Lowering The Bar

Political standards have suffered an all-time low. With the bar lowered to the notch we are witnessing today perhaps, we should not be surprised that some actors, whose comical activities should be shunned, are being accommodated and even allowed to issue statements as so-called flag bearers.

If only the framers of the Constitution had foreseen such a situation arising, they would perhaps have found a way of obviating it with the appropriate clause or so.

We have noted that until something, and pronto, is done to salvage the sinking image of politics and its quality in this country, it would soon be thrown to the dogs, for want of a better prognosis and expression.

Every day comes with its varying levels of degraded politics, all of which are contaminating the quality of politics and even governance.

Stressed and almost pushed to the point of hopelessness, some Ghanaians think the country is suffering a spell for some iniquities committed by her leaders – present and past.

Their pain could have been informed by the sorry state they find the country in and the continued persistence of our political leadership on the worrying and despicable path.

Why would the Director of Communications of a ruling party during a campaign talk tell the people of New Takoradi that if they vote for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the president the illegal joining of cargo ships would be formalized? In other words, the criminal act would be facilitated by government – an impossibility which the discerning can see easily.

It beats our imagination that members of a ruling party would encourage people to undertake perilous journeys into the unknown, even when they know that such ventures are perilous and could exact prison terms for defaulters or even death for votes.

The originators of such promises are just being insincere or doing costly propaganda. His defence was that if such propaganda can inure to the interest of the NDC, why shouldn’t they use it?

It is now glaring that lies are being peddled to vulnerable sections of the population as the polling day approaches.

Should the bar be so lowered for votes? We are beginning to see a high sense of desperation on the part of the ruling party as they show their preparedness to do everything for votes.

It appears we have not seen anything yet. The coming days will unleash more stories about how far government is ready to go in its bid to win the confidence and therefore, votes of the electorate.

Only heaven knows what dangerous promises have been made to men of the underworld just so they would support the NDC. When such hoodlums go on rampage and destroy state properties as they did when they descended upon the Electoral Commission (EC) office in Suhum, they do so with government backing. God save Ghana.