Manifestoes? Yes! But in what political environment?
Power is up for grabs again. In Africa, where government is everything, there is so much at stake in winning political power.
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Three months from hence, Ghanaians would be determining which political grouping should control everything for the next four years.
As usual, people who profess to hold the magic wand for Ghana’s economic success are junketing across the country promising everything should they win political power.
Not surprisingly, therefore, grandiose programmes of action if they win have been launched. This document, containing these grandiose economic paradises, is called the Manifesto.
This is the period also where accusations and counter-accusations are being traded amongst the leading political parties capable of winning and maintaining political power.
Usually, the ruling political party and the Electoral Commission are accused of scheming together to steal the people’s mandate.
Following at the heels of this seeping political mistrust is usually the threat of mayhem in the country should one party’s wishes to attain political power turn otherwise at the polls.
The National Peace Council (NPC), in trying to preempt this, therefore, entreated all leaders of political parties vying for power, and who control vigilantes prone to violence, to commit themselves to a peaceful political atmosphere before and immediately after the elections, to ensure smooth transfer of power.
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Ghanaians by nature are not violent people. So this was a move which was supposed to have been welcomed by all well-meaning Ghanaians. Surprisingly, the leadership of the major opposition party put in an objection.
They could not guarantee Ghanaians the peace and tranquillity deserved for the smooth transfer of political power until certain conditions were met by the ruling party.
National peace, which should otherwise be non-negotiable, is now made conditional and negotiable!
The leadership gives a tall list of dos and don’ts to the ruling party. The conditions include prosecutions of some previous election miscreants. This cannot be met, looking at the political calendar.
I was, therefore, amazed when this same political grouping launched their political manifesto, outlining both achievable and unachievable plans they have for this country within the limited four years at their disposal.
The question then is: how can potential rulers of the nation hope to implement these otherwise grandiose plans in a chaotic political environment?
Because, in the absence of commitment to peace, before and immediately after elections, we have a free range for violence as whoever loses would not take things lying down.
So as Jesus once posed the question to his detractors, “Which is easier to say; your sins are forgiven or to rise up and walk?”
I will also pose the question: which is easier, drawing up a complicated party manifesto or committing the party to a peaceful election? Let us trumpet it into the ears of everybody that peace in this country should be unconditional and let no one let politics divide us; for we are one, despite diversity in ethnicity and political thinking.
The writer is a Legal Practitioner, Tema.
E-mail: Adomakoacheampong55
@gmail.com