Ghana Deserves Better

I have been prompted to do this write-up as a result of the recent pronouncements by Ekow Spio Garbrah and his mischievous attempts to manipulate a section of the press with the sole aim of destroying those he perceives as his political opponents in his desperate desire and selfish ambition to secure his party's presidential nomination.

As a Ghanaian and a staunch supporter of Social Democracy, I have never stop short of participating in the contemporary political dispensation of our dear country. Right from the time of the activities of the National Commission on Democracy which was chaired by the late Justice D. F. Annan of blessed memory, through the era of the National Consultative Assembly which was also chaired by the late Chiana Pio, Pe Roland Adyiali Ayagyitam (may their souls rest in perfect peace), up to the very first District level Elections as part of the participatory Democracy at the grassroots level as envisioned in the principles of the forth republic of Ghana. I have also been involved in one way or the other in the events before, during and after the 1992, 1996, 2000 and the 2004 parliamentary and presidential elections of Ghana. God's willing; I will undoubtedly be part of the process come 2008 and beyond. Yes, I have served my motherland in my own small way and will continue to serve as long as the good Lord gives me life.

By the same token, there are many Ghanaians and even non Ghanaians who have served and continue to serve our dear country in various capacities. This is because it does not take the skills and swiftness of a single individual to advance the course of a country. Of course, in nation building everybody matters; the rich, the poor, the highly educated, the uneducated, the strong and smart as well as the weak and dull, the list is endless. Over the years, I have personally contributed in no small measure towards the attainment of the enviable achievements of our country. I have had the honor and the privilege to serve in various capacities in our quest for a decent and a peaceful democratic dispensation. Particularly, I have served as an electoral officer at the Regional and the constituency levels at one time or the other. I have also participated in a number of workshops and conferences with regard to electoral ethics, techniques and procedures for free and fare elections both at home and abroad. However, this does not make me a better person than the average voters whose only electoral duties require them only to go to the polling station and cast their votes during elections. Such people are also as patriotic and civil minded as me. Their political participation is needed just in the same way as everyone else for democracy to prevail. Each individual is a national human capital for the land of his birth and also for the world at large.

A lot of national resources have been invested in the democratic processes, so much so that any attempts by an individual or a group of persons to contaminate the process with any chaotic tendencies will have to be resisted and rooted out with every available force. At this point in our political history, Ghanaians and especially, the electorates have come to grips with the dynamics of the political processes and therefore know that, the underlying principles of democracy are freedom with responsibility, and peaceful co-existence which leads to development. With democracy taken firm roots in Ghana, the people have come to know the difference between political falsehood and truthfulness. They know most, if not all the colors and traits of empty promises and cosmetic solutions to problems. They have also come to know political saints who claim to possess all the solutions to the problems of our country. But most importantly, Ghanaians have learned to eschew and abhor politics of insults, character assassination and frivolous accusations. As political pace-setters in Africa, Ghanaians embrace and adorn honest and dignified political campaigning and electoral processes. It is a common knowledge that Ghanaians are by nature and nurture, peace loving and prefer a united people with a common destiny to any divisive tendencies in whatever form or shape. Ghanaians are aware that their problems, be it political, economic or social cannot be solved overnight by a single political individual. We are well aware that it will take the involvement of all of us for our democracy to thrive and thereby create the necessary developmental environment. Therefore Spio Garbrah should be mindful that his dirty political tactics and his divide- and- rule propaganda will not be tolerated. For the sake of political decency and fairness and for the preservation of dignity for the high office of the president of Ghana, he should run his campaign on his own merit instead of tearing others apart. It is morally wrong and ethically unacceptable for him to attempt to success by destroying others. This is absolutely unpatriotic and must be absolutely condemned. In the recent political campaigning leading to the annual delegates congress of the two dominant political parties to nominate and or elect their respective presidential candidate Ghanaians have witnessed the desperate desire of some individuals to secure their party's nomination to lead at all cost. It is clear that some of these presidential aspirants have their personal ambitions over and above that of the country and will be prepared to trade whatever is available just to secure the presidency.

Particularly, of the over twenty (20) individuals who have so far expressed their desire and intentions to secure their party's presidential nominations, the one who has exhibited the most un -Ghanaian attitude is Ekow Spio Garbrah. Ever since he started talking about his so-called “achievements” which make him think that he is better than everyone else, he has not stopped short of insulting, accusing and attacking his own fellow party contestants. His utterances and actions have so far, paralyzed and divided his own party so badly that it will take a lot of resources and time to repair the damage he has caused and continue to cause. From all indications, Spio Garbrah's greatest fear and threat is his own former boss Professor Atta-Mills who he see as his greatest obstacle towards achieving his desperate and selfish ambition to become the next presidential candidate of the NDC party. If Spio Garbrah thinks he is more qualified than Atta-Mills to lead the NDC party, then he should concentrate on his so-called achievements and run the race with the decency, the respect and the dignity that is expected from a presidential material. He should then leave the decision for the NDC delegates to decide who they want to lead the party and stop polluting the Ghanaian political arena with his covert and overt media schemes and orchestrations against his opponents. If in the past insults and personal attacks won presidential nominations, the same cannot be said in 2006. One such typical example is the recent gubernatorial elections in Massachusetts, USA where the incumbent lieutenant governor Kelly Heally resorted to frivolous accusations and negative advertising messages against her main opponent (now governor-elect) Deval Patrick. In contrast, Deval run a positive all-inclusive and issues-oriented campaign throughout. In the end, and in spite of the negative attacks directed against him, the electorates ignored Kelly Heally and voted for Deval Patrick who has made history for becoming the very first black governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts and the second black governor in the history of the United States of America.

Experience tells us that those politicians who exhibit disrespect and disregard for their perceived opponents do not see the light of day and Spio Garbrah will not be an exception. So far, his utterances and actions have proved beyond doubt that he is arrogant, disrespectful and have a very high tendency to divide rather than to unite his own party members let alone Ghanaians.

Ghana deserves a president who has the humility to respect and accepts all shades of opinions. Ghana deserves a president who will unite her citizens. Yes, Ghana needs a well educated and a respectful individual who does not castigate, vilify, and insult his opponents. Ghanaians will vote for a mature and a dignified president. Indeed, Ghana deserves better than Spio Garbrah’s insults and negative personal attacks against his political opponents.

Long Live Democracy and God Bless our homeland Ghana.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.