Restoring the dignity of the African politician
Continued from Friday, October 13,2012 issue
I feel some unpleasant sensation in my stomach and my heart burns when I see people who take these nonsensical violent actions or inactions on behalf of these shameful people who call themselves politicians who invariably erode the collective dignity of their colleagues and profession by their conduct.
So in asking myself why and what cause this shameful behavior?, I recalled on the 11th of April, 2012 when I saw a lot of people moving towards the central police station around Kantamanto from my view at one of the top floors at NIB Head Office and enquired to be told that Madam Ursula Owusu together with Mr. Samuel Abdulai Janapor had been assaulted by some macho men for going round to encourage people to participate in the then ongoing biometric voter registration exercise. My response to the answer I was given was “oh how?”, because I could not see how anyone would agree for such a barbaric action to be taken against any person for the cause they were alleged to be pursuing. Hence I had my doubts until I got into my car and then tuning from one radio station to the other I heard the same information to confirm that indeed the unfortunate had really happened. For such a good patriotic cause I do not believe any human being merits this sort of brutish action.
To what conclusion this matter has been pursued by the appropriate authorities to deter those who took the law into their own hands I do not know, but I hope it is not a case of what I have stated before regarding the actions and inaction of the state agencies responsible for law and order.
False politically staged rumor, rude talks, and threats aimed at hurting a political opponent or a section of the public by either psychologically putting them in a state of anguish, fear, or reclusiveness to make them act contrary to their logical opinion is an act of verbal violence. This is on the rise unfortunately in the main stream day to day politics of the African politician, especially the Ghanaian, gradually eroding their dignity, as with time, the politicians perpetuating this acts of verbal violence, having achieved their aims or not, are never able to justify the cause for their action and try to shy away from it, which leads to the questioning of their integrity. An example in the not too distance past, is the unfortunate case relating to the ‘The Regional Director of ECG’ during the Ghana and Lesotho foot ball match at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi and the alleged suspension of him with “immediate effect” by the Director of Communications at the presidency which we as a people are not looking forward to its repetition by any politician whiles on this dignity restoration journey.
POLITICAL ETHNIC DIVISIVENESS
Is one dangerous dignity eroding element that narrowly almost escaped my attention until the
17th of August, 2012 when on my way to wrap up this matter on the dignity restoration subject, tuning from one radio station to the other I tuned into Adom FM whiles trying to find out what the radio stations had to offer for the day and heard Hon. Sampson Ahin on the path of eroding the dignity of politicians through ethnic political divisiveness in one of his submissions bordering on who could be, and not be a Presidential Candidate for the New Patriotic Party based on ethnicity, and by so doing drew Mr. Samuel Awuku in his response to attack the credibility of National Democratic Congress by sighting the comments of alleged statements made by Mr. Fifi Quetey in the wiki leaks report, leaving me with no option but to wrap up with this all important topic.
Politics by ethnic divisiveness is the act of trying to or swaying the thoughts of a group of people with a common culture, dialect or religion etc. against another by generally inciting ill feelings for political gains regardless of the consequence.
The history of this practice has shown very undesirable results which can be likened to one word ‘EVIL’ and nothing more. It is a force opposed to the development of democracy in any country in which it is deplored. The deliberate engagement of any person in this kind of politics entitles the person to be viewed as an enemy of the state or the agent of the devil. The destructive nature of this kind of politics is generational and must not be tolerated at all.
It is one of the primary causes for the death of 500,000 to 1,000,000 in Rwanda, about 10,000 in Sudan (Darfur) and the destabilization of these countries, not to mentioned the number of displaced people, starved and afflicted by diseases as a direct result of this kind of politics according to human right watch.
Mr. or Mrs. Politician, how would you practice your profession in a destabilized country? Remember, the brut and the strong rule in such countries; do not be ignorant of the consequence of this kind of shameful politics of divisiveness. Please, hold your tongue if you have nothing to say, and spare the people the danger associated with your ignorance as we march forward on restoring your dignity.
In concluding, the African politician to restore his or her dignity must remember and practice the following,
- to speak the truth,
- respect him or herself and others,
- avoid politics of insults,
- eschew any form of political violence
- Preach and practice the politics of tolerance and unity.
Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=48422