File photo: Parliament of Ghana
It is high time our lawmakers learn to love the nation but not their respective parties. The recent posture of our dear country’s law making body is a clear indication that the country is not in safe hands. The numerous challenges faced by Ghana in general are the inability of our lawmakers to rise above politics when the interest of the nation is at stake. The two major parties in our fourth republic have demonstrated that they are governing for their parties and not mother Ghana.
Our parliament failed and indications are that it will continue to fail in its oversight responsibility over the executive and its agencies. It is a tooth but toothless body that our constitution tasked to monitor the actions and inactions of the executive arm of our government system. Our parliament slept over its duty and will do same in future. This house of honorable members continue to do dishonorable things just because they belong to party A or party B, and as such do things that favor their parties neglecting the interest of Ghana.
I always tell friends that our politics is so harmful to our society. This may sound absurd to some, but people who are realist may quite agree with it. Why wouldn’t an NDC or NPP member of parliament support a bill brought to the house knowing very well that it will benefit the nation just because the opponent proposed it? Again, why should they support bad bill like the recent Ghana-US military agreement without considering the consequences in long term just because it was presented by one of them. The mps who approved the agreement committed great sin against Ghana and their constituents. In fact, our leaders are not serving the interest of the nation or the interest of its citizens but their own selfish gains. As people elected to represent the citizens, issues of such sensitive nature should undergo broad consultation before the right decision could be taken. To our honorable leaders, they should learn to emulate good acts of democracy if they are bereft of democratic ethics.
The hypocrisy and incompetent exhibiting by our political leaders is the bane of our nation’s woes. The majority side’s argument was flawed as far as the interest of Ghanaians are concerned, and their arrogance in passing the agreement make them to be the most incompetent in the nation’s political history. Their argument that the previous administration signed a similar agreement in 2015 indicates how incompetent and irresponsible they are. Are they not those who travelled around the country and told Ghanaians that the previous administration was an incompetent? Was it not because of their incompetent that Ghanaians looked and brought you to power? So now, if your argument for approving this agreement is really as you are telling Ghanaians, can you justify your competence to Ghanaians? Ghanaians brought you because they were dissatisfied with your predecessor’s policies.
Our honorable members should know that Ghana is in their hands and they should not bow to any power or authority within or outside and sell our sovereignty and freedom to the imperial foreign forces. Also, as honorable members, you should always stand for the truth by always safeguarding the country and its citizens as you are sworn in to. Above all, our parliamentarians must after this agreement, break the political norm and demonstrate to Ghanaians that they are patriots and not politicians, competent members and not incompetent, incorruptible and not corruptible members.
Mr. President, your message “Ghana beyond aid” is a mockery to the citizens of this nation should you fail to walk away from the agreement. You swore the presidential oath to protect and defend Ghana’s independence status and must uphold this oath at all cost.
By: Wumbei Napari