WHO KILLED NANCY
David Easton once opined that politics generally, is the authoritative allocation of resources and values. To wits, the exertion of acceptable values and norms (that may be rooted in culture, historical antecedents, precedents and conventions), the custodianship and equitable distribution of the National cake rest with the players in whom the sovereignty of the people is vested. In a nutshell, "who gets what, when and how". To a very large extent, the success or otherwise of the people, fortunes and stability is dependent on key decisions taken by the powers that be (in the helm of affairs). All of the aforementioned ideally is supposed to be rendered in trust, utmost good faith and ultimately in the supreme interest of the people in line with the agency theory and the concept of social contract.
The Ghanaian political dispensation however does not holistically follow the modules and expectations of an ideal case of a growing democracy and has different and seemingly unpredictable dynamics amidst the strides dating back to 6th March, 1957.
Ghana's geo-politics has witnessed a lot of metamorphosis as the days went by. Interests, perceptions, good will, tribalism, religion and chieftaincy remain inalienable elements in the politics of today. In most developed and developing democracies, there are two dominant political parties and sometimes a strong third force, nonetheless, there are three voting behaviours according to Political Science;
i. ALIGNED VOTERS
These types of voters are identified with a particular political party and irrespective of the performance of the ruling government or the activities of the opposition parties, their voting pattern is fixed at auto-pilot. This explains why each of the two dominant political parties in Ghana have enjoyed a minimum constant of 40% of total valid ballots cast in the general elections with the years 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 in perspective and "ceteris paribus", the 2016 Presidential elections would tow a similar line.
ii. ISSUES BASED VOTERS
These voters unlike the aligned voters have their voting patterns subjected to key analysis of the prevailing issues including and not exclusively, national security, macro economic stability, unemployment, political stability, infrastructural development, social interventions, balance of trade, fiscal and monetary policies, rule of law, proper exercise of executive powers, directive principle of state policy, education, health, energy, agriculture, corruption, foreign policy, to mention but a few. These types of voters fairly appreciate the topical issues affecting the fortunes of the country and do a comparative study of manifestos, after which they vote based on how the government of the day has handled affairs and whether or not the future of the Nation looks brighter in the hands of a formidable opposition serving as a competent alternative .
The issued based voters however do not belong to the proverbial "world bank" of any political party and can vote either ways and undoubtedly remain a part of the deciders of every elections. They are sometimes referred to as "floating or swing voters".
iii. THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL VOTERS
These type of voters exhibit a behaviour that may be unconventional in other Jurisdictions. Their voting pattern is based on their peculiar needs being met by whoever seeks their mandate. The issues of the economy has very little or no influence on their voting pattern and are thus considered "tabula rasa" and they lay bare at the mercy of the whims and caprices of politicians with seared conscience who show up only when its time for the renewal of the power of representation reposed in them by the masses.
Infrastructural developments very close to elections, distribution of outboard motors to fishing communities, supply of farming accoutrements and the influence of cash on election day among others clearly define the practise. On the part of the politicians, these activities may be considered "vote buying".
THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA
The media is mostly recognised as the fourth arm of government in the traditional democratic practise and in Ghana, the repeal of the criminal libel law caused the germination of positive journalism with the likes of Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Manasseh Awuni Azure contributing their quota in the area of investigative journalism. However, the right to access relevant information to aid accurate reportage is still a challenge with the "Right to Information Bill" enjoying endless days in parliament. The media space as well needs to be sanitized since it has served as the platform for unsavoury commentary, the despicable politics of insults, tribal bigotry, derogatory and treasonable chants over the years.
The activities of foot soldiers and serial callers must be carefully managed as a matter of urgency(with the Kenyan ordeal in mind). The debate on whether or not social media should be shut down on election day, for me is a non-starter since the positives out weigh the possible adverse repurcussions.
THE PANACEA
The Ghanaian politician would continue to play to the gallery to enure to his/her benefit until the vunerable voter gains strength with a much better usage of the power of the thumb. Going forward, it would be imperative for the Ghanaian voter to punish the politician for failed promises, grow a sense of objectivity, be rational, be analytical and most importantly choose Nationalism over unnecessary partisanship.
George H.W Bush (41st President of USA,1989-93) was denied a re-election for not fulfilling his cardinal campaign promise "No New Taxes" and not being attentive enough to economic problems, however, he managed 38% of votes, Ross Perot 19%, Bill Clinton 43% and others 1%. Here in Ghana, the people have been subjected to blatant lies in the name of "political talk" since the start of the Fourth Republic and I wonder when we would start punishing the politician for unrealised and preposterous promises. It is only the Ghanaian politician's pipeline that has an entry but no exit. President John Magafuli "Bulldozer" of Tanzania on the other hand has shown that, African leaders can equally be magnanimous in their service to the citizenry.
Lets not contribute to the untimely death of our motherland only to show up at the bank of the river and in haste enquire, WHO KILLED NANCY?
