Political Impact of COVID-19 on the Ghanaian Situation
Politically, the presence of the coronavirus disease in Ghana has taught us that viruses have no political colour and preference and that despite people’s political differences, citizens of one nation can always come together as one people with a common destiny to fight a common cause and battle a common enemy.
It is in this regard that I consider the meeting of the President with the leaders of the various political parties in the country on April 3 this year as timely and most appropriate. That meeting sent an important signal of the President’s willingness to engage with and listen to other opinions on the way forward for handling the situation at hand. The meeting also served as an important reminder and invitation to all citizens on the need to put aside political considerations for now as we all join our efforts to work together to overcome the coronavirus situation.
One of the first things the opposition NDC party did following news of the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country was to set up a Corona Virus Committee to assist the Government on the way forward for tackling the pandemic is worthy of commendation.
While some suspect that this move as an attempt to divert attention and even subvert Government’s efforts for political purposes, I think on the contrary that the move was a step in the right direction if intended to compliment Government’s efforts in the handling of the pandemic since all hands need to be on deck. I was thus pleased to hear the former Deputy Minister of Health, Hon. Alexander A. Abban, say that the Government welcomed the NDC Committee and was willing to work with them.
Within this period also, we are witnessing the efforts of the former President, Mr. John D. Mahama, going round the country spreading love and hope, and making substantial donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), face masks, sanitizers and other relief items to various hospitals and clinics, and to the poor and needy. These efforts I believe are compliments to those of the Government of the day, and all Ghanaians must see and commend them as such just as we must see and commend all other donations being made by persons in active politics. People are free though to speculate on other motives best known to them; no one can compel anybody not to speculate.
Many Ghanaians have also been impressed with the appointment of Hon. Bernard Okoe Boye as the new Deputy Minister of Health, as well as the working together of the MPs of both the NDC and the NPP in fast-tracking his vetting process. Dr. Okoe Boye’s appointment has been widely received as a step in the right direction and we can only pray and hope that he will bring his vast experience in public health to bear on the situation at hand.
I think that this act of working together which has seen some NDC and NPP persons sharing food together in some places should be replicated in the various constituencies in the country. This will greatly enhance unity and cohesion and further minimize and even remove suspicions and tendency of political hawks to trivialize and politicise every single issue in the country.
While many good things are happening politically amidst the country’s battle against the corona pandemic in our land, a few other things constitute a cause for worry and these must be dealt with and stopped quickly. Over the period, there has been a lot of praise-singing particularly from the camps of the NPP and their supporters regarding the various interventions being put in place by the Government to handle the virus situation to bring relief to citizens.
This has got to stop because they do not in any way help the country to stay focused to do what must be done, but feeds into the hands of those who want to score cheap political points. In the same way, the proclivity of some members of the opposition NDC party to reference the use of health facilities put up by the previous Government for handling coronavirus patients today, as well as references to how the former administration dealt with the Ebola disease when it broke in 2014, is not what Ghana needs at this moment, and so ought to stop.
The unverified accusations regarding the use of party cards for food distribution to the poor have also got to stop because they do not help anybody. What will help the country going forward is not the needless politicization of this pandemic but concrete proposals and recommendations to resolve the crisis at hand. Our politicians should give Ghanaians a break from business-as-usual politics and help all of us to stay focused on what we have on our hands. The corona politics must therefore stop.
Politically also, the coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten to derail the intentions and resolve of the Jean Mensah led Electoral Commission to compile a new Voters Register for use in the upcoming December 2020 Presidential and parliamentary elections. Due to the lack of knowledge regarding when the coronavirus will be over, it seems that the Electoral Commission is beginning to consider the possibility of softening its stance on the matter of compiling a new Register. I think it would make a lot of sense for all stakeholders to continue to engage on the way forward so that some consensus or compromise solution can be reached.
As far as the parliamentary primaries to choose remaining candidates for election to Parliament, as well as campaigns of presidential candidates for the upcoming elections, are concerned, I think that only time and the dynamics of the coronavirus situation will tell. Till then, we can only hope and pray that all goes well, and that our politicians will be wise kind enough not to use the situation of the current pandemic to do their usual “politricks”.
Conclusion
The presence of the corona virus disease in the world today is one more painful reminder to humanity of how pandemics of this nature have over the years devastated the world and disrupted human life. Reports have it that pandemics of this nature have occurred in the 1720s, 1820s and 1920s.
Thus, even though what we are experiencing today with the corona virus situation may not be said to be unprecedented, one may safely say that the impact is very much unprecedented because of globalization. Globalization offers an opportunity for all peoples of the world to realise their common humanity and destiny and to resolve from today onwards to work together in ways that promote harmony, brotherhood and progress among all peoples, irrespective of nationality, sex, gender and colour.
In sum, even after the corona virus pandemic ebbs away, the world will never be the same. Hopefully, humanity can and will learn some useful lessons from this current raging pandemic. This applies also to us who come from Ghana, our dear motherland. END
Source: Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Abbey-Quaye, Duquesne University, Pa.
Disclaimer: The views/contents in this article are sole responsibility of the author(s) and not necessarily the views of Newswatchgh.com. Newswatchgh.com is therefore not liable or responsible for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”
Reproduction is authorised if permission is granted by Newswatchgh.com
