{"id":237983,"date":"2012-12-11T04:52:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-11T04:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2012\/12\/postmortem-of-2012-election-we-dey-beat-keke\/"},"modified":"2012-12-11T04:52:00","modified_gmt":"2012-12-11T04:52:00","slug":"postmortem-of-2012-election-we-dey-beat-keke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2012\/12\/11\/postmortem-of-2012-election-we-dey-beat-keke\/","title":{"rendered":"Postmortem of 2012 Election: \u2018We Dey Beat keke\u2019!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Feature Article of Monday, 10 December 2012<\/p>\n

Columnist:<\/strong> Adu-Gyamfi, Kwaku<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe possession of power does not guarantee wealth. Nor does wealth always guarantee power. But the lack of power can guarantee poverty and poverty can always guarantee powerlessness\u201d.<\/p>\n

The jury has spoken\u2026. Ghana has spoken.<\/p>\n

All right, that may not be what you\u2019ve been thinking and expecting but you\u2019re not God so move on\u2026.<\/p>\n

This election reminds of a story in my constituency. During the 2008 election, an independent candidate contesting for the Kwaebibirem Mp seat allegedly distributed cell phones to voters who promised to vote for him. But, he only got six votes (five from his family members and one from himself.)Obviously, he wasn\u2019t happy about the result so he went house to house to demand his phones back\u2014no question asked. He saw no reason why he should give them free phones when they didn\u2019t vote for him. I wonder if all the candidates got their monies\u2019 worth. Halba, should all the\u201dgifts\u201d count for something? No pun intended!! Giggle if you want!<\/p>\n

Ok, I tried. I really, really, tried to hold all in, but I couldn\u2019t hold it in any more. So I\u2019m letting it all out. I mean all out. The long, excruciating campaign moments were enough to force me out of my comfortable shell; it was too much for me (or anyone for that matter) to endure. I\u2019m glad that this thing is over. I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only soul in Ghana who is so glad that the election and campaign bombardments are over\u2014thank God!<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s no more news that the NPP got beaten\u2026big time. Given the money all the political parties spent, it\u2019s the worst return on investment in any election cycle in the history of Ghana.<\/p>\n

Anyway, nobody likes to be called a loser and nobody likes to be at fault, so NPP is predictably going to assign others the blame for losing the Presidential election. The major culprits are: the mal -function of the voting machines, Dr. Mensah Otabil, the rainstorm in the central region, Rawlings, the evil greedy dwarfs and Atta Mill\u2019s death and Mills\u2019 ghost .The whining game is not going to be over anytime soon.<\/p>\n

In reality, the NPP didn\u2019t lose the election because of any particular person or event. It lost because many Ghanaians, especially the youth and women voted against it despite the free SHS education promise it \u2018vuvuzulaled\u2019 to the electorates. The party didn\u2019t embrace the politics and ideas that appeal to these demographic groups\u2014and lost .And, that is the fault of NPP and its campaign team which tiptoed around one single issue (free SHS education).\u2019Edey Beat keke\u2019.!!(This is copy-righted and you have my permission to use it at any moment), Please hold your applause!! Before I start my rattle I\u2019ll suggest the need to mandate all appointed and elected officials of the land to be required to pass an examination to determine the level of their sense of vision for the nation and how many good books(excluding the Bible or Koran)they have read since they graduated from college. Don\u2019t laugh, this is serious business. Yes, we need to ascertain whether they have these precious commodities because many government agencies are infected with employees who are devoid of simple good ideas to revitalize our economy and get things moving. After all, the best educated person is the one who has a good understanding of the life in which he\u2019s placed in. It\u2019s apparent that we have a real issue that the life of the mind has been in decline for some time now for those who are responsible for our welfare and wellbeing. If you take care of the mind everything else follows. No wonder we get so many problems that need attention. These are problems which do not necessarily require researching, or a huge capital infusion. They\u2019re just everyday ordinary human problems that need ordinary human solutions. But we can\u2019t because our minds have stopped to grow. They lack the required \u2018nutrients\u2019—like the creativity we get from reading good books. Now, with that bit of information out of the way and out of my chest, I can concentrate better on what the election of president Mahama means\u2014at least to me and millions of Ghanaians. Other than fulfilling his promise of providing QUALITY SHS education to all, we now have this grand opportunity to right some wrongs in our system and make our nation the kind of nation that really cares for its people\u2014especially the children and the elderly. Winning sure is great, isn\u2019t it? However, this electoral victory only opened the door for Ghanaians\u2014both outside and inside. But, we still have to go through it. What good is it if we have free SHs education and the students don\u2019t learn? What good is it if the new administration lets its ministers go on shopping spree and start to acquire houses in foreign lands while our roads are death traps?<\/p>\n

