Sagito Musah Issakah

My fellow Ghanaian brothers and sisters, isn’t it ironic that few days ago Ghanaians (including the politician) were talking about the plight of so many millions of Ghanaian children who are roaming the streets without focus and who will need help from all quarters to shape them for the future, only to hear that huge sums of tax payers monies where used for food and refreshment for the 2009 Transition Team.  The questions that arise are ‘Are we really serious as a nation and do we really know where we are heading?’

Democracy, it is said is expensive, but if the conduct of our politicians is the way to express it then, I think we have a long way to go as far us using democracy as a tool for the development of our nation is concerned. Politics and for that matter political offices’ should not be seen as an easy avenue for ‘making it’ or getting rich or wealthy. Not at all. It should rather be seen as a sacrificial work that results in meagre incomes. After all we don’t go to pick them to administer us, they rather come around to beg us to give them power. Unfortunately for this country it is the other way round, civil servants, teachers and other public sector workers who are doing all the work are taking home unrealistic salaries and the minister who work is just to sign letters and attend functions take home millions and live in mansions with furnishing costing billions of Ghana Cedis. The president, through his actions, is buttressing the point I am making clearly by his refusal to accept any per-diem. This is a person who knows what it means to sacrifice for the people he is ruling. Can the same be said about the other members of the team? I doubt it, especially now that we are aware that some politicians have taken the huge Ex-gratia money, revelations coming from sports ministry and its now-on-leave minister, and the very fresh transitional team food and refreshment expenses.

What is happening in the country today gives much meaning to a statements to the effect that Ghanaian politicians only becomes knowledgeable with the situation of the ordinary Ghanaian when they are on the campaign trail soliciting for their votes. It is always during this period that Ghanaian electorates are educated on their plight (something they know already) and diatribes are showered on political opponents, as far as their actions were/are concerned. This is done to make them (opponent) look bad in the minds of electorates. After power is gained, they begin to think only about them selves and all of a sudden become ignorant about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian whose vote they solicited during the election period.

The bad living conditions that Ghanaians were reminded about during the campaign time have not changed. Poverty is still prevalent and in bed with millions of Ghanaians; unemployment rates are still high; access to health care is still a challenge amongst millions in the country; children out of school and dropout rates are still high; infrastructural facilities in all sectors and especially in the educational sector is still a problem; salaries of public sector workers are still at record low; among other challenges that Ghanaians expect the government of the day to do something about. The previous government failed the test woefully and from the look of things the same results will go for new government.

The government of the day promised to fix all these negative conditions on her way to power. We hope that she is able to fix it as promised but happenings in recent time’s leaves nothing but doubt in the minds of well meaning Ghanaians, as to whether the government will be able to see us to the Promised Land. Optimism seems to be far from the Ghanaian of today.

First, it was the gargantuan Ex-gratia that parliamentarians were given courtesy the Chinnery Hesse report. Then followed the former speaker of parliament and the billions of Ghanaian Cedis furnishings he took from his house. Then we had the proceed-on-leave Sports Minister and billions of Cedis allegations levelled against him. Now we are hearing of the billions used for refreshments for the Transitional team. Even before the sports minister case and the transitional team’s cash wastage, we had the incidence where government officials visited government buildings that was occupied by officials of the former government and just by looking at the extent of dilapidation of the place concluded that the amounted needed for the rehabilitation of one house will be over 50,000 Ghana Cedis. What kind of a house is it that will require this amount to rehabilitate? Can’t this money be used to build a bungalow? I ask. Ghanaian politicians take delight in mentioning huge figures for projects that otherwise should not cost that way if genuineness is employed. Every single day, on their way to work, politicians in this country encounter children (who in the normal sense should have been in school) on the streets selling all sorts of things, but are doing less to pick them from the streets and placed in schools. What they know is to go to organised programmes and read prepared speeches infested with promises and lies. Governments then and now have all failed the children they, on their way to political power, promised to help improve their conditions.

Nobody can tell me that the two manifestos of the two terms of the Rawlings led government had nothing stated in it in terms of the youth and what they intend to do for them. The eight years passed and we still have millions of Ghanaian children roaming the streets and not in school. The two manifestos of Kuffour’s eight years also did less to the plight of our children on the streets and unemployment. From the look of things the same story would be told some years to come when this government is out of power even though I would wish I am proven wrong. Recent happenings are telling unpleasantly different stories about the government and her ability to solve the numerous problems of this nation. Attitudes and actions of men that form the government are not helping either.

The irony of the whole issue is that for a country, that has advertised to the whole world that it is poor, to be able to furnish a house to the tune of 4.3 billion old Cedis, pay its MPs Ex-gratia to the tune of 80,000 Ghana Cedis, 361.900.00 Ghana Cedis on Transitional Team for six weeks sitting and wasting unnecessarily on government officials; only tell the story that we have really lost focus and does not have an idea where we heading.

What even beats my mind the most is the fact that we have been told the country is broke and so civil servants, teachers, and other public sector workers begged to exercise patients and bear with the government because of the money situation of the nation, and yet the politician is plundering the small we have. Selfishness and Greed at its best.

According to Mr. Segbefia (a deputy communication director at the castle) on Adom FM, the monies paid to the members of the transition team was ten percent short of the usual amount that served as allowances for sittings of such nature in the former government. Well that is good intention but wouldn’t it have been more rewarding and morally okay if these men and women had followed the president’s action by refusing the money and directing it to be used for a project that would benefit the masses. Can’t we sacrifice for others to enjoy? Must it always be a case that we get paid for a short service that the nation asks of us? Why should public sector workers sacrifice aspects of their salaries (because they paid unrealistically) and the politician would not? What at all do they do that they think they should be enjoying with better pay than the civil servant, the teacher, doctor, police and other security agencies, and other public servant who are sweating their skins out for the betterment of the nation?

The story goes that the transition team of 2001 did not receive anything for the service they provided. Why didn’t the 2009 transition team take a clue from that and also forgo that amount as a way of sacrificing for the betterment of all Ghanaians. Our politicians have disappointed us and i ask and plead that the young ones should be care who they pick as role models because most of the politicians we have in Ghana today are bad news.

I pray to Allah to give us human centred politicians. sagitom@yahoo.com