The opportunity to showcase our silky skills with the thumb is presented once every 4 years and in exercising your franchise, be wary of the fact that "We're the Change we seek"
George Sarpong
(A boy from the 80's)
nkgs888@gmail.com
David Easton once opined that politics generally, is the authoritative allocation of resources and values. To wits, the exertion of acceptable values and norms (that may be rooted in culture, historical antecedents, precedents and conventions), the custodianship and equitable distribution of the National cake rest with the players in whom the sovereignty of the people is vested. In a nutshell, "who gets what, when and how". To a very large extent, the success or otherwise of the people, fortunes and stability is dependent on key decisions taken by the powers that be (in the helm of affairs). All of the aforementioned ideally is supposed to be rendered in trust, utmost good faith and ultimately in the supreme interest of the people in line with the agency theory and the concept of social contract.
The Ghanaian political dispensation however does not holistically follow the modules and expectations of an ideal case of a growing democracy and has different and seemingly unpredictable dynamics amidst the strides dating back to 6th March, 1957.
Ghana's geo-politics has witnessed a lot of metamorphosis as the days went by. Interests, perceptions, good will, tribalism, religion and chieftaincy remain inalienable elements in the politics of today. In most developed and developing democracies, there are two dominant political parties and sometimes a strong third force, nonetheless, there are three voting behaviours according to Political Science;
i. ALIGNED VOTERS
These types of voters are identified with a particular political party and irrespective of the performance of the ruling government or the activities of the opposition parties, their voting pattern is fixed at auto-pilot. This explains why each of the two dominant political parties in Ghana have enjoyed a minimum constant of 40% of total valid ballots cast in the general elections with the years 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 in perspective and "ceteris paribus", the 2016 Presidential elections would tow a similar line.
ii. ISSUES BASED VOTERS
These voters unlike the aligned voters have their voting patterns subjected to key analysis of the prevailing issues including and not exclusively, national security, macro economic stability, unemployment, political stability, infrastructural development, social interventions, balance of trade, fiscal and monetary policies, rule of law, proper exercise of executive powers, directive principle of state policy, education, health, energy, agriculture, corruption, foreign policy, to mention but a few. These types of voters fairly appreciate the topical issues affecting the fortunes of the country and do a comparative study of manifestos, after which they vote based on how the government of the day has handled affairs and whether or not the future of the Nation looks brighter in the hands of a formidable opposition serving as a competent alternative .
The issued based voters however do not belong to the proverbial "world bank" of any political party and can vote either ways and undoubtedly remain a part of the deciders of every elections. They are sometimes referred to as "floating or swing voters".
iii. THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL VOTERS
These type of voters exhibit a behaviour that may be unconventional in other Jurisdictions. Their voting pattern is based on their peculiar needs being met by whoever seeks their mandate. The issues of the economy has very little or no influence on their voting pattern and are thus considered "tabula rasa" and they lay bare at the mercy of the whims and caprices of politicians with seared conscience who show up only when its time for the renewal of the power of representation reposed in them by the masses.
Infrastructural developments very close to elections, distribution of outboard motors to fishing communities, supply of farming accoutrements and the influence of cash on election day among others clearly define the practise. On the part of the politicians, these activities may be considered "vote buying".
THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA
The media is mostly recognised as the fourth arm of government in the traditional democratic practise and in Ghana, the repeal of the criminal libel law caused the germination of positive journalism with the likes of Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Manasseh Awuni Azure contributing their quota in the area of investigative journalism. However, the right to access relevant information to aid accurate reportage is still a challenge with the "Right to Information Bill" enjoying endless days in parliament. The media space as well needs to be sanitized since it has served as the platform for unsavoury commentary, the despicable politics of insults, tribal bigotry, derogatory and treasonable chants over the years.
The activities of foot soldiers and serial callers must be carefully managed as a matter of urgency(with the Kenyan ordeal in mind). The debate on whether or not social media should be shut down on election day, for me is a non-starter since the positives out weigh the possible adverse repurcussions.
THE PANACEA
The Ghanaian politician would continue to play to the gallery to enure to his/her benefit until the vunerable voter gains strength with a much better usage of the power of the thumb. Going forward, it would be imperative for the Ghanaian voter to punish the politician for failed promises, grow a sense of objectivity, be rational, be analytical and most importantly choose Nationalism over unnecessary partisanship.
George H.W Bush (41st President of USA,1989-93) was denied a re-election for not fulfilling his cardinal campaign promise "No New Taxes" and not being attentive enough to economic problems, however, he managed 38% of votes, Ross Perot 19%, Bill Clinton 43% and others 1%. Here in Ghana, the people have been subjected to blatant lies in the name of "political talk" since the start of the Fourth Republic and I wonder when we would start punishing the politician for unrealised and preposterous promises. It is only the Ghanaian politician's pipeline that has an entry but no exit. President John Magafuli "Bulldozer" of Tanzania on the other hand has shown that, African leaders can equally be magnanimous in their service to the citizenry.
Lets not contribute to the untimely death of our motherland only to show up at the bank of the river and in haste enquire, WHO KILLED NANCY?
The opportunity to showcase our silky skills with the thumb is presented once every 4 years and in exercising your franchise, be wary of the fact that "We're the Change we seek"
George Sarpong
(A boy from the 80's)
nkgs888@gmail.com
