Ghana deserves good governance – Agyinasare to politicians as he lists 10 reasons

The Presiding Bishop of Perez Chapel International, Bishop Charles Agyinasare, has said there is a cause for Ghanaians to demand good governance from politicians across the aisle, especially as the country heads to the polls on December 7, 2020, to elect a new president and legislature for the next four years.

The founder of Perez Chapel International, who has, for the past one month, been using his sermons to urged national transformation, told the congregation on Sunday, August 2 that now is the best time to talk because former President John Dramani Mahama of the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), have both served in office for a term are seeking a second mandate, thus, the need to let them know the things that matter most to Ghanaians.

“For me, both of them have played their part and we still have problems to be resolved in this country”, he said.

“Is there not a cause for wanting a better Ghana than what we have today? Since they are just beginning to campaign, is there not a cause to demand from Nana and John that in their campaigns, if we have to vote them into power that they make a commitment on the following which they must deliver on?”

Below are Bishop Agyinasare’s ten reasons for demanding a better Ghana:

1. THAT THEY WOULD DELIVER TO US A CIVIL SERVICE THAT IS NON-PARTISAN. (People who join the civil service, public, Security services, military etc. should not be afraid when governments change. People must trust that the system will protect them)

2. THAT THEY WOULD COMPLETE PROJECTS STARTED BY THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT AND MAKE US USE THEM.

3. THAT TRIBAL POLITICS WOULD NOT BE UPHELD ANY LONGER IN OUR BODY POLITIC. (Ghanaians must know that when they develop themselves there are opportunities for them irrespective of the region or tribe they come from. Our system must reward those who contribute their quota to our development in this nation and punish the deviant ones in society in spite of where they come from. If not your qualified children/ grandchildren may be denied someday because someone may not like Ghanaians from a particular tribe)

4. THAT GOVERNMENT(s) WOULD NOT SPEND OUR MONIES RECKLESSLY BY INCURRING JUDGEMENT DEBTS AND EXCESSIVE BORROWING. (Else generations yet unborn will suffer. By all means nations borrow, but to what extent? And how long will we continue to borrow the way we do?)

5. THAT POLITICIANS WOULD NOT HAVE DIFFERENT RULES APPLY TO THEM THAN THE CITIZENS.

6. THAT THEIR TEAM WOULD NOT INSULT THEIR OPPONENTS AND PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH THEM BUT WOULD DEAL WITH ISSUES.

7. THAT THEY WOULD BE SWIFT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION. (As a nation we always talk about corruption, we must be seen to be doing something drastic against corruption. If we don’t one day the large numbers of unemployed youth on the streets may rise and it won’t be good.)

8. THAT THE POLITICAL CLASS WOULD NOT SIDELINE THE OTHER PILLARS OF SOCIETY. (Everything in this nation can’t be politics. If we sideline the other pillars of society and make everything political, then when even our football team plays politicians will take the glory and also of the fall for their performance. When court cases are won or lost politicians will be held accountable for it, when people commit a crime it will become political. Eventually ordinary citizens Like you and I will be the victims.)

9. THAT THEY WOULD ENSURE THAT OUR DEMOCRACY WOULD ALLOW US FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND WE WOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO SHARE OUR OPINION. (Our constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but we must strive to build a nation where people don’t feel intimidated for sharing their opinions. - there are lots of people who say, they don’t want to talk simply because they will be insulted and slandered.

It’s more dangerous where political actors make it seem that non-political actors cannot and should not say anything when there is a cause. And once you say something you must either be for one party or the other.

Over the years I have met brilliant Ghanaians in and outside this country who are doing wonderful things for other nations and yet they tell you they don’t want to be part of this nation because once you talk, criticise or do something you will be branded and dealt with. We all don’t need to be politicians to speak our minds about the nation's direction.

10. THAT WHOEVER IS IN POWER WOULD ALLOW A STRONG OPPOSITION TV AND RADIO STATIONS (BECAUSE WITHOUT A STRONG OPPOSITION WE ARE A ONE PARTY STATE)

I REMEMBER IN THE ’90s THE FIRST PRIVATE RADIO STATION RADIO EYE WAS STARTED BY MR CHARLES WEREKO BROBBEY AND WHEN THEY WERE PROSECUTED A YOUNG STYLISH LAWYER NANA ENDEARED HIMSELF TO US WITH HIS STYLE (However, what we need in this country is not just a strong opposition party but a strong and responsible opposition. Our 4th republic history has shown that we keep alternating 2 parties. We don’t need a tit for tat affair).