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What is wrong with the African?
POLITICS WITHOUT A CONSCIENCE
BY FIOBI KWASHIE
Since Ghana’s independence in 1957 and that of other African
countries in the 1960s through to the 1980s, we have had some
unpleasant experiences of very corrupt practices and hideous
acts of oppression, suppression and physical annihilation of
millions of African peoples by their own rulers. Often, these
rulers have nothing positive and sensible to boast about except
their access to guns and a sense of superiority warped by ethnic
prejudices and baseless socio-economic class antagonisms.
In some cases, these rulers had abolished monarchies, banished
emperors and killed presidents and other leaders whom they had
called “power-hungry” or undemocratic only to create their own
dynasties by ensuring that their sons succeeded them after they
had been in power for decades. In other cases, they had killed a
few people whom they had charged as “having abused their
offices” for getting paltry bank loans or falsely accused as
having received certain favours when they themselves (i.e. our
new rulers or erstwhile saviours) live in affluence, not because
of their own wealth but because of the generosity of friends, as
they claim. Whatever they did to merit such fantastic favours
from their so-called friends is still a mystery and will perhaps
remain so forever.
Regrettably, those of our brothers and sisters who do not take
up arms to subvert duly constituted authority but are full of
greed, simply follow the so-called revolutionaries and
self-appointed leaders. In no time, the former also become
marauders and they behave like their masters. They lie and they
cheat. They swindle with ease and without conscience. And when
it comes to matters affecting them such as the determination
and/or payment of salaries and allowances or End-of-Service
Benefits, it does not matter whether they belong to the
opposition or the party of the ruling government. They are all
one and will dare threaten to drag a sitting President to court
because they do not agree with his decision to do what he, the
President, thinks is right and proper and in the national
interest. Not too long ago, we witnessed such a “union” of the
Opposition and the Government in this country with considerable
disbelief. And, logically, the now popular “foot soldiers” of
the political parties also joined in to get their share of the
booty by taking control of various public establishments of the
Municipal/District Assemblies. It does not matter where these
politicians and political operatives are: be they in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia,
Nigeria, Togo, Uganda or Zimbabwe, they are the same.
The result of all this greed is that the vast majority of our
people continue to live in abject poverty and ignorance.
Meanwhile, the “new Turks” suddenly become unbelievably rich and
wallow in money when the rest of us cannot make ends meet and,
at the same time, live in extremely poor conditions of health.
The political new-comers, invariably young and inexperienced,
professionally, and who are therefore not yet rich, quickly
become very busy trying to get what they can now and store for
the future. Indeed, politics in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa
has become so lucrative a business that even very young men and
women with little or no working experience are fighting for
high-level political positions including ministerial
appointments. And, though they claim to be working for the
people and in the interest of the nation, it is obvious that
they care less about what happens to the country. Just watch and
listen to some of them on TV and on radio and the picture is as
clear as daylight.
Current African history is replete with numerous examples of
what I have tried to describe. But, it seems we are not yet
ready to learn from these most unacceptable acts and move away
from this shameful and wretched behaviour. Many of our appointed
and/or self-imposed leaders – both past and present - behave as
if they created our tiny nations if not the entire universe.
Everything therefore belongs to them and they have the divine
right to rule. They amass and claim for themselves and their
families so much wealth – castles, mansions, huge bank accounts
and other properties running into several millions of dollars.
Yet, they denied others to enjoy even an infinitesimal fraction
of what they say they have and not what the world really knows
that they possess!
If the African politician has any conscience, how can anyone
justify what is happening all around us? Recently, we all read
newspaper reports about proposed new pay increases for
parliamentarians in Kenya. In sum, each Kenyan MP would be
getting a basic annual salary of US$44,000. In addition, he
would be paid US$370.00 per day for sitting in Parliament, not
to mention other perks. In effect, if what we read was true,
then the Kenyan MP will get as much as US$126,000 per annum
after tax. On the other hand, the Kenyan Prime Minister would
receive US$40,000 per month or US$480,000 per annum. This is
said to be 33.3 per cent more than the British Prime Minister
gets and 10 per cent more than President Obama receives. This is
Kenya where the average annual income is reported to be about
US$730.00 or US$60.83 a whole month. We are further told that
most Kenyans earn less than $1.00 or GH¢1.40 a day. Compare
these to the MP’s sitting allowance of US$370.00 per day!
As if these proposed pay increases were not enough to offend the
average Kenyan and Africans elsewhere, one Kenyan MP was
reported to have asked those complaining to get into politics
and become parliamentarians if they also wanted to enjoy the
approved high salaries and allowances. How shameless can the
African politician be?
The Kenyan Government and parliamentarians like all the other
governments and MPs on the continent are always begging for
money from the developed countries now euphemistically referred
to as “development partners.” Africans are constantly asking and
negotiating for concessionary loans with long grace periods and
are always seeking grants for various projects and programmes.
Ghana’s “shopping list” for Foreign Financial Aid and Technical
Assistance goes from the construction of official residences for
the high and mighty through to the construction of ordinary
wells for water and the provision of a 4-6 classroom block for a
primary school in a rural area. I am sure the situation in Kenya
or elsewhere in Africa is not materially different from what
obtains in Ghana and, certainly, the total cost of minor
projects like the construction of wells and building of
classroom blocks will be much less than the emolument of one
Kenyan MP for 6 months.
I consider that the examples given including the construction of
official residences are things we can and must do for ourselves
without foreign assistance of any sort. But, these can only be
done if the African politician will just stop to think about the
plight of the ordinary person, look at the things around him and
listen to what his compatriots are crying for each day and each
night: basic food including potable water, basic shelter, some
clothing, basic education and primary health care. The so-called
ordinary person is not asking for millions of dollars or Euros,
neither is he asking for mansions. He knows he can work hard and
succeed if he can just get the strong legs to stand on. This is
all that he is craving for and, believe you me, the role models
of the average African are not politicians or those who style
themselves as such. He looks up to the ordinary man or woman who
has made it in spite of all odds.
But, where is the conscience of the African politician? He is
prepared to pay himself more than his British, German, French,
Canadian or American counterparts who do infinitely more than we
do here in African parliaments. Yet, he is not ashamed to go and
borrow from the British, German, Canadian or American
governments monies obtained from taxes paid by their citizens
including their parliamentarians who may be earning less than
the African politician. Above all, we are still struggling to
agree on what entitlements should sensibly, equitably and
justifiably be paid to our former Heads of State. And the reason
is simple; because what was once recommended is much more than
their counterparts in the very countries and governments from
which we constantly borrow do get. This is unacceptable, if not
downright offensive to common sense.
The above submission is incontestable. However, I will not be
surprised if our political leaders object to it because, as K.
B. Asante recently stated, “Many of us do not tell the truth...”
(See page 7, Daily Graphic No. 18281 of Monday, July 19, 2010.)
When do we start to speak the truth? Is it too late to get back
to basic values of “probity, accountability and transparency” as
we knew in this very country during the time of our forebears
and even when some of us were growing up from the thirties to
the late fifties? Of course, we often hear of the values just
listed from the lips of many politicians today. But can their
actions match their words? The main question is still this: What
is wrong with the African?
Fiobi Kwashie, Accra, Ghana, July 26, 2010
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