Author: Peter Martey Agbeko, APR
It is often said that democracy thrives on diversity of thought. But in Ghana today, what should be our greatest strength—the freedom to think differently—has morphed into one of our deepest wounds. Politics, once a noble avenue for service and development, has increasingly become a zero-sum game of rivalry and sabotage. The national interest, sadly, is often the first casualty.
From Parliament to the streets, family WhatsApp groups to radio phone-ins, politics has seeped into every crevice of our daily lives. But it is no longer about ideology or policy—it’s about colour, tribe, and unyielding loyalty to party, often at the expense of truth, progress, and unity.
“I just want water, not a manifesto”
In the small town of Juaso in the Ashanti Region, 56-year-old Mama Esther points to the cracked pipe that runs past her home. “Every government comes to promise us water. During campaigns, they stand right here and swear. But after elections, they disappear. All because we didn’t vote for them? I just want water—not a manifesto.”
Her frustration is echoed across the country, from farmers in Yendi to teachers in Tarkwa, who are tired of being pawns in a game they didn’t ask to join.
The Divided House
Ghana, 68 years after independence, is still struggling with the basics—poor infrastructure, erratic healthcare, underfunded schools, and joblessness. While many factors contribute, the deep political polarisation that defines our landscape continues to stall progress.
A senior civil servant who requested anonymity put it this way: “Sometimes we have good policies that work, but the minute there’s a new government, they freeze everything—even if it benefits the people. We waste time starting all over again. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking.”
The culture of “if it’s not our party, it’s not good enough” is slowly eating away the foundation of our national development.
What We Lose
We lose more than just policies—we lose minds. Many qualified professionals, especially in the public sector, remain underutilised because of political profiling. We lose trust in institutions when appointments are perceived to be partisan. We lose unity when public discourse turns into tribal and political name-calling.
Kojo, a young IT graduate from Ho, said he once turned down a lucrative public service role.“They said I had to declare my party and ‘align’—I just wanted to work for Ghana. But if you don’t play the politics, you’re cut out. It was sad.”
The result is a generation growing up to believe that competence is not enough—that party loyalty is currency.
A Call for Sanity and Nationalism
There is an urgent need to reclaim our democracy from this hostile grip of extremism. We must begin to see ourselves not as NPP or NDC etc, North or South, Akan or Ewe etc—but simply as Ghanaians with a shared destiny.
Mrs. Lucy Nyameke, a retired educationist, put it powerfully: “We taught our students that Ghana must come first. Today, the children see us fight like enemies because of party colours. We’re teaching the wrong lessons. If we don’t stop now, our future will pay for our mistakes.”
Political parties must lead the way. Champion national cohesion. Celebrate continuity. Build on the work of predecessors where it makes sense. Civil society, faith leaders, and the media must help dial down the heat, call out toxic rhetoric, and promote issue-based debate.
But perhaps the biggest responsibility lies with us—the citizens.
The Road Ahead
We still have time. The dream of a united, prosperous Ghana is not lost. We can choose to elevate conversations, reward competence over connections, and demand more from our leaders.
Imagine a Ghana where successive governments build upon a shared national development blueprint. Imagine a Ghana where elections unite us in hope, not fear.
As Abena Afriyie, a market woman in Accra, said: “We all sell in the same market—NDC, NPP, CPP. If the roads are bad, we all suffer. If taxes go up, it affects us all. We must think Ghana first.”
The stakes are too high. The cost of inaction is too great. The time to heal and build is now.
Let us rise above the noise. Let us choose Ghana
