Political Odyssey 4: Political Pessimism in Ghana

Election 2008 is panning out to be pivotal for Ghanaians. The stakes in previous elections could not have been higher than this coming balloting. A wide range of political differences show people whose outlook on 2008 is partly optimistic, but generally pessimistic. Dangers of unrealistic optimism and the virtues of constructive pessimism abound from Oseikrom to Nyankpala, from Dabala to Ahwirem and beyond.

This piece, though, will take a look at the phenomenon of political pessimism that seem to have engulfed a great many who feel hopelessly out of tune with the political process. In a strange twist, majority of these people are the very ones who say they have no time for politics and so by default have allowed undeserving people, in their estimation, to romp all over our political process.

At the same time, there exists the political pessimism of the NPP over its prospects in the 2008 election. Knowing full well that the NPP has not, in any way, fulfilled the high expectations that Ghanaians had of them in 2000 and 2004, the NPP is pessimistic over its chances of success in the reckoning that will come in 2008. They served notice of their unpreparedness and pessimism by withdrawing from Tamale Central Bye-Election and assigning yet another spurious excuse. And perhaps, there is no NPP member who is more concerned about what the future will bring than the person of Ghana?s current President, John Kufuor. Ghana?s President must indeed be very worried about how the future, and history, will view him. Will he be written in the history books as the leader who continued the transformation of Ghana into a thriving, prosperous and stable democracy, or will he be disparaged as the leader who promised Ghanaians the world, and ended up with a legacy of nepotism, political scandal, and a lackluster economic record? From the mood of the average Ghanaian so far, it does not seem as if Kufuor?s banner is very high at the moment, and his legacy might well be viewed as the latter.

The Ghanaian public has become deeply pessimistic about Kufuor and the NPP, and doubts whether it can, within the short period left of its term, fulfill the promises that it made to get elected, without offering up any spurious excuses. In an age where the NPP?s constant explanation for their own failure to fulfill their promises is to quickly blame the NDC, it is no surprise that the public has grown weary, and is suffering from diminished expectations. Ghanaians were promised jobs, serious improvements in healthcare and education, among other things, but have been rewarded for their trust in the NPP with empty words and hollow schemes. And how many times can Ghanaians accept the excuse that the NDC is to blame for the NPP?s failure? At this moment, the public has realized that enough is enough and that the NPP must own up to the fact that almost six years after taking the reins of power, its inability to sustain Ghanaians? expectations is nobody?s fault but its own.

Today, Ghanaians of all stripes face a political crossroads, where they must honestly reconcile their hopes for the future of Ghana with the ability or desire of the various political parties to satisfy these hopes. The NPP government has absolutely failed to live up to the many electoral promises it made to all Ghanaians. Except for the privileged and connected few in Ghana, the majority has not been able to experience the positive change that was promised. Rather, for the majority of Ghanaians, the standard of living has worsened significantly, and no decrease in the rate of inflation can hide the fact that there are few jobs, and the few who get those jobs are able to do so through family connections and favoritism. Hence, for the majority of Ghanaians who were unfortunate enough to choose the wrong parents, the dream of a productive and fulfilling future remains tantalizingly out of reach.

Indeed, those who report that things are going well in Ghana are more likely to already belong to the ruling and privileged class; their fault is they believe that their unique experience is common to all. They cannot relate to the common man, and their success, they believe, is all of their own doing, and not through any other means. The NPP touts itself as the party of property-owners. As such, they convey this fact through their preoccupation with private property ownership, as opposed to the welfare of the public. It is property-owners who care about inflation rates, rather than employment. It is property owners who care about ROPAL, rather than employment. The truly desperate have not the luxury to worry about the effects of dollar on their income; they have none!

In line with its catering to the privileged few, the NPP has spent and is spending billions of cedis on acquiring official vehicles, foreign trips, while losing money through questionable practices and bad management. Meanwhile, all the many ministers, both regional and national, continue to receive free fuel and allowances, while the President also spends billions of cedis receiving per diems while traveling the planet like some exulted tourist, perhaps, arresting this bad behaviour only because he nearly perished (God Forbid) in a near plane disaster at Sirte, Libya. At the same time, the NPP blames all these practices on the NDC, and asks the poverty-stricken Ghanaian to be patient and pray for a better Ghana and to extend Kufuor?s term to 5 years, which can only be done by tinkering with the infant Constitution. Tell us, when will the better Ghana be, if these practices continue? Did the NDC force Kufuor to go on all those trips? Indeed, those who say things are going well in Ghana are living in a fool?s (if not a gangster?s or drug dealer?s) paradise.

Some tired Ghanaians have views akin to those of Woody Allen, who looks at Pessimism thus: ?More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.? They are weary of NPP. They are wary of Kufuor. They do not have any hope in NPP leadership. They have called for a Civil Revolution. See Ghana web Feature Article of Sunday, April 02, 2006, titled ?Our Ostrich Economy Not Ready to Fly? (Do Ostriches who keep their heads in the sand, fly?).

Other Ghanaians are like Thomas Hardy on Pessimism, who says that: ?Pessimism...is, in brief, playing the sure game. You cannot lose at it; you may gain. It is the only view of life in which you can never be disappointed. Having reckoned what to do in the worst possible circumstances, when better arise, as they may, life becomes child's play.? These are those who ?played the field? with the NDC and jumped ship to the NPP during its rule but are hedging their bets on a possible loss of power in 2008 by NPP and therefore are casting glances once again at NDC.

NPP pessimists are like those described by Robert Lowell whose view on Pessimism is ?If we see light at the end of the tunnel, it?s the light of the oncoming train.? In other words, if they see NDC ascending to power in 2008, it would be catastrophic unraveling of their personal aggrandizement, not a chance for Ghana, to move forward and be cleaned of the mess NPP has created.

