Tensions

I soonest realised after clouting the ears of the wayward Pastors in our midst [WHO DO WE TRUST] and pitfalls look­ing at the next propaganda by contestants in the up-coming elections [CAMPAIGN 24], I might have stirred hornet’s nest and write a series as I see it. The two pieces are relative.

I felt it best to let them connect interpretively. In particular the references to prophesies and the politician-pastor today. But I con­tended that these are early days yet to pick on themes from Manifes­toes. Finally, I hoped the imminent ballot was “not going to be as complicated as 2020.” Pointers from remarks in the media suggest alarms and the earliest and full-on resurrections of the primacy of alarms and couched in scurrilous language. But I shall freeze a dis­course and propose the inclusion of reference to culture alongside the ‘’24-Hour-Economy’’. It’s issued a debate. I recently heard a highly educative interview on Tele by a former NDC Deputy Finance Minister. It compared in brilliance with the only memory-re­call and the finest articulation of the “One-Party State” by the then Information Minister Kofi Baako [JBP].

Read on: “Religion is merely a cultural understanding of the supernatural that’s why Arabs are Muslims, Chinese are Buddhists, Indians are Hinduists, Europeans are Christians. Only Africans search for God outside of their culture.’’ (‘what’s-up-forwarded). That states the role of culture in nation building, –history con­firmed. This country appears self-advisedly to wish to think out­side of the hitherto stereotypes in governance and management. The reason is we are in a crisis groping solutions. It is unlikely the “24” scheme would not need to find a base which is an instant unifier—culture.

But the dynamics of culture has two basics: observance and respect or civility. Between the last two months both have broken down and ominously point to a rough-house campaign at the expense of real projections to scrutinise by the electorate. I need to state that our-once before massive gullibility has visibly faded except the alleged ‘’bought vote.’’ Within that, the emerging default is indecency in speech and reporting. These might be resulting in unwanted disquiet from consequential trading prov­ocations which may or could rise to levels that might be rowdy. The responsibility to checks for sobers lies with political leaderships and watch out the Mavericks, whose season is this time-on.

However, the bottom-line concern is the rapid decline of respect—public and private, a sine qua non in every culture. If over the years, we had kept that principle active, we wouldn’t be confronted like today. The total idea then is let’s have a binding overarching component restoration to be important part of “24” in the plan to rescue our armour propre. We can work it out from the paper tiger “Principles of State” in the constitution. We all understand that we have let ourselves down being aloof of participating. The THIRD in a campaign agenda is how this could be led. The original pivot of the Rawlings Local As­semblies embodied sessions with elected Representatives to: account stewardship, brief the constituents with “Q & A” and told off or applaud-encouraged. It was apo­litical in concept; but we ditched it. Our experience is a lesson to pull back, a daring to political parties to pledges and deliveries.

There is a statement of honour and in reference to ancestry in the oaths-stipulates for Chiefs and family Heads. The undertaker re­cites a prescribed punishment after breaching. Will the new thinking appeal that for inclusion in a list of promises? In the past post-elec­tion, there had been unsuccessful “inclusiveness”. Our situation is most ripe to think in that direction. Perhaps I can slot how it is that it hasn’t worked here but led to creating extensions of in-cabinet inhibitions and country-wide po­litical tensions. In both scenarios, much had depended on suitabil­ity for the job and the individual outsider. Neither were Sir Edward Asafu Adjaye, Hutton Mills nor Kojo Mercer were CPP politically and Nana Sir Tsibu Darko, Oman­hene of Assin Attandanso before appointed High Commissioners (London) and Chair of Presidential Commission Respectively. You never had found a fierce political jealousy to protest the appoint­ments and hounded until downed.

I shall use one example to indi­cate how job for the Boys in later years had beached the concept during the Third Republic. There were the separate cases of Dr Kwe­si Nduom and another. During the Third Republic President Dr Hilla Limann put Harry Sawyer at the Ministry of Transport. Harry was very successful. Ghana Airways achieved its first and last ever small profit. Irate old Cipiipists in the ruling PNP (CPP-incarnate) backed Col George Bernasko’s ACP’s MP Dr Tackie Otoo against Harry (SDF led by Dr de graft Johnson) in a hoax Tata Bus scandal. Harry resigned. In the Nduom debacle, the NPP admin were fumbling and the country was expecting him to quit to lead a CPP whose popular­ity was soaring and there was great expectation the country was pre­pared to return to the CPP. That was in the third year of Kufuor’s first term. Dr Nduom slogged it out.

The state of the national situation relative to political parties was that the country felt equally disappoint­ed, remembering Dr John Bilson and the THIRD FORCE PARTY which disintegrated. I think that was how apparently more prob­ably, Dr Nduom lost his chance to lead this country. But then, it is also significant he would have been subjected to internal insults, more painful than the external. Dirty language in repartee too, had climbed above crescendo in our political discourses. The country had missed a dark horse alternative, as a result. [“Dark horse” in the sense that showed disenchant­ment with party-led government but in a desperation would try the CPP again though there was no guarantee. Actually, the CPP did not seem terribly ready, waffling unlike as a party which thrived on a maxim “organisation decides.” Our truth in our country is that our politics could stoop lowest bantering.

I have doubts that there was so much despicable. You don’t expect politics to be played by Angels. The filth and sensations in invectives have recently hit below the floor of the bottom and given a new vocab “showdown”, plainly vi­ciousness and confessed brutal per­sonal animosity. At large, it could be dangerous. Question is how we have arrived at this. I venture few possible: greed for power to get rich quickest; it needs no further elaboration. Its sudden social sta­tus-change; and that makes politics ‘death’ or ‘survival’. Alleged and charges or rumoured political ritual killings are rife. We squirm and ‘ah! well’. I have seen Edward Heath [leader of the Conservative then Opposition] light Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s pipe at break in the senior members’ common room at Westminster or Parliament, minutes after they had stood toe to toe in heated cut and thrust in the chamber of the House.

Incredible. You wouldn’t imagine or think it ever likely. But that is politics at its most finessed. They wrestle in solid ideas and bristle in alternate thought like Gladiators or Bulls having seen blood. And are brave more than enough to concede the vote unlike we spend so much tricks towards overturn­ing, caring nothing beyond as if for partisanship-triumph only. But it only sustains tension and no other benefit(s). Point is hardly do politicians realise the harms of the backlashes until a national vote is as imminent.

A greater deal of all the neo-thoughts will be carried by the press. Without prejudice, it is incumbent to alert them that [i] coverage of the ballot is time round going to be different from the old routine; I remember a scheme of training under the auspices of the US mission here had been slated; and [ii] the press institutions are taking it seriously to send both seniors and juniors to learn. I could be wrong. But what is known reportedly hitherto, happens is the seniors would stay behind because they feel arrived. And or handle it like it occurred at the Constituent Assembly 1979. Some members arrived for free breakfast, sat in signed as attended and leave the chamber; back for another free lunch and left; and marked to collect allowances. They were found out –a big scam that led into another. The advice is a reference to the old dictum: “the sky is the limit” for learning and in the media, the process is learning every moment—to improve, not oblivious that the unlimited room or the largest space in life and pro­fession is “IMPROVEMENT”.

As both matters of truth and job satisfaction is the attainment of excellent skills—be a savvy at a profession on whom public trust to keep tensions at minimised in an election year particularly.

BY PROF. NANA ESSILFIE-CONDUAH