrong siting of projects". When they go to radio/TV stations, they talk only about the developed world, trying to compare themselves to the developed world. Instead of devising original analytical methods to deal with the problem, our way of thinking is dominated by western thoughts in imitative and uncritical manner.

We don't need rocket science to tell us that Ghana has whatever it takes to develop.

I personally, based on interactions with some community members and observations in my district realized that, for the past 12 years, majority of the communities in the Asankrangwa District (Affiena, Oda-krofrom, Oda-Kotoamso, Odumasi, Moseaso, Oda Anhwiam, among others) cannot boast of a single thing that the MPs and DCEs have done, not even a wheelbarrow for them, yet they pride themselves as representatives of the voice of the people. Some of the MPs are only there to occupy the seats in parliament. On television and radio stations they talk and appear like angels. An apotheosis to substantiate my claims is Oda Kotoamso, where there has been an assiduous call for the construction of a bridge over river " Kundisin" which usually gets inundated during the rainy season, but from the time of the late Hon John Gyetuah to Hon Eric Afful, nothing has been done. It is this stereotypes that holds us back as Ghanaians, after all, they didn't vote for me and I can win with or without them. They only do projects in areas they intent winning. Our politicians fight for position rather than interest. Had it not been the selfish interest of some politicians who only think of amassing wealth for themselves, there wouldn't be any poor regions, or a class of people in our society who would be wallowing in abject poverty.

During erstwhile President Mahama regime, he built schools in some communities in which the people in that district were not even ready to use because it was far from town which put fears in students,that is the fear of being attacked. Misplaced priorities is one major problem that is preventing us from reaching the pinnacle of development. Resources are being wasted on irrelevant projects in Ghana.

I will not say the free SHS policy is bad, but in situations where it fails to achieve it purpose will be a total fiasco. Infrastructure deficit has characterized the free Senior High School Program, and in October 2017, students of Chiana Senior High School in the Kasena/Nankana West District of the Upper East Region were pictured having lessons under a tree(Pieros folder, Saturday 28 Oct, 2017). In case a branch of a tree breaks to kill a student, who is to blame?

Moreover, abandoning of projects by successive government. A crystal example is the Asokore Mampong housing project which was started by former President Kuffour but became a hideout for robbers and a cage for poisonous reptiles when President John Mahama took over( Ghanaweb news of sun, 24 Sept 2017).

This is a clear indication of the waste of the taxpayers money. Also the Sea defence project at Blekusu in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region which was started by John Mahama, though as it stands, we cannot generalize but the project has been left to rot because is their first year in office. The sea has heaped sand on all the rocks, giving the sea the edge to reclaim the land.

One thing we all should understand is this, that presidents, ministers, MPS, among others come and go. But Ghana remains Ghana until God comes". And we will surely pay for our actions and inactions that led to the suffering of others.

Armatya Sen opined that "silver and gold as precious minerals for instance are of little value to a man dying of thirst in the desert. The best form of development is the one which is accepted and recognized by the people.

Paraphrasing DR. Kwame Nkrumah " what use to the farmer is education and mechanisation? what has the peasant worker and farmer gained from political independence unless they equally get a return for their labour and higher standard of living. And what have the urban worker and those poor vagrants leaving on the streets gained from political independence. What has the graduates gained from political independence if they are to remain unemployed or in unskilled labour, what will avail them the better facilities for education, technical training, energy and ambition which independence enables us to provide? And what use is a "Dubai overhead" at circle to a community that has to walk through a river to the district capital to engage in economic activities. what use is nurses and teacher training allowances to a carpenter, a mason, the susu collector, a cobbler, a trotro mate, or the mechanics who are seen as "outcast" in society " In fact, politics without principle is injurious to the human race and is high time we redefined politics and understand the inner meaning of development. Politicians must understand the Linkages between political independence, equity and development, freedom and justice.

The "crab and scorpion politics" where we hit the scorpion with a stick and let the crab go in impunity is unhealthy in a modern progressive society. Even though, he is wrong but I will defend him/her because the person is in NPP or NDC. When NPP resumes power, they concoct stories to make sure some NDC officials are being sacked from office and vice versa.

what haven't we seen about the invisible delta force/ the vigilante groups, yet nothing is done, and whether it is a crafted plan of NDC members to sabotage the ruling government is untold or it is the work of NPP officials to put fear in workers and take them off their positions is undefined. The only way to clear our doubts is immediate action.But as a political football nothing has been done and the issue in this problem is that we are breeding a generation of anomie.

Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Politics in Ghana is like "Kokofu football", where you can only get a pass from a brother. If your relative is not a politician or a big time man who is popular in society, then you will find yourself wandering for employment or any opportunities. When NPP is in power, then NDC supporters are doomed and vice versa. The " crab and scorpion politics" is impeding our progress.

We have been inebriated by politics to the extent where to the NDC man, until NDC is in power, anything that NPP will do is useless and vice versa.

To me what is impeding our progress as a nation is not CPP or PPP, neither is it NDC or NPP, the problem is that there are so many politards, sycophants and hypocrites in politics. And these are the weeds in our political system which we must uproot. Hypocrisy is when political appointees are called to come and serve in the Presidency because they are in government but would call for others removal when in opposition.

The numerous natural resources that we pride ourselves with are useless if we are unable to use it prudently for the betterment of the people and to meet their needs and aspirations. Anything less makes it" a resource curse".

Now the bigger question is, NPP and NDC who is deceiving who? Both NPP and NDC take Ghanaians for granted , what ever they say is a populist talk full of political gimmick.

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