The parliamentary species and the hangman’s noose
When nursing ambitions and in election years, they walk to your house.
In all humility. They ask about your welfare with all the concern.
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They make it a point to be at all public engagements and functions or send their representatives, even when they have not been invited.
I speak from experience!
Then election day comes. One surmises and concludes: the person is approachable, the person shows concern and can champion community challenges and concerns for solutions.
The vote is cast. MPs who we used to engage with, almost on a daily basis and, who used to empathise with members in communities and their challenges, win!
They go to the great house. In the past, public servants like you and I, they soon become people of means. Then, they decide, with the change in stature, to change their mobile numbers. The community members are left behind and bewildered. They do not hear from them again.
Those who vowed never to leave them in their challenges, while campaigning. They check the houses of their MPs in the communities and have no information. The households have no information at all either, so the story goes.
In exasperation some attempt some drastic measures, just like Mr Kojo Mensah did last Thursday in Parliament, in his attempt to kill himself.
The most sad aspect of the whole saga is the responses of some of the collegues of the MP for Kwesimintim in the aftermath.
Like a broken record, they repeated the burdens they are all submitted to because of the demands of people. Really? Do you now blame the same people you gave your assurances to?
The same people you endeavoured to be present at their every insignificant meeting, even the week's drink up in commemoration of the passing of an insignificant relative? Even when not invited?
When you saw them as viable votes to ramp up your candidacy to represent them in the house?
What is even unerving about the whole sucide affair in the big house is the fact that one of them, said the sucidal man had embarrassed them.
The refrain by members of the big house that they are burdened by requests and demands of the people is self-inflicted.
What do you expect of your constituents, if you go bragging about your resourcefulness in dealing with all their challenges when you win?
Naturally, rational as most are, they will come knocking at your door to fulfil your promise.
Yes, if MPs are not development agents, they should stick to their core functions of advocating and legislating.
They should not cross the boundaries into other people's spheres of operations (i.e. local authorities) and promise heaven on earth.
Please keep to your lanes, when campaigning be innovative in campaigning on purely advocatory or legislative lines.
Don't promise to build, construct or to improve anything for anyone. Let that be the function of the local authority.
It is my guess that when all is set to elect heads of local authorities along party lines in the course of the year, come 2020, members of the house would really have to re-invent themselves in their campaigns for a spot in the house.
What skills, abilities or capabilities will they be flaunting to get the attention of the masses to vote for them?
Writer's E-mail: [email protected]