Election 2024: The political class has to listen a lot more to the Ghanaian public - Oppong Nkrumah
Ghana's political landscape is undergoing a significant shift, with a prominent government official emphasizing the need for politicians to listen more attentively to citizens.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Works and Housing Minister, stressed that power ultimately resides with the people, who will hold their leaders accountable at the end of their four-year mandate.
His remarks come after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suffered significant losses in the parliamentary elections, with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) securing a majority in the 9th Parliament.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah attributed the decline in voter turnout and party support to apathy among party supporters, driven by dissatisfaction with party management and internal processes. He also pointed to a "wind of change" sweeping across Ghana, significantly affecting the NPP's performance.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah's campaign team managed to achieve a notable margin of victory in Ofoase/Ayirebi by identifying and addressing voter concerns. He emphasized the need for the party to embrace feedback and make necessary adjustments to improve governance and party relations with the electorate.
“The political class has to listen a lot more to the Ghanaian public. The power rests with the people. They give us that power for four years, and they will hold you accountable at the end of the four years. Listen a lot more to the people who employ us, the people who you work for in there and it is how you deal with the issues," he said.
“Across the country, we found instances of people refusing to vote—some even at polling stations, they were angry or disappointed, and others said they wouldn’t vote unless we gave them money. These sentiments align with the broader story nationwide,” he explained.
"I think that we need to encourage a culture of internal disagreements without those who disagree being treated as, for want of a better expression, eternal enemies".
Source: Lead New Online
