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| Member of Parliament, Hawa Koomson |
When
my brother told me that he had received his voting cards (referred to in Ghana
as ballot papers), I expressed shock. “They sent you the cards? Really?” I enquired,
just for emphasis sake.
He
took pictures of the voting cards– three in all– and sent to me via WhatsApp.
“This is Sweden. Here, there is law and order and the systems work,” he said.
I
had told him how surprised I was hearing that ballot papers were sent to them
to be kept in their rooms for days before the very day of the elections. In his
case, he kept them in his room for two solid weeks.
“Massa,
I swear that if we do this in Ghana there will be no human being living in the
country the day after citizens received these papers. The NDC and NPP will map
their opponents’ zones and burn them to ashes at dawn,” I said rather sadly.
We all laughed it off. But
that is the stark reality in our country Ghana.
Reading
more on the Swedish electoral process, I chanced on an article on www.thelocal.se dubbed, “How to vote in
the 2018 Swedish election”. Portions of the article confirmed what I was told
of the ballot papers. That, “In the weeks leading up to the election, voting
cards are sent out to all eligible voters from the Election Authority, also
known as Valmyndigheten. These are
sent to the address you registered with Skatteverket
(tax agency).
 |
| A Swede walks to vote. |
“This
letter [containing the cards] will also include information about the location
and opening time of your nearest polling station on election day. These are
municipal buildings, usually schools or libraries. In some locations, it's
possible to cast your vote in advance, starting 18 days before the day of the
election; if you do this, you can use any advance polling station, but if you
vote on the day, you must go to your designated location.”
 |
| Swedes cast their votes. Photo: ScanPix |
When
I posted about this on my Facebook wall, I had friends living in other
civilized countries sharing the same account on their respective elections. It
dawned on me that Ghana and her counterparts in Africa are – arguably– the ones
still glued to their backward approach to development.
Sad enough, it appears we
are unfazed as a country as politicians and their supporters continue to make
elections on the continent a bitter pill forced down the throats of citizens.
Last week, news was rife when a 28-year old man got killed at Banda Ahenkro in
the Bono Region. He was not an armed robber neither was he caught on top of
someone’s wife.
Silas
Wulochamey suffered his gruesome death allegedly in the hands of the supporters
of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). Media reports suggested that
supporters of the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) engaged in a
brawl over the eligibility of Mr. Wulochamey to register at Banda Ahenkro for
the ongoing voter card registration exercise.
The altercation led to
the stabbing of the young man whom we are told hailed from Banda Ahenkro. Even
if he had no family ties in Banda Ahenkro or whatsoever, was it not totally
senseless to kill him in his attempt to register there? Here was a graduate
from the Akim Oda Teacher Training College killed in cold blood. Yes! Someone’s
son who could have supported his family and friends to better their lives if he
were given the chance to live and practice as a trained teacher.
It
is worthy to note that in an interview on Onua
FM’s midday news, after the incident, the Bono Regional Public Relations
Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Augustine Kingsley Oppong said that about
three of his officers who went to ensure law and order prevailed in the Banda
incident also sustained gunshot wounds. That was how grim the situation was!
Just
as we could let the dust settle on Silas Wulochamey’s death, Ghanaians and the
rest of the world further had to battle another infamous incident. This time,
the violent act of indiscriminately firing gunshots into the air was led by the
Member of Parliament of the Awutu Senya East of the Central Region, Hawa
Koomson. The MP also doubles as the Minister of Special Development
Initiatives.
Madam
Koomson’s day of shame was on Monday, July 20, 2020, at the Step to Christ
registration centre at Kasoa. If guns are easily pulled at a mere voters’ ID
card registration centres by trigger-happy political lunatics and party
supporters are, as well, so senseless to stab their fellow human to death, then
what happens come December 7 when the country goes to the polls?
About
seven (7) months ago, I asked a friend who had returned to Ghana from South
Korea just one question when I bumped into him at church.
