The right to vote is inseparable from the right to demand accountability from those you voted to make decisions on your behalf. The duty to hold a government in power to deliver on its promises lies on members of its political party than any other citizens. Elections is not a plea of guilty or shame it is a social contract thus, must be questioned at all times. The perpetual docility and subliminal control of the minds of the youth in this duopoly Political Parties must end.
In our kind of Democracy, there is little or no hope at all in changing the status quo.(the NDC/NPP) duopoly. This may seem delusional or pessimistic to the modern day revolutionary movements building up across the country. (Fixethecountry, EFL et al).
While many young people would agree with me on this perspective, it is in fact a challenge that calls for careful re-examination as a nation. The question is why do we see no evil, here no evil or speak no evil when the political parties we belong are in government? Don’t remind me of table manners. Because even those with the loudest and incessant defensive posture are the very people who eat less or nothing at all.
Though the status quo is unfortunately, unfair and understandably frustrating and casts a bleak future for the Youth. We must be realistic and factual in admitting that, it will be a herculean, perilous if NOT impossible for the groups seeking change of the status to succeed. The set mission of demonizing, equalising and at worse comparing and combining the blames on the two political parties is most unfortunate.
Statistical analysis on our fourth republican democratic dispensation shows that, it is electorally impossible to get a new third wave of political force that is capable of swaying the electorates into believing it’s ideology or viability to govern successfully as compared with the NDC and NPP. Unless there’s dramatic changes in the fundamental laws of the land (a major Constitutional reforms).
The Youth must rise above the idolisation and kowtowing syndrome and begin to call for proper and befitting systems starting from within their various political parties.
Unfortunately, due to corruption and share wickedness of political actors particularly, elected officials the youth are so incapacitated to call out politicians who call the shots even though they are responsible for their woes.
Today in our body-politics, the culture of bootlicking, Sycophancy and praise singing has been the order of the game. Young people have been programmed into partisan extremists regardless of their academic qualifications, professional development or exposure. They see nothing wrong about the need to speak up and stand for the right things to be done, be it intra-party or inter-party debates.
Ghana’s version of democratic experiment is extremely monetize and acrimonious to the extent that it repels great minds and attracts persons with criminal penchant to steal and weak brains to govern. Indeed it is so scary to many aspiring politicians who believe politics must be properly characterised with pedigree, principles and patriotism. This is why many young but promising people dissociate themselves from the daily rancour, insulation and unhesitatingly violent nature of politics today.
The way forward for this intricate and crude system is not to form mushroom groups with radical revolutionary tone or sort. The best way is to focus on the Youth in this two dominant political parties (NDC/NPP) to speak up and call for fair, equal and equitable structures in the democratic system such that voices of consciousness and conscience can germinate to demand good governance based on minimum human dignity, infrastructure and quality of life at the national level.
Similarly, the Youth of NDC and NPP must begin to note that, freedom of association or the right to belong to a political party and work to bring same to power is not the end. This right continues to reside with you and even comes with the responsibility to hold your Party executives to account when in government and ensure that, they deliver on the promises made to the Ghanaian people. Indeed no one has the responsibility to demand accountability as young people who toiled and worked hard to bring their political party in government. They must resolve to demand accountability at all cost devoid of the so called consequence of being blacklisted.
If the youth of today belonging to the duopoly of NDC AND NPP were to speak up against their various government on the inefficiency, maladministration, police brutality, unemployment, corruption the need for Constitutional reforms, insecurity, ex-gratia among others, instead of blindly defending their actions and interactions, this democracy would have been better.
Finally, the media outlets must begin to incorporate programs that highlights the need to encourage intra-party introspection, accountability and transparency as well as platforms that encourage young people to speak up against ills of their party in government.
In conclusion, much as it is the rights of all citizens to form political movements, it important to acknowledge the that, the leading cause of these fast growing groups is the deficiency among the NDC and NPP Youth to be more assertive, responsive and actively demand accountability from their own government when they win power. The media must encourage intra-party dialogue with the purpose of deepening the demand for proper governance without adopting Sycophantic and praise singing approach by young people when their parties win power.
By U.L.Mustapha, Nkwanta South NDC deputy communication officer hopeful