REIN IN THE RABID PARTISANS…

The politicking of political parties in Ghana has always struck me as very odd. In politics, I was always under the impression that numbers mattered more than anything else in winning elections. So, in order to win an election, I thought a government or party had to first and foremost focus on a programme of the improvements of the welfare of the general public which would invariably encompass party activists. I was apparently wrong. In Ghana, you have to attend to the whims and caprices of the party activists first before you think of the many Ghanaians who will vote in elections but have no emotional or ideological attachments to political parties.

A couple of weeks ago, social media activists of the governing New Patriotic Party were up in arms against the leadership of the party over the appointment of former parliamentary aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey ‘Santana’, as an ambassador for the Covid-19 national trust fund. Never mind that this appointment was by the independent Covid-19 trust fund. In the opinion of the party activists, as a former parliamentary aspirant of the opposition party, ‘Santana’ had no business being entrusted with any national assignment, despite his vast reach and network as a broadcaster.

The COVID-19 National Trust Fund established by an Act of Parliament, (Act 1013) is to among other things “complement the efforts of the government to combat COVID-19 pandemic, by providing an avenue for well-meaning individuals, groups and corporate bodies to contribute or donate money, and or resources that may be required to combat COVID-19.”

The fund is managed and administered by a board of trustees. It was this independent board of trustees which appointed the radio personality to his role. The reaction of the activists of the governing party is a microcosm of a wider issue dangerously creeping into the fabric of our body politic.

With the advent of the fourth republican constitutionalism in 1993, executive turnover of certain public officials with the change of governments became a normal occurrence in our democracy. It was an accepted compromise that came with the ‘garbage’ of multi-party democracy. What has happened in the last twenty or so years however has transcended this normal limit of partisan democratic settlement. Recruitments into even lower levels of the civil, public and security services are being driven largely by party loyalty and political connections. This is a dangerous phenomenon that must be nibbed in the bud before it degenerates into a more sinister menace that we cannot deal with in future.

The ranking member on the energy committee of parliament speaking to Accra-based StarrFM news about the challenges of Ghana Grid Company made a statement that confirmed what might have been rumours in Ghanaian conversations. He said, “…they are not telling the truth. We also have people there.” The ranking member was reacting to an official communique from the management of the company and government. He was in effect confirming that Ghana’s public service is increasingly getting divided along partisan lines. And this is not happening just at the top management levels but also at the mid-level and junior levels of organisations. I have often wondered where the loyalty of such staff lied, to their political parties or the state?

Institutional evolution is determined by political traditions and usage. I am sorry to say the political traditions we are cultivating now will saddle us with weak and ill-prepared institutions that would not have the capacity to deal with the complex challenges of the future.

This political culture we are cultivating will lead to a classist society that will restrict social mobility for many socially and politically disadvantaged citizens. Politics must serve as an avenue to expand than to constricts the path of social mobility.

Young activists of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress must make no mistake that handing out of token jobs to few party individuals would secure electoral victory. It exposes a lack of strategic political thinking and understanding of social issues. The political tradition and culture we should be cultivating should be one of meritocracy and equal partnership with ordinary citizens in the development drive.

I have been following the activities of some of our legislators in their constituencies. I must say I see something that gladdens my heart. In the last election I complained about what I termed as ‘representation without consultation’. I could not for the life of me understand how Members of Parliament could claim to represent their constituents for four years without organising a single constituency surgery. In the past month alone, I came across seven legislators organising constituency surgeries and it is my fervent hope that they keep this up. Perhaps more of their colleagues will learn a thing or two and take up the initiative too.

The government has committed $45 million in this year’s budget for the first phase of construction of seventy constituency offices for Members of Parliament. The programme is anticipated to run for four years by which time each of the 275 constituencies will have an office for the member of parliament in the constituency.

I daresay this project is long overdue and most welcomed. The presence of these offices staffed with qualified professionals in the constituencies will go a long way in addressing the issue of accessibility of parliamentarians and ensure their proper representation of constituents. The current system of members of parliament operating from their party offices or private residences in the constituency isn’t ideal and impedes the effective working of the legislators. The presence of such offices manned with professional staff will also provide a formal structure for constituents to directly contact their legislators if even the legislator isn’t physically present in the constituency. It is my utmost hope that this significant progress in our democratic development will be supported with goodwill by the cross-section of the citizenry.

For Members of Parliament, a good rapport with constituents is critical. Such rapport informs ideas of a good or bad reputation for a legislator. A good or bad reputation can count for a lot on election day. Handling issues with constituents, often referred to as casework, is one of the most, if not the most, important jobs in an MP’s office. Casework affords MPs to deal with issues of concerns of constituents at the microlevel and any efforts to promote such a political culture in our polity must be commended.

I must say I am intrigued by the approach of the new regional minister of Greater Accra in enforcing discipline in the city. I do not know how sustainable that approach will be. Is the regional minister going to move to every corner of the city in dire need of law enforcement every day?

I’m quietly happy about the prospect of change though. I am however intrigued by the response from certain quarters. The idea that the minister’s quest to rein sanity into the daily lives of the residents of the city should be hinged on political calculations is most unfortunate.

That idea that a public official insisting on the implementation of the law will inevitably lead to votes loss for the governing party is a false one. Same argument was advanced by some regarding the fight against galamsey in the aftermath of the elections. For every vote lost in the fight against indiscipline, I am certain there will be ten more voters who will be appreciative of the results from the strict implementation of the law.

We must stop the habit of retarding our progressing with such infantile excuses. We must stop immobilising the ability of our public officials to act with this kind of hostage politics. The broad masses of the people want to live in a law-based society where predictability and fairness in law enforcement can be assured…