“You
have been to a developed country and now you are back here in Ghana. What do
you think we must do to be called a developed country too?” I threw the
question at him.
Stirring into my face for
about 30 seconds, he heaved a sigh and said, “Unless we kill all these people
(referring to Ghana’s adult population) with polluted minds and let the kids
take over the country with a fresh mindset. Though I’m not saying that’s what
Korea did.”
Whereas my friend, to an
extent, was right we could develop Ghana if we can eliminate the adult
populace, I believe that rather we should just let those who call themselves
the “educated” Ghanaians step aside from public leadership. They are the very
people destroying the country.
The truth is if the
so-called illiterates in society perpetrate these atrocities seen in politics
we could, in a worst case scenario, find a room in our hearts to pardon them.
We will agree if they plead they were not exposed to best practices in politics
elsewhere before their funfair of stupidity. But,
when an MP who doubles as a minister and her folks who have travelled the world
instigate their followers to commit heinous crimes because they want votes,
there must be no mercy for them before the law.
This,
both the NPP and NDC are guilty. When in government and they commit these
atrocities, they find a way to justify their actions and the opposition courts
the public to mount pressure and the same situation continues when we change
governments.
If a country like Sweden
occupied by humans as those in Ghana could hold super peaceful elections
without most people of the world even realizing they held an election, why
can’t we do same in Ghana? Why can’t we as a people allow our brains to
function for just a second? Why do we sit down for a few foolish politicians
take the country to ransom that human beings are killed with impunity just
because they want to win an election? And, the most nauseating thing is that
if, indeed, these politicians say they only want to serve their populace by
soliciting for their votes then why kill and terrorize the very people they
will serve?
I
used to blame Michael Jackson for changing the colour of his skin. Then, I
completed journalism school, started following Ghana and Africa's politics
proper and realised that judgment must be left solely in the hands of God.
If
you consider the constant showcasing of stupidity by some of our politicians,
one tends to agree with scientists' classification of human beings as animals.
The reality is that such animals abound in Ghana and if there were a wall built
around our country, we could pass for the world's biggest zoo!
Though
cases of violence recorded at the registration centres are isolated, honestly, I
do not see the reason why I should go to a potential death zone of a voter ID
card registration centre to register. After all, without any scientific data, I
can boldly say that 90% of people who have registered to vote will do so either
to maintain President Akufo Addo and his NPP or bring back into government John
Dramani Mahama and his NDC.
That
is the sad truth and I am not willing to commit such a crime of electing any of
these political chameleons who will promise to buy you a beautiful bowl only to
return from the market with a chamber pot.
However,
in case I change my mind and register for the voter’s card, I will gladly vote
for Akua Donkor and her Ghana Freedom Party. A friend named Fatau Mohammed once
gave me a reason why he will vote for Madam Donkor and I think he makes sense.
He says, with Akua Donkor’s government there will be no disappointments but
only surprises.
In
that, many believe her to be a political joker so if she wins power and
underperforms you know you did not vote for her to positively change our
narrative as a country. Nonetheless, if she pulls magic and transforms the
country’s fortunes then you know she has surprised you big time.
If
we, indeed, value Ghana and want the best for the country then we must all stop
acting like jokers. The Ghanaian media must, as well, desist from trumpeting peace
campaigns and musicians must do same by desisting from composing songs on such. If
after 60 years of independence we have not realised the reason we exist as a
people then we must equally grab a chilled bottle of Coke and popcorn and read
Edward N. Luttwak’s paper ‘Give War a Chance.’
Countries
who listened to Luttwak have learnt their lessons, the hard way, and today they
are successfully progressing. Here, when we heed to Luttwak’s call, we will
look on while the NDC and NPP fight till their energy drains.
The
writer is a broadcast journalist with Media General [TV3/3FM]. Views expressed
herein are solely his, and do not, in any way, reflect the editorial policy of
his organisation whatsoever.
Email:
nehusthan@yahoo.com
Twitter:
@aniwaba
Youtube:
@aniwaba
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