Ghana under the Fourth Republic has experienced a governance seesaw between the current ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
IS IT TRUE THAT THE NPP AND NDC MESSED UP THE STATE?
When either of them is in political power and therefore in control of the state vehicle, it drives and enjoys governance for eight years, then tosses it over to the opponent, who would describe the predecessor as having messed up the state. Is it true that anytime they are in government they mess up the economy?
The new government, in the fourth year, would claim that they had cleared the previous government’s mess and was ready for an economic take-off so the people should give them another four years to drive the state vehicle to the Promised Land.
The President would say unto his political party: “The economic harvest is truly plenteous, but we have only a few months to harvest and store for another eight years in political famine; let us, therefore, ask the electorates to give us another four years to go out and harvest more economic fruits.”
The second four years now truly become a time to recoup its political investment, development is shared according to the outcome of the elections, that is constituencies that voted massively for the party to win is rewarded while those who voted against becomes outcasts.
Analytically, both the NPP and the NDC agree to one fact, which is messing up the economy anytime they are given the mantel of leadership, based on their pronouncements. Now what is left is which of them is more corrupt, who is working in the interest of the people? And who is working against the ordinary Ghanaian? The questions are too many to enumerate here.
CHANGING ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION
The two political giants have taken the rest of the citizens for granted because there are no alternatives, as the smaller parties are virtually their stooges who eat the crumbs that drop from their tables.
These smaller political parties are comfortable with the tossed-over food from both the NPP and NDC therefore they are not ready to fight for the main meal.
It is an open secret that most of the smaller political parties depend on both the NPP and NDC who sometimes sponsor their activities and even their leaders to serve as political advocacy groups.
Probably, it is now the responsibility of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), religious bodies, professional groups, traditional authorities, gender-based groups, and other interest groups to stand up and fight for mother Ghana at the next general election.
It is time CSOs strategized together and picked one constituency in each of the 16 regions and sponsored someone to contest for the 2024 parliamentary election as an independent candidate. They will then use their advocacy and influence in the grassroots to market such a candidate. They should stop building the capacity of political parties for elections and put that knowledge into practice.
The various labor unions and associations Ghana National Association of Teachers, UTAG, Ghana Trade Union Congress, should identify 10 constituencies each across the country and sponsor independent candidates to get into Parliament to fight for labour.
We must begin to move away from labour unrests in the streets and take the fight to Parliament, where major decisions are taken, as the current arrangement of electing parliamentarians based on political party affiliation has failed us.
Other professional bodies must also consider picking just one Constituency and equally sponsoring an independent candidate for the next elections. If well-coordinated they must not contest the same Parliamentary seat but spread across the 275 Constituencies.
We must begin to redefine Constituencies not only in terms of geographical location, but it should also cover specific national interest groups, Labour, academia, legal practitioners, the business community, health workers, gender, media and communication practitioners, CSOs, and the informal sector must begin to identify and nurture constituencies for Election 2024.
At the close of Election 2024, the political map in Parliament would change, governance would change, and people would fight for true interest.
Election 2024 would serve as the electoral barometer for other stakeholders to market and elect at least non-partisan members to join the parliamentary wagon to protect their interests.
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES’ DEMAND
Traditional authorities must begin to prepare a ‘Constituency Needs List’ which must be presented to their parliamentary candidates as well as presidential candidates desiring their votes.
The system where the potential employee comes to meet the interview panel with his/her to-do list, sometimes with nothing but convinces the employer to give him/her the job, based on affiliation, cannot continue.
Ghanaians are the owners of the company called ‘Ghana’ and elections process for interviewing the candidate to be part of the management team to govern the state.
ARTICLE 71 OFFICE-HOLDERS
We must not allow about 20 percent of the population to claim they are the Article 71 Office Holders therefore they deserve all the goodies of the land, while the remaining 80 percent must continue to beg them for stipends.
It is time Ghanaians told politicians that political office was a sacrificial job, and therefore only those ready to sacrifice for the people were fit to contest for elections.
In Election 2024, let us prepare to tell the politician that enough is enough, no more ex-gratia, no more Article 71 entitlements; what is good for the politician is also good for all Ghanaian workers. We must eat from the same bowl.
Some public sector workers in Tema have called for rapid reduction of the salaries and emoluments of Article 71 Office Holders to reflect the current economic situation in the country.
They noted that “the current state of the economy, given COVID-19 challenges, makes it appropriate to call on Article 71 Office Holders to sacrifice for the generality of Ghanaians”.
In a random interview, some of them suggested that salaries and emoluments of Article 71 Office Holders be reduced by 50 percent, which, they presume, would be huge savings to the nation while the salaries of workers were increased between 25 to 50 percent to make up for the short-fall in their remuneration.
As per the 1992 Constitution, Article 71 Office Holders include; the President, the
Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, and Justices of the Superior Court of Ad judicature.
Others are; Members of Parliament, Ministers of State, political appointees, and public servants with salaries charged to the Consolidated Fund but enjoying special constitutional privileges.
Article 71 (1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that the determination of the salaries and allowances of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary paid from the Consolidated Fund would be determined by the President, on the recommendations of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by him and acting on the advice of the Council of State.
In determining the salaries of the President, his Ministers and political appointees, and the members of the Council of State, the Constitution states that Parliament will determine that based on the advice of the same committee.
TIME RUNNING OUT FOR ARTICLE 71 OFFICE-HOLDERS
Recent labour agitations suggest that time is running out for the Article 71 Office Holders: either they invite all workers onto their dining table or they descend to join others on their eating benches.
POLITICAL COLONIZATION OF GHANAIANS
Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah fought for independence for mother Ghana, the colonial masters left the country only for another group of masters to emerge.
Everything about the white colonial master which our forefathers fought against is now being perpetuated through the corridors of political power.
Election 2024 must serve as the game changer and wake-up call for all politicians that the citizens are ready to take their destiny into their own hands.
Source: By Francis Ameyibor
