The Member of Parliament for Damongo and former minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has urged the public to desist from elevating political leaders to an almost royal status, describing the practice as unhealthy for Ghana’s democratic culture.
He argued that the tendency to treat politicians as exceptionally powerful or superior members of society undermines the principles of accountability and equality that underpin democracy.
According to him, such attitudes remain deeply ingrained in Ghanaian society and must be consciously addressed.
“I think this is something that the population itself have to awaken, rise up to. If you go to developed democracies in the Western world and the rest, if you go for a meeting as a minister and you are having a discussion with your subordinate, they will be courteous and all of that, but they will not be sycophantic, they will not be polyandrous, but our society is somehow is structured in a way where we almost seem to transfer the reverence we give to our Chiefs and Kings as it should be to political leaders which should not be the case. Politicians and ministers are serving the people,” he argued.
Mr Abu Jinapor, who spoke on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, December 22, stressed that political leaders are employees of the people, not their masters. He noted that elected officials are public servants entrusted with authority by the masses and should therefore be approached and regarded as such.
“They (political leaders) are your employees fundamentally. The employers are the people, the population, and the citizens are those who employ the president, his government and officials of his government, and by all means we should give honour and respect to high office, absolutely, there is nothing wrong with that, but we should also be bold and courageous enough not to treat our political leaders not as some chiefs or kings or what have you, they should be see as public servants,” he said.
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