Against the backdrop of the Ghanaweb article, ?NDC women shed tears for Mills?, posted on December 10, 2004, one clearly sees why the electorate must never be taken for granted by any person or organization with political ambitions.
The expectation and the actual result, especially with the way the central region voted contain many messages.
The first and most important is the fact that contrary to belief, Ghana and especially voters of the central region are sophisticated or politically mature to make decisions based on reasons other than voting along ethnic lines. This in a great way clearly sends a message to the politicians who engage in this style of politics that slowly, if this precedent should be followed, then they will have to find other means to convince the electorate other than using ethnic issues as a core factor in their political strategy and campaigns.
The second most important message here is about performance of the politicians. The vote against one of their own simply shows that they are not looking for just a ?hometown? boy at the helm of affairs. They need development, they need jobs and they want to improve upon their lives. The NPP even though it has not done much in this region, compared to other regions, still looks poised to deliver more and probably this was the motivation.
The fact is simple. Future elections will seek leaders and not rulers. Future elections will demand facts and knowledge of the local needs and global events. People will not accept nonsense from anyone. Honestly, some of the content of the party manifestos simply was garbage. It really was a shame that politicians seeking to govern, in many cases, dealt with the electorate as though they were dumb.
The dislocation for many parties, from the electorate was simply based on the lack of respect shown to the electorate, by way of the level of misinformation put out there. An astute politician will take several notes now, and definitely make sure that the next time around, strategies used then and in the future, are simply in line with public expectation.
The Ghanaian public each day is sending a message and eventually, the darling President of our nation will be a leader, who can surround himself or herself with strong, dedicated individuals, who are bright and selfless in serving. The Ghanaian today, after a torturous past, seems poised to prove to Africa and himself or herself, that indeed, we are the shining star.
Ghana?s citizens, for the sake of making sure our politicians get it right, should or could place an advertisement ahead