Member of parliamnet for Korle Klottey, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has issued a sharp critique of Ghana’s political culture, cautioning that an obsession with elections and populism is stifling national development.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Talk No Dey Cook Rice podcast, she argued that leaders must shift from short-term popularity to long-term solutions that secure the country’s future.
“It seems as though we’re constantly chasing elections, and the populism thing is just becoming so central to what is always being done that we are not paying enough attention to what is the right thing to do, not just for today, but for tomorrow, for generations yet unborn,” she said.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that good governance cannot be reduced to holding elections or earning popular favour, listing the true tests of leadership as:
- delivering essential services on time,
- protecting the dignity of citizens, and
- ensuring decent working conditions.
She criticised double standards in law enforcement, citing a case where a trader who damaged part of an overpass was jailed for two years. “Is it too harsh? I’m not going to comment on that, but are we going to be able to do that to a public servant, a politician, who does the equivalent… they got the money, we can’t account for how the money translated into a road being built, but they are walking free?” she asked.
On youth participation, the MP lamented that young people are often excluded from shaping policies that affect them. “You have a lot of young people who feel like they don’t matter. They are not heard in designing policies. Nobody’s asking them, what are you actually interested in?” she said, warning that this disconnect fosters apathy and disengagement.
She also pointed to lessons from other nations where tough but necessary decisions shaped progress. “People look in envy at Rwanda… You cannot take plastic into Rwanda. Simple as that… People brag about Malaysia and Singapore. What it took to get them where they are… You’re not allowed to chew gum in Singapore. It’s as simple as that.”
For Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, Ghana must raise the bar on governance, accountability, and discipline. “When we’re bringing the bar so low because we feel that it’s okay to do that and get away with it because of politics, I don’t understand that. We have to, at some point, draw the line and do what is right for the people of Ghana.”
