Opinions of Tuesday, 5 October 2004
Columnist: Okyem Duku
.... BUT YOU CAN?T FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
Dear voters of Ghana, once again general election is around the corner and the politicians are on the campaign trail sounding their messages! The promises and what-nots. The big question is what do they have to say this time that have not been said already, and does what they have to say merit our time and our votes?
The old saying that ?You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can?t fool all the people all the time? was made popular by the great singer Bob Marley(May he rest in peace), true as this may seem, it is not so when it comes to Ghanaian politics, the Ghananaian politician thinks he can fool all the people all the time or at least 80% of the people all the time. The politicians, dear voters are very cunning people, they are glib, and foxy, they tell you things that they themselves do not believe! They tell us voters that we are the people who actually have the power when in fact they mean that we voters are people to be taken for granted. They are now telling us to bear with them for a while, but how long has a man got to live? Another excuse is that things were worse than they thought; well didn?t they know that? Politicians are voted into power to solve the nation?s problems not to explain how the problems came about!
How could the people with the power be poor and our servants own mansions, ride in posh cars and send their kids to schools abroad? See the number of people who are vying to become Mps and the acrimonies that have characterise the primary elections! Why do all people want to become Mps ? Do you think they are doing that for the love of Mother Ghana? Definitely not, its because those who have been to parliament have overnight become affluent!
Dear voters we have been told the economy is on track when in fact the man on the street is at his worst economic situation since the good old days! Politician have a language which is different from us mere mortals( the voters). They tell us that they have fulfilled their elections promises when in fact more jobs have lost that created; this attests to the fact that voters are to be taken for granted.
Former President Rawlings has become an angel overnight campaigning to save the Ghanaian from extinction when he presided over gargantuan human right abuses, arbitrariness and military brutality for donkey years, the things he did should have earn him a place on one of the stakes at the firing range yet he is free and still want another shot at high seat. Jerry, the proverbial cat they say have nine lives but you must have twenty lives for the things you are able to do and get away with it. Now we are not sure if it you or Prof Mills who is standing, because Prof Mills looks as if he has already conceded defeat.
President Kuffour, you are still the darling and likely to win the election but that is not because of any super performance but it is because we voters are presented with only one candidate. In fact your three and half years have been very dismal. On the eve of your election, there was so much hope for the ordinary Ghanaian to such extent that even the sharks at Kantamanto decided to reduce the prices of their wares as a mark of goodwill; do you think they will still do that today if you asked them?
Dear voter let us wise up and choose carefully who to vote for; the MP who will pack his family and move to Accra after you have voted for him is definitely not worth a place in our thoughts, if his family still lives in the village where he contested, he would be sensitive to your plight in the village!
A voter who sells his vote for money is equally not qualify to be on the voters register because such a person is the type who helps the politician to take us for granted. Don?t listen to the promises, because they would never be delivered.
Elsewhere, people from party A if they are not happy with their representative would vote for the candidate of party B provided he has he interest of the community at heart.
Dear voters, they can fool us for some of the time but they cannot fool us all the time.