What is the meaning of an NDC victory when the 275 newly-minted Mps are going to grab fifty -thousand dollars free- money \u2013euphemistically know as \u201ccar loans\u201d\u2014, before they start tackling the issues of the nation? What does the election mean to us when ninety-five percent of the college graduates look for job handouts from the government? What does it mean when the country is full of sellers and consumers? What does Quality education mean when entrepreneurship is not taught in our educational system? What does an NDC win mean when our classroom studies are not used to solve our emerging problems in our communities and towns and villages? As an Mp or a minister, are you willing to make your voice heard for the sake of common person in the land or are you going to look for your own personal interest? We\u2019re watching every move you will make. Amnesia and selective memory can be powerful defense mechanisms for politicians sometimes.<\/p>\n

In an effort to go through the \u2018door\u2019 we must have a different mindset. There are a lot of flaws in our system here\u2026 Yes, I know this is sometimes going to be contentious, but hey someone has to do It. so let us get started. Remember that 48.5 percent of the Ghanaian voters didn\u2019t vote for you because they don\u2019t have favorable opinion about you and your party. So it\u2019s your advantage to prove them wrong and spend time with the ordinary people because four years will soon be here and they won\u2019t forget the way you and your party treated them on Election Day in 2016.<\/p>\n

Now to those who have invested their last limited hope and dream on the winning of NPP or NDC, I have some news for you. If you\u2019re planning your life based on whether you think Nana Addo or Mahama\u2019s win will strike some grand entitlements and make your life happy after\u2014well you\u2019re not too sharp. And, if you\u2019re in turn basing those decisions on what the politicians said on campaign trails, then you\u2019re kind of a dope.<\/p>\n

Political speeches and writings are full of euphemistic deceptions because euphemism is used to defend the indefensible. In other words, beware; reacting to what politicians say or do won\u2019t give you an edge\u2014regardless of what they say. Why?……well, the overwhelming majority of stuff that elected officials say to the public is b.S. What they say has no bearing \u2013frequently on the truth, or on whether things will get done and make life better. How many times have they said they will fix our roads when elected? In 2000 they promised to fix kade- Asuom road. In 2008 the same promise was made. Its 2012 the road is still the same—nothing was done. If you let politics and your view of policies dictate your life decisions\u2014kids\u2019 education, work.etc—and then you\u2019re in a rude- awakening. A Politicians\u2019 main concern is to maximize their power while in office or act to maximize their reelection prospect. Politicians are seldom honest when they talk publicly about our money or our welfare. Promising to use the money judiciously is something small children might believe. Rational adults should not. If you\u2019re waiting for Nana Addo or Mahama to be elected before you plan your kids\u2019 education or waiting for government job handouts when Nana comes in \u2013then you\u2019ll miss a lot. Whether or not your party won, there is much, much more to life and to goal- setting, than politics so move on\u2014that is the only power you have and can control.<\/p>\n

Power plays a critical role in one\u2019s life. We can\u2019t see, touch or taste it. But we can sense its presence and we can attest to its strength and potency. It has different forms and shapes and it affects every aspect of human relations .So don\u2019t just sit down and wait for the politicians to bail you out or give you handouts. That is what powerless people do when they want to sell their souls and dreams.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the incoming NDC government is going to have the unenviable task of fighting several multi-alarm fires simultaneously because Ghanaians have soaring expectations and they are unwilling to negotiate or compromise. Mahama and his team cannot afford to default on their promises. It\u2019s impossible to predict all the things NDC will do for Ghana .But this I can guarantee: Mahama\u2019s performance will be closer to Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s after he spends four years in office, if he\u2019s given enough room to implement his agenda for the nation. I can wager my right thumb on this.<\/p>\n

On that, I\u2019ll like to say today is short. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come so if you want to do something for yourself, family country or society, do it now! Gotcha!!<\/p>\n

Enjoy your day and take care of yourself and your dreams.<\/p>\n

Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi(Voice of Reason) NJ,USA<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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