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Opinions of Saturday, 20 May 2023

Columnist: Isaac Ofori

Society of naysayers, political power-seeking attitude destroying social cohesion

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Ghana has undergone a complete polarization, resulting in the emergence of a society characterized by pervasive negativity towards development.

This sentiment has become the rhetoric of every political party in opposition.

Once a political party finds itself in the opposition and aspires to regain power, its primary strategy involves fostering a society of naysayers, contributing to dissension, promoting malicious intent, and undermining the economy.

These actions are aimed at facilitating the party's return to power, at the expense of the larger interest of Ghana. A recent illustration of this phenomenon is the IMF deal, which injected approximately 600 million dollars into the economy, providing a cushion for its stability.

Since the introduction of partisan democracy, we have done a tremendous disservice to our country. Our democratic system has become a mechanism for power-seeking, which only benefits a privileged few who assume control, employ their associates, and reward party loyalists.

The vast majority of the population is either neglected or marginalized, while development is sporadically distributed to the suffering masses. Despite the availability of IMF funds and the government's assurances regarding the potential for an economic turnaround, this positive news has been distorted by the society of naysayers.

Instead of supporting social cohesion as a means of bolstering the government's efforts to succeed, the prevailing narrative focuses on how the conditions attached to the IMF funds will dash the hopes of the people.

As a nation, we urgently need social cohesion in order to foster development, regardless of which political party holds power. Astonishingly, the insatiable desire to seize power has blinded the opposition party to the detrimental consequences of their actions and inactions, as long as it enables their ascent to power.

They have formed a society of naysayers that fixates solely on the negative aspects of Ghana, neglecting the fact that when the country crumbles, it will require extensive repairs. Once an opposition party succeeds in ravaging the economy with their destructive attitudes, they will inherit the very same economy, or even worse.

This cycle perpetuates itself, with each party complaining, hindering progress, and eventually giving way to the other party's formation of a society of naysayers.

For the past two decades, this has been the curse of Ghana's democratic landscape. Both the NPP and NDC have excelled at eroding the country's social cohesion, replacing it with a society of naysayers where development remains an elusive dream and opportunities are exclusively reserved for party loyalists.

It is crucial for Ghana to prioritize social cohesion, regardless of which party is in power, in order to break free from this destructive cycle. The insatiable desire for power has blinded the opposition, and their actions and inactions have contributed to the erosion of social cohesion and the neglect of the majority of the population.

This curse must be broken for Ghana to realize its full potential, where development is inclusive and opportunities are accessible to all.