Editorial

Booing cannot resolve economic challenges

On Saturday, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, was booed while delivering a speech at a durbar organised as part of the Hogbtsotso festival being celebrated by the chiefs and people of Anloga in the Volta Region.

Saturday’s hooting booing comes after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had suffered similar ordeals three times – at the so-called Global Citizens Concert organised in Accra; while on a tour of the Eastern Region; and in Kumasi.

We cannot list all such incidents involving our leaders, but just one more.

Former President John Dramani Mahama was booed away by market women in Kumasi when he wanted to interact with them during the 2020 electioneering.

The booing at Anloga is said to have occurred when Dr Bawumia, during his speech about the Anlo state, veering into talking about the government’s achievements instead of telling the people what the Akufo-Addo administration was doing to solve the unbearable hardship in the country.

It is important to note that politicians would always want to tout their achievements, even in the midst of all challenges, and the touting can be discounted without any incident.

The booing at Anloga has undermined the beauty of the unprecedented durbar in Anlo land which was attended by high-profile traditional leaders like the eminent Ashantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, and the Kwahumanhene, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, not forgetting their respective large retinues of sub-chiefs and courtiers.

It is important to note that for the government to acknowledge the hardship in the country is a step towards finding solution to it.

There are always two categories of challenges nations would face at

different magnitudes and as a result of different circumstances; these are economic and political.

Even though both economic and political challenges can be distasteful, there is no doubt that economic challenges can be addressed easier than political turmoil.

Let us all watch the political challenges in Ethiopia, Sudan, DR Congo, Somalia and a host of other African countries.

In these countries, people do not have the peace of mind to work, or even enjoy what they have worked for.

Some of the people are always on the move from one place to another as they are internally displaced or have to leave their home countries to be refugees elsewhere.

Some of them wish to suffer economic pressures amid political tranquility in their native lands.

Those of us in Ghana are fortunate to have been enjoying a peaceful political atmosphere, at least, since January 1993 when we embraced the democratic rule.

During this period, the country has suffered various economic crises which were surmounted, so this year’s too would be defeated.

Therefore, it is time not to allow the disrespect towards our leaders to spread to more places.

We cannot use booing at our leaders to solve our economic challenges, but peace and tranquility, which we have to safeguard as losing it would be devastating for us.

This is the time to show decorum towards our leaders, pray for them and assist them in any way possible to solve the economic challenges for everyone to have some happiness.

Therefore, we must bury all biases and propaganda and help our leaders to resolve the economic challenges in peace and tranquility.

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