Time to Hold Politicians Accountable

Last year I was one of the people who felt the Electoral Commission should go ahead with the creating of new constituencies though some section of the electorate thought otherwise. The argument put forward for the EC not to go ahead with the creation of the new constituencies has to do with the timing. Those people felt that with the elections very close creating new constituencies may create chaos during the elections. But the new constituencies were created and the elections held and the elections results showed that those fears were unfounded.

I am, however, opposed to creation of new districts in principle as specified by the constitution that gave mandate to the EC to do so anytime the government creates new districts based on the data from a national decennial census. Such constitutional mandates for both the government and EC should be repealed. The government may argue creating new district and constituencies is a way of strengthening local government and deepening participatory democracy. But I think that this is hypocritical on the part of government since local government and participatory democracy are not enhanced by creating more districts and constituencies but strengthening institutions and structures of local and national governments.

Newly created districts will benefit from infrastructural development, but I ask the question, should we create new districts before we develop those areas? It is our right that our communities have good infrastructure whether or not they come under new districts. And it is the government’s responsibility to ensure these areas are developed. We should not make the government feel as if she is doing as a favor by creating new districts and promising that they will develop those districts through that. One should ask if governments are truly committed to making local government work and supporting metropolitan, municipal and districts developed the communities, why should she wait to create a new district before investing in developing that district? Where does the money all of sudden come from? Such act to me is insincere and a political strategy to keep the citizenry at the mercy of the politician.

An MP of Ghana basically has responsibilities to the Nation, constituency and party. Such responsibilities according to the Ghanaian Parliaments includes exercising legislative powers to the state through the introduction and passage of bills, explaining government policies to his constituents and monitoring development projects in his constituency and offering constructive criticism of the party’s policies. There is no mention of the MP providing development to his constituency. The MPs are the representatives of the people so is even our President. Does increasing the number of MPs in Parliament enhances the quality of their work in parliament and have positive effect on the electorate who put them there? If our argument is that number of MPs in parliament should show a proportional representation of the population, do we have to elect two presidents just because our population has increased?

I believe that the number of MPs should be fixed like the US House of Representatives. If this is not done every ten years we will be forced by the constitution to keep on increasing the number of MPs in our parliament. Increasing number of MPs will not improve the quality and standard of living of our people but rather put a further burden on government. Governments are quick to take on these new responsibilities but are not ready to take the necessary actions that safeguard continuous access of an increasing population to electricity, water, food, education, jobs and shelter. Let’s watch whether these new MPs in the current parliament who came as a result of the newly created constituencies will bring any difference to the lives of their people.

Finally we are one people and creating new districts only ends to bring sharp divisions along ethnic and chieftain lines. We are all witnesses to what happens when governments creates new district as to the situation of the district capitals and even boundary lines. The act of re-demarcating boarders and creating new districts out of old ones is a colonial tool to keep people in servitude to their masters.  I think that what we need to do is empower our assemblymen and women, unit committees and the chiefs so they can help mobilize their people for development.