From Manhyia with words of wisdom
They say if you have an elderly person in your house, you never get short of good counsel. It does not necessarily mean that every person matures with greater wisdom. However, it is generally anticipated that with age and years of accumulated experience, a person is better predisposed to offer good advice on matters.
Advertisement
It is for the same reason that when there is a stalemate in any arbitration process, the panellists will withdraw to consult the ‘Old Lady’, and very often their verdicts rest very well with all the litigants.
Last week, Ghanaians were fortunate to drink deep from the fountains of wisdom when the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, delivered a lecture on the theme: “Advancing Together”, to mark the Constitution Week of the National Centre for Civic Education (NCCE).
It was a rare choice of the key speaker for such a topic and for the occasion.
At first, many would have expected the NCCE to fall on a seasoned academician well-vexed in our political history or a matured politician who has retired from active service and, therefore, could draw on his/her experiences and advise his compatriots on the way forward.
The Asantehene has proven through his delivery that the organisers after all made the right choice when they settled on someone who stands in the middle of a political landscape that has become so antagonistic that nobody cares to reason with anybody from the other side.
His mature observation and sense of judgement from where he sits in his palace cannot but exude confidence and fairness to all.
Even before he could proceed, the Asantehene told his audience of the advice from his elders to be wary in order not to be caught in the whirlwind of political mischief, which is the order of the day.
But like a true leader and father, he accepted the challenge, determined not to stir but to calm turbulent waters.
Our fourth attempt at democratic rule is being marred by a culture of intolerance, insensitivity to the plight of the majority of the people, arrogance, impunity and naked dissipation of state funds.
The signs are clear and only those who cannot read the consequences of the gathering clouds will continue to believe that this country is on course.
The spirit of national unity planted in Ghanaians by the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah at independence is still working magic for this country but we cannot continue to survive on the scanty reserve of this national resource if we do not make conscious effort to consolidate our unity and use it as a leverage to develop this country.
The Asantehene spoke on all the issues bordering on the peace, unity and development of this country such that it would not require a lesser mortal like this writer to repeat them.
He spoke about our politics of intolerance, vindictiveness, arrogance of power and what has become known as winner-takes-all syndrome which have all conspired to tear this nation apart.
He addressed our politicians whether they were in government or in opposition whose focus had shifted from the national interest to personal and narrow sectional and party interests.
He has addressed the issue of a media that has abused the freedom guaranteed it by the 1992 Constitution and in the main has become an extensions of political parties to the extent that it has lost its legitimacy as the watchdog of society and the voice of the people.
Media platform to encourage freedom of speech has become a platform to freely abuse, defame and vilify people perceived to be political opponents.
It is increasingly becoming clear that the best place to attract the attention of the political leadership for a possible appointment into high office is the media platform, where radio and television discussions could be used to launch verbal assaults on political opponents.
It seems to be working because most of the young men and women who have found themselves in the political limelight, crowning it with ministerial and other high-profile appointments did so not through any personal achievements or any other attributes but via media violence.
Many Ghanaians have decided to be silent on important national issues because they have come to realise that no one would be interested in their views.
More dangerous is the fact that one risks becoming a victim of verbal assault from a new breed of youthful politicians called members of government or party communication teams.
They possess so much venom that you better keep away from them if you want to retain your dignity and sanity.
As the Asantehene rightly observed, the press was the instrument that galvanised the people to rise against colonialism. We think this is the time for the media to put state officials and institutions on their toes and also become the instrument that will consolidate our democracy. But what do we see?
We need to take the advice of Asantehene. “Please, let the media lift itself from mediocrity and beacon of light, of enlightenment and of hope for our people. I appeal to the electronic media in particular to release the nation from the hot air balloon and save us from the din of party propaganda”.
He went on: “We should not remain captives to a cabal of party communicators and politically charged commentators and their serial callers to continue ramming their propaganda down our throats”.
What better advice can media professionals and media owners expect to make themselves relevant in our political dispensation.
Ghana has so far escaped and forever shall escape civil conflicts that have torn other countries in the sub-region apart.
The pace of our development is, however, so slow that we seem not to have benefited significantly from our peace and national unity due mainly to poor leadership and the new brand of politics we are practising.
Our constitutional experts must come out quickly to effect the necessary amendments to our Constitution that would enhance the check-and-balance mechanism to reduce the near-autocratic power of the presidency, which is the source of most of the political frictions we are experiencing in the system.
We are lucky like a house, Ghana is endowed with a huge stock of elderly men and women whose advice we can thrive on. The Asantehene has played his part. He can only offer good counsel and he has done that. Many others will follow if they believe they will get receptive ears.
It is up to us as responsible and listening children to tap into the wisdom of his advice and mend our ways. It is only then that we can proudly declare that we are advancing together with a common and noble objective of making our nation stronger and better.
Artcile by Kofi Akordor
Email: [email protected]