Opinions of Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Let us vote wisely taking cue from the changing world political order

Ballot boxes.    File photo. Ballot boxes. File photo.

The world politics is fast changing to the disadvantage of the third world countries. The citizens of the third world countries residing in the developed Western countries are for the recent years seen in the eyes of most of the citizens of the host countries as human parasites living voraciously off their generosity. Subsequently, they have been turning against them by voting into government right-wing parties and persons.

These presidential or parliamentary candidates and political parties that campaign on populist ideas of xenophobia, racism and all sorts of ills against immigrants and how drastically they would deal with them if elected, are indeed getting elected.

Look at the British voting for “Brexit”, thus, voting in their majority to leave the European Union simply for the fact that there are too many immigrants from Eastern Europe and other third world countries in their country. The “Leavers” campaigned to quit the European Union. Their objective was, and it is still, to kick out the numerous immigrants from their country or to reduce their presence in their country.

They blame immigrants for taking their jobs, putting pressure on their hospitals, schools and housing. The Leavers did win the 23 June 2016 referendum.

Barely after the declaration of the referendum result going in favour of the “Leavers” as against the “Remainers” (those who wanted to continue to remain in the European Union despite the huge number of immigrants in the UK), when we witnessed a spate of overt public anger against immigrants. One Polish immigrant was fatally wounded as a result.

In America, the then Republican presidential-candidate Donald Trump who campaigned against immigrants, threatening to repatriate all illegal immigrants in the US to their various countries of origin and also build a wall between the US and Mexico if elected, has indeed been elected the President of the United States of America.

In France, Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National party has her popularity in the polls soaring. She is very hopeful to win the 2017 French presidential election. She campaigns on right-wing nationalist ideologies (fascism) and hates immigrants to the core. If she wins the election which can be a possibility looking at the trend of the current Western countries’ politics and election results, the immigrants in France are in for trouble.

Like her father, she does not believe in any immigrant possessing a French passport as a true French and would not mind revoking their acquired French nationalities to send them back to their countries of origin.

Same problem is cooking in Germany with Angela Merkel likely to suffer losses or lose the elections next year.

If you are a black person, no matter what your current nationality in the Whiteman’s land is, you can be British, French, American, Canadian etc., your skin colour gives you away. In the street, you are simply seen as an African or a foreigner, pure and simply.

Again, is it not said, “If the back of your teeth is bitter it is there that you lick?” By this, I mean to say there is no place like home hence we have to build our own country so that if we happened to be thrown out of these foreign countries that are fast getting fed-up with immigrants, we could return home.

In say, Ghana, if you are a Ghanaian, nobody will throw you out because you will be in your own country where you may have nowhere else to go.

We therefore have the obligation to construct our country which no one can do it better than ourselves.

Subsequently, we have to campaign for, and elect credible, visionary, dedicated, incorruptible, dynamic, honest, respectful and knowledgeable people to lead us.

We do not have to vote to elect corrupt, myopic, nepotistic and less intelligent people to lead the country. This is because the current direction of world politics has no room for complacency, wastage and ruinous acts of corruption.

We shall be doing ourselves the greatest disfavour should we not learn from the changing world situations to adjust accordingly.

Finally, I call on all Ghanaian electorates to campaign and vote for Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP without falling for the NDC and President Mahama’s lies.

The days of going to the Whiteman’s land with a bowl in hand begging for alms to develop our nation or to fill our pockets is almost over.

VOTE NANA AKUFO ADDO AND NPP TO DEVELOP GHANA FOR US.

Rockson Adofo