By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
The significantly historical protest of July 1 2014, called
#OccupyFlagstaffouse should be a signal to all political parties in Ghana.
The die is cast and Ghanaians won’t sit down and watch a
motley collection of people come together to form political parties, ride on
the back of the Constitution, mislead Ghanaians, get citizens to vote them
into office, and then they spend time taking care of themselves and paying
eternal debts to their cronies and sponsors.
Since Ghana adopted Constitutional democracy, the conducts of
politicians before and during electioneering campaigns have been consistently
inconsistent with their conducts as soon as they are elected into office. They
become tin gods and only seek to fill their bellies. It becomes like they said
in Kenya ‘time to eat’.
The fact that the Ghanaians who joined the protest in the
face of vulgar police intimidation and the outpouring of rains shows a people
now determined to strongly tell political office holders that occupying
political office is a responsibility and not a favour. Political office holders
in this country live in free housing, have luxurious cars at their disposal,
draw free fuel and have police escorts protecting them at the expense of the
people and yet they are unable to address the economic realities of the times. They now call these
issues ‘challenges’ as if to say they are unavoidable and therefore, can’t be
resolved.
Most Ghanaians are simply appalled by what has become the
standard of public service in this country – which is simply talking, while
they enrich themselves under very strange circumstances.
As they do, most ministers of state
spend a large amount of the time at their disposal talking on every available
air time in the country, and often repeating themselves sick, without any substance.
What is worse, they are lying and spewing inconsistencies as if Ghanaians are
undiscerning.
Ministers of state are falling over each other to be noticed
- and they do that by seizing every
opportunity to talk, as if that’s what they have been appointed to do. It’s
mindboggling to consider the amount of time these public officials spend
talking instead of doing the actual work they have been appointed to do and are
being paid for, with all the luxurious pecks that come with it including
traveling First and Business Class.
Notwithstanding the fact that the evidences of their
ineptitude and non-performance are becoming legendary, they are paying
hirelings to do hatchet jobs for them by maligning decent citizens.
You contested an election and won, now you must work. All the
‘challenges’ are yours to deal with, that’s what you are in public office for.
Stop acknowledging and telling us about the ‘challenges’, the depreciating
cedi, the irrational foreign exchange directives, the high inflation rate,
talking of rising inflation I remember when ‘single digit’ inflation was sung
hoarse into our ears as if it was such a great achievement of government. Now
it’s rising and it is ‘challenges’. Only yesterday, the Central Bank which
approved the withdrawal of millions of dollars which was sent to Brazil in a
manner one can simply describe as irresponsible and objectionable increased the
interest rate to 18%! Is the government taking responsibility for that? As it
did when it was falling?
That period is over, when Ghanaians mostly sat back and
threw their hands up in desperation, now they are willing to hold public office
holders to account, and this won’t change, no matter which political party or
politician is in power.
I have never gone on a protest in my life, not even when I
was a student at the University of Ghana at a time when the ‘MOBROWA STRUGGLE’
was launched to protest increase in tuition fees. But I feel proud and
gratified that I joined this protest! I will forever feel I had paid my dues to
the country and my conscience for joining the hundreds of Ghanaians out in the
rains who were also confronted with the glaring possibilities of state
sanctioned police brutality. While the conduct of the police was generally
professional, there were some isolated cases of attempts by some
officers to provoke protestors so they could possibly use the occasion to be
violent against them, but as good reason prevailed, the protestors did not fall
for the trick.
It was the only time I wasn’t at a protest as a reporter. I
was there as a protestor demanding responsible governance – it is one of the
many apart from my writings and journalism that I could give to a great
country, that has been brought down to her knees and made into a laughing stock
by people into whose hands we have entrusted our destinies.
And let the other political parties take note that it won’t
be different no matter who is in power, the downward trend the country has been
going must come to a halt at some point, and we the people will demand that
through all constitutionally guaranteed means.
Get to work, deal with the ‘challenges’ that’s what you are elected
and appointed for. We demand accountable, responsible governance, enough of the
propaganda and communist inferior tactics!
Let those who can
read, understand the signs of the times.
#OccupyFlagStaffHouse #RedFriday
