Over partisanship of National Discourse: Who Speaks For Ghana in the Media?

It looks like everything in Ghana now has a political colour. Water, electricity, roads, food, health and even I daresay, death.

Depending on who dies or who you wish to die, there must be some politics to it.

Today in Ghana, there are those who speak for everything and those who speak against anything depending on what is on the table. Sometimes I wonder what motivates them.

All topical issues now have supporters and opposition who will go to every length to make their voices heard.

The orphan in the midst of all the accusations and counter accusations is Ghana. Who speaks for Ghana?
It looks to me like every matter now has the John Mahama or NDC side, a Nana Akuffu Addo or NPP side.

But who speaks for the Ghana and the red gold green with the black star in the scheme of things? It looks like now, neutrals are hard to come by. Everybody seems to have a position he defends.

University lecturers take sides
Students take sides
Chiefs take sides
Musicians take sides
And now, more worrying is some members of the security services

Should everybody and everything be political?

When I am awake, I love to think about myself, family, friends, career and country. When I go to bed, I dream about Ghana.

Yes, I have been dreaming about mother Ghana and I know am not alone in this, many Ghanaians are doing same in their various homes.

The dream usually extends my night beyond normal but I know that the longer the night lasts, the more my dreams will become.

I have hope that soon, we will all come to the realization that it is good to love our country than to take glory in our individual selfish parochial interest.

Sometimes when I think about what others think, I try to get into their minds to understand why some people think the way they do, talk the way they talk and spew ‘garbage’ the way they do, especially on radio and television.

I look into their faces but no matter how hard I try, I don’t get to understand them.

But try as I do, Shakespeare reminds me that “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”

People speak with such passion for and against the topical issues that come up for discussion in our country every day.

Do they get paid? I don’t know!

People speak as if there is no tomorrow but what they forget is that “no matter how the night lasts, daybreak will certainly come.

But I have heard some people say that they get paid for speaking in support of their party’s interest on radio and television. At least I have heard of some monthly stipends for some people. Some mobile phone credit for others.

I am patient in my moment of anger just so that I can escape a hundred days of sorrow.
Sometimes, I hear some people receive ipads and other gadgets to continously monitor social media networks to state and defend their party positions whether good or bad.

I don’t understand why many young people tend to see serial caller job as permanent jobs, but then again, can you blame them?

The politicians love it when you are half baked than fully cooked so that they can always manipulate you. The youth are vulnerable and so they can be exploited easily.

But no problem! It is better for the youth to light up candles now than to condemn or curse the darkness the politicians have put them in. My prayer is that young people will soon see the light.

Today, I ask, who speaks for Ghana? Who defends Ghana’s position on the radio, television and social media?

I guess probably a few people but who pays them? No one!

No matter how these few patriotic guys are drowned in the ocean of party foot soldiers and party apparatchiks things will get better some day.

For those who have chosen to speak for Ghana, they must be encouraged to continue to stand for Ghana no matter how hard it gets knowing that all things are difficult before they get easy.

Mohammed Abdul Hanan EL-Saeed
Chiraa Sunyani
0244087295