7 Lessons from December 7
The general election was a turning point in Ghana's history. One of the most memorable elections ever, it will go down the annals of history as the first time we saw many things happen.
For example, it was the first time a woman was elected as the nation’s second-in-command. This election also saw a former president make a comeback to the presidency for the first time.
The buildup to the election was tense. It looked like it was anybody’s game. The masses thronged the rallies of all parties.
December 7, however, finally brought a finality to the matter as to who would rule the nation for the next four years. The boys were separated from the men. Some foot soldiers went home jubilating. For others, it was a day that would begin their nightmare.
Our democracy is growing. The pace at which Dr Bawumia conceded testifies to this. Such an enviable act of concession deserves great commendation. It points to the worthy fact that our nation’s peace is of more priority than anybody’s interest.
There is a lot to learn from the 2024 general elections. Whether you are interested in politics or not, there are some deep lessons one can glean from all that has happened within the last few months.
• You cannot scam God and win!
The promise of the President to build God a cathedral was a heartwarming pledge, at least, to us Christians. It looked like a worthy vow of gratitude to his Maker for what he had done for him. When a man makes a vow to his God, however, it behooves him to fulfill it by himself instead of imposing it on others.
The building of the National Cathedral ended up as a national pledge instead of an individual one. As if that was not enough, it was riddled with corruption and rumors of corruption. Men were trying to cheat their fellow men in the name of God.
When you pledge to God, be certain to fulfill it yourself. That is what sacrifice looks like. When you rope others into a pledge you made at your leisure, you impose on them undue pressure. Little wonder the pledge never saw the light of the day.
You can deceive men and get away with it. However, it would be a tug of war if you want to treat divinity like you do humanity. A battle that was supposed to be the Lord’s ended up as one against the Lord. No one fights God and wins!
• What you say today will be used against you tomorrow
“When the fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you” was one of the many mantras of the Vice President before he came to power. This mantra is truer now than it was then. The dollar is flogging the cedi. The state of affairs has exposed the weak fundamentals of this government.
Interestingly, this mantra was one of the main messages of the opposition during their 2024 campaign. What the NPP flagbearer said many years ago had come back biting him and his party.
Every opportunity we get to speak is an opportunity to be careful about what we say. Whatever goes out of our mouths today can be a weapon that will fight us tomorrow.
• Money doesn’t always win
Every election almost always appears to favor the incumbent government. Its people have a lot to spend. Their campaign is symbolised by huge billboards and expensive ads.
The 2024 election, however, is a great teacher of the lesson that the Ghanaian voter is becoming discerning by the day. Times are changing. The deciders of who wins an election are not the hundreds who turn up for the political rallies. They are the thousands who are not swayed by the political gimmicks.
Give them all the money in the world but you can never buy their conscience. You may pay for the vote of a discerning person but you cannot buy their vote. Even though some politicians had a lot to spend on voters, they could not buy their loyalty. The reality of their loyalty was the state of their pockets.
If we have enough to spend, we should spend such to make the lives of people better. Money will not always win. A few times it may but it cannot all the time. You cannot buy a man whose mind is made up.
• Help people when they need it… and not when you need them
When elections are drawing near, our politicians suddenly become our friends. They are ready to go any length for us. Some help us cook while others help with washing. Any help that is offered to receive in return is no help. It is a bait.
Help people genuinely. Don’t withhold if it is in your power to. Any discerning person would know if you are giving them one thing to receive another in return. You are not the only wise person on earth.
• Leadership is accountability
The attention-grabbing speech of the president the day he was sworn into office lit a spark of patriotism in the hearts of many Ghanaians. For many who had given up on this nation, here was a symbol of hope who had promised to protect the public purse. He had charged all and sundry to be citizens and not spectators. This was the man for the job!
A few years after his remarkable speech, the renewed hope began waning. The man of hope was at the heels of spectators who were protesting against our polluted waters. As for protecting the public purse, it was nowhere to be found.
The massive loss of this ruling government to the opposition is a great lesson to every leader. Leadership is an opportunity. With every opportunity comes a responsibility. And with every responsibility comes accountability. A bad leader will be found wanting on his day of accountability.
• Before a fall comes complacency
The NPP was very confident about winning the 2024 election. The mannerisms of the president pointed to this fact very well. He praised himself to the heavens, even building a statue to fan his ego. He clapped back at those who criticized him and was not afraid to shove it into the faces of communities he had intentionally denied development.
The day you assume to have arrived is the beginning of your fall. Always remember that success is a journey, not a destination. Until you rest in a casket, never be at rest in pursuing excellence and purpose.
• You will pay for the sin of wrong association
Dr Bawumia did not lose the election because he was the wrong candidate. Simply, he was affiliated with the wrong person. Whenever people saw him, he reminded them of one person they wanted to get rid of as soon as possible.
In the years ahead, the NPP flagbearer has a huge task of molding an identity that would be dissociated from his boss ─ the current president. That association won him the flagbearer race at the party level. At the national level, however, that would be difficult… even though IT IS POSSIBLE.
The right association is an asset, and the wrong one is a liability. Some doors are closed to people because of their names. Some people are denied opportunities because of where they come from. It is just a matter of association. What people associate you with would determine whether or not they will give you the keys you need.
NPP’s loss should be a lesson to NDC. You cannot take the masses for granted anymore and walk away a free man. People are observing. We wish them the best. All hail Ghana!
Kobina Ansah is a Ghanaian playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications (www.scribecommltd.com), an Accra-based writing firm.