Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng, Member of Parliament for the Obuasi West Constituency, has stated that in Ghana’s 4th Republic, ruling parties have been limited to eight years in office, no more.
Hon. Kwarteng observed that, aside from party loyalists, voters generally believe that a political party should leave office after a certain period to make way for another party to govern.
Accordingly, he noted that this belief is rooted in a popular sentiment: “All politicians are the same, let one go and let another come”.
“We (NPP) are looking to break the eight. It is an expectation coming at a time when hostile external factors have imposed considerable hardship on the average Ghanaian voter. But it is not just external factors that threaten our chances of electoral victory”.
“The economic problems Ghana is facing today, at both the national level and in households, are also the cumulative effects of many decades, spanning different governments, of the bad politics and economic mismanagement that have characterized the governance of our country”.
Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng
The MP noted that since gaining independence, the country has relied on a cycle of overspending and borrowing to fund it, emphasizing that many of these expenditures stem from misguided priorities.
He observed that Ghana typically offers higher interest rates to attract lenders, borrows heavily, and then allocates part of the borrowed funds to repay existing debts, with the remaining amount used to finance the current year’s budget deficit and overspending.
Hon. Kwarteng observed that, as a result, the leaders have effectively been operating the country’s economy like a Ponzi scheme.
He pointed out that the economy is currently struggling because lenders are no longer willing to lend to the country.
“It is just like a Ponzi scheme going into crisis once people stop depositing their monies with them”. – Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng
The MP also expressed concern that many Ghanaians, himself among them, fear that if the country persists in its current trajectory, Ghana’s democracy will implode, taking all political parties down with it.
He emphasized that to avert this impending crisis, the political class must confront this reality and alter its behavior, warning that there is little time to spare.
Political Campaign Tactics Remain Unchanged
Furthermore, Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng observed that since gaining independence, it has become a political convention for a party on the campaign trail to highlight its past accomplishments and make grand promises for the future.
He further observed that at the same time, a political party usually engages in negative campaigning, vilifying its opponents and emphasizing their weaknesses.
Hon. Kwarteng observed that while political parties have perfected the art of disparaging their opponents, they have forgotten that the true purpose of politics is to build a better future for the next generation and the country as a whole.
He lamented that election campaigns have been reduced to acrimonious battles between politicians who are driven by a desire for power for personal gain, rather than a genuine desire to serve the public interest.
“It is this primitive political culture that has led to the belief that all politicians are the same and produced the eight-year cycle we are seeking to break. To break the eight, therefore, we must first break that norm by doing the following: Acknowledge the past and present failures of the political class to provide the kind of quality leadership required to avert the mess in which we find our country today”.
“Adopt deep and far-reaching reforms to address the decades of bad politics and economic mismanagement. We must convince voters that we shall be ruthless in our determination to fix this country, that we shall stay the course no matter the challenges, and that, there shall be no sacred cows!”
Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng
The MP further proposed that politicians must set a good example, stressing that before implementing any reforms, leaders must show the public the sacrifices they are prepared to make, in order to build trust and demonstrate their commitment to shared responsibility.
He emphasized that politicians must tackle the issue of their own expenditure of national resources and take bold action to overhaul the corrupt public procurement regime they inherited from previous governments, which they have continued to perpetuate.
“Once we lead by example, we can say with integrity to our people that we are sinking in a common boat and call all Ghanaians to duty”. – Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng
He stressed that if the NPP genuinely believes in and can show its dedication to these commitments, achieving the goal of breaking the eight will follow effortlessly.
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