Politics in Ghana

For a developing country set in the heart of West Africa the citizens of the country are way too involved in the political process.  A president serves 4 years in office per term and each individual can serve a minimum of 2 terms. After 20 years of autocratic rule the citizenry jumped into democratic process with everything they have. From the time of election till the time the next election rolls by, all that concerns the Ghanaian people is politics. Everything is linked to politics, from gas prices to church affairs. The people have their best interest at heart but do the political leaders have the people’s best interest at heart?

Ghana is a multi-party state but there are two main political parties at the helm of affairs, The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and The National Democratic Congress (NDC). With the bulk of votes going to these two main parties and the other parties share a paltry 2% of the votes. Ghana goes to the polls in December 2012 but the struggle for power in 2012 began at the end of the 2008 elections. I believe it is not only in Ghana but every country which allows a candidate to have two terms of office. The problem is that the said candidate who is now the president rather than being concerned about the country’s development starts to plot his second term in office right from the first day he or she is elected in office. Does that mean that a candidate should be given only one shot in office? Definitely not rather any person who is truly interested in serving his nation will do so disregarding how long he gets to spend in office.

Who is to blame for the then is to blame for the bad political scene in Ghana? First and foremost the people are to blame, for being easily swayed by politician who fulfill just one campaign promise and disregards ten thousand others.  Secondly I lay the blame solely at the feet of the media. Turn on your TV or radio and all you are bombarded with are political debates between opposing parties. Nothing new is being reported it is all a power tussle between political parties. It is the duty of the media to provide us with the facts and allow us make our own decisions but how can that happen when the media is politically- biased.

 I believe people should not just pledge their allegiance to one particular party but rather listen to the agendas of these parties and decipher who might have got it right. But that is just my humble opinion. Like it or not politics is going to be around always, you either jump into the game or stay aloof.

Written by: Nadia Koranteng

WSU International Student

Ghana