Be that as it may, NDC ponders about the question of Robert Mallet when he asked of Pessimism: ?How many pessimists end up by desiring the things they fear, in order to prove that they are right?? Certainly, the new NDC of 2008 would not desire any part of NPP?s corruption, moral decadence, nepotism, deceit, failure to keep campaign promises etc.

After spending eight years in the political wilderness, the NDC of 2008 will be quite different from the NDC that existed pre-2001. While the party?s philosophy of social democracy remains the same, the NDC has weathered the trials that face opposition parties in general, and has become a party tempered with humility, and willing to draw upon the collective wisdom of all its members. So, in a way, being out of power has been good for the NDC and will be great for Ghana because Ghanaians will witness a party rejuvenated in spirit and in deeds. While the party?s critics decry the NDC and pessimists have been predicting its demise since 2000, the NDC continues to grow stronger, in number and in philosophy.

On the part of the new and untested DFP, its pessimists seek reassurance that Mark Twain?s opinion on Pessimism cannot be aimed at them when that old fox wrote: ?There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist, except an old optimist?. What new or old thing that remains undone do they suppose they are bringing to Ghana?s political table, if not more of the same?

Are these pessimistic views necessarily bad? No, could be the answer, as we refer to Dr. Julie K. Norem, a professor at Wellesley College, in her book, ?The Positive Power of Negative Thinking? as she shows how indulging in negative thoughts actually helps people go on to do their best by preparing for the worst. In fact, Dr. Norem has found that many people perform more poorly when forced to think positive, since negative thinking is often an effective strategy for managing anxiety. Many Ghanaian Politicians can cope with their political anxiety by understanding Dr Norem?s simple strategies. She prescribes learning to cope with the pressures of modern life by using Defensive Pessimism, a strategy of imagining the worst-case scenario of any situation. For example: ?What if the train is running late and you won?t make it to your job interview on time? What if you don?t know anyone at a party you?ll be attending? What if you don?t know any of the questions on your final exam?? Or, in the worst case scenario envisaged by nervous NPP members, ?What if the Constitution is allowed to function and there is effective transfer of power to any successor government without acrimony and in like manner to the peaceful transfer on January 7, 2001?? Politicians can as well manage their political anxiety by imagining the worst-case scenario in a Defensive Pessimism strategy.

Dr. Norem tells the stories of people who have harnessed the power of their negative thinking to increase their self-esteem and make significant progress toward their personal goals. At the same time, she shows how this strategy of Defensive Pessimism differs from the standard optimistic approach--and how friends, husbands and wives, co-workers and in our case, politicians with different approaches can understand one another and work together. Whether you are a die-hard pessimist, an eternal optimist or some combination of the two, Dr. Norem shows you how you can use your outlook to achieve success--and discover how to make your worries work for you. ?The personality style ?Defensive Pessimism? supports a positive interpretation of the adaptive value of a person who thinks through worst-case scenarios and uses anxiety to motivate and carry out effective actions.?

President Kufuor is almost certainly, as a second-term President facing his final years in office, worrying about his legacy and how history will view him from the day he leaves office rather than decades from now. While Kufuor is frequently praised by his supporters for his gentle manner and soft-spoken style, finding positive achievement over the last several years is actually very difficult. Knowing full well how his predecessor was badly treated when the NPP assumed power, it is no surprise that Kufuor is scrambling ?to appoint? a successor, preferably someone related to him, who will make sure that Kufuor?s legacy, whatever that is, is not treated as ignobly as that of his predecessor. Will history be kind? What will be Kufuor?s legacy?

Kufuor?s supporters almost immediately point to HIPC and the decrease in inflation as two important accomplishments. The conditionality attached to HIPC and the fiscal (mis)management of the NPP administration leaves a lot to be desired about the program?s fiscal soundness. Meanwhile, the size of government has increased, while President Kufuor has persisted in increasing national spending every year that his administration has been in office. As a result, the relief effects of a decrease in inflation are mitigated by the crowding-out effect of increased government spending. At the same time, Kufuor turns a blind eye to corruption, seemingly unwilling or unable to rein in profligate ministers and family members, while labeling all accusations of corruption as ?perceptions? without any investigation. As a result, it takes a seriously misguided individual to declare Kufuor?s Presidency a stunning success. While NPP supporters might be charitable to their leader while he controls the purse strings, it takes no great leap of faith to declare that the historians of the future might not be as kind to Kufuor?s legacy.

In 2000, the NPP won elections primarily on the fact that Ghanaians were disenchanted with the NDC and wanted to give the newcomer NPP a try. Today, the NPP?s failure to render positive change has caused it to lose all credibility with the public. Ghanaians have taken to heart the saying, ?fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on you; fool me thrice, triple shame on me?. There is strong evidence to suggest that the NPP is right to be pessimistic about its 2008 prospects, given the mood of the average Ghanaian. Ghanaians are fed up with slogans and bogus promises. They want leaders who will transform Ghana?s agricultural sector, and provide the path to industrialization, while creating new jobs and opportunities for employment that enable all Ghanaians, not just a few, to live safe, happy, and productive lives. And just as important, Ghanaians want leaders who refuse to blame others for their mistakes, and when mistakes are made, have the decency, courage, and humility to step up and admit the error. Anyone who has ever made a decision has certainly made a mistake. It is only those of true courage who can admit to making mistakes, rather than stubbornly attributing their errors to the actions, real or imagined, of others in the past.

Thus, Ghana is at a unique crossroads, where true leaders dedicated to public service, and furnished with bold and strategic initiatives can win the day by infusing Ghanaians with a sense of purpose and progress. Who will that visionary leader be, if not Prof John Mills of the NDC, a hard working, conscientious and honest man, whose time is at hand in 2008!

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.