Presidential Debates and Sector Experts (2)

  The gross ignorance of matter around us is made manifest when simple issues are put to the text. So H.E. John Mahama wore a military uniform and all hell breaks loose in Ghana. We had lawyers even threatening to frog-march the President to the court to explain why he was improperly dressed in public. […]

The post Presidential Debates and Sector Experts (2) appeared first on The Chronicle - Ghana News.

 

The gross ignorance of matter around us is made manifest when simple issues are put to the text. So H.E. John Mahama wore a military uniform and all hell breaks loose in Ghana. We had lawyers even threatening to frog-march the President to the court to explain why he was improperly dressed in public. The shock of this came when a retired Captain of the Ghana Armed Forces took his turn to comment on the issue. He went on to say that it was simply unacceptable, and that it was H.E. Jerry John Rawlings who introduced this illegality, which John Mahama blindly copied.

The truth of the matter is that it is permissible, by the military’s own regulations, to give uniforms to their Commander-in-Chief. While this was going on, it was sad that the military command did not come out to make a statement to set minds at ease – that John Mahama was appropriately dressed for the military functions he attended.

Can one imagine that in a nation which prides itself with intellectuals, and yet, no one took the trouble of going to the source to find out the truth, but they just came out to showcase their ignorance, by condemning what is right, just and proper.

Nana Akufo-Addo came out recently with a one district one factory policy, and experts in the other parties saw everything wrong with this idea. He was attacked as if he went about cutting and pasting words without checking how relevant the idea could turn out to be. Again, the experts in the other parties are silent, because of the politically rose-tinted glasses they have put on.

Seriously, any government which wants to create jobs must also think of putting up industries spread evenly across the country, and an additional 216 factories cannot be a misplaced priority. We need education from the experts so that we can appreciate where we are, and how we can get to where we should go.

Are we saying here that given the required funds and resources, we will not put up factories in our home districts to create job opportunities there for the youth? This policy of Nana Addo and the NPP is very feasible, but the likes of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa are making fun of it, by claiming Nana Addo will be setting up cat and dog meat processing factories. By the way, he should be mindful of the fact that some tribes consider these meats delicacies, and they also do vote.

The presidential debates, to me, are not helpful, in the sense that most people do not understand what it is all about, but only cheer their candidate on, after he or she speaks. The confusion always becomes basaaa after each debate, when every candidate is proclaimed the winner by his or her loyal party members, while the nation becomes the greatest loser. And you are guaranteed to have the experts on one panel or the other talking jargons, in attempts to explain to us what actually transpired, but end up leaving us more confused than ever, and sadly, we will also never admit our ignorance.

Why should these professional experts yield to partisan politics and hide the truth from us? The differences in opinion are so wide enough to create differences among the larger population. In the end, the nation is torn into which direction to head to, because everyone is talking about the Promised Land, but pointing somewhere else.

Yes, for how many times have we not heard one set of politicians coming out to tell us that the economy is on the launch pad and ready to take off, and surely, goodness and prosperity shall follow us all the days of our lives if they are returned to power? And how many times have we not heard another set of politicians reminding us of how difficult things are, and God had chosen them to lead us out of bondage to that same Promised Land?

All these things are happening, because the professional bodies will not agree to agree about the true state of the nation. And you can be assured that if they are dragged back to the classroom and examined on a case study on Ghana’s economic and political situation, they will almost come out with the same answers, as if they copied from each other. And what is even annoying is, if after twenty or so years, they are invited to a programme, in their capacity as experts who served the country before, and asked about how things went on during their times and their comments, it will be then that these senior citizens will start speaking the truth, and blame it on the political hawks and sharks in their parties, who will never allow the truth to come out.

Can you imagine Seth Terkper, at age eighty plus, on television saying that Bawumia was dead right in all his opinions about the state of the economy, and even his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government had to secretly adopt some of his recommendations? Or with Bawumia, also at age eighty, now coming to say that he indeed used his vast knowledge on the subject to paint the situation black and gloomy, just to please the hawks in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), because they wanted NDC out at all costs?

Etse Sikanku had this to say among others in his wonderful write up, “Are Presidential debates even relevant in Ghana,” that presidential debates enable citizens to evaluate candidates on different levels – temperament, style/tone, and policy/substance. As much as I agree, I still believe that it is only a minute percentage of the population that truly understands what goes on at these debates and can do such evaluations. The rest are all lost in wonderland and chasing fantasies that could enhance their parties’ chances.

So, unless all Ghanaians are knowledgeable on all issues affecting them and the nation, presidential debates will be an activity for an exclusive club. They will have no relevance on revealing the ideal candidate to vote for.

What do we have now, Nana Addo throwing a challenge to John Mahama, and the NDC saying, No! Then John Mahama coming out loud and strong, throwing a challenge to Nana Addo, and the NPP saying, No!

It is rather shameful that when it comes to the people, partisanship takes over, and for some hidden reasons, the political parties would want to cover-up for their candidates.

What made the NDC scared to allow John Mahama to debate Nana Addo, and what is the NPP trying to hide from the electorate when the opportunity has now come?

Many experts view such debates as very relevant, because they remain a valuable and exciting aspect of transparent and liberal democracies. They may not necessarily give us the opportunity to hear from those who want our vote, because we hear from them anyway, during their campaign tours, on electronic and print media, but truly, it rather gives us the opportunity to see how they can comport themselves, when they come together.

In all this, we must blame the professionals who fail to inform the vulnerable public about the true state of the nation, and help us make up our minds on all issues. I believe that if this culture is cultivated, objectivity will be paramount, and the partisan politician will begin to think more on what will benefit society, and not all about his party’s chances at the polls.

Are we surprised at the number of promises made in party manifestos? Some read like fantasies or science fiction. Have we asked what was the input of the professionals in the political parties? It is all about being political in one’s approach, and telling the people what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear. So, when given the mandate to rule, and things are not going according to plan, there is always the opposition to look out for and blame.

So let us see a great change in the attitude of these professionals, so that we have good manifestos and meaningful presidential debates.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

The post Presidential Debates and Sector Experts (2) appeared first on The Chronicle - Ghana News.

Read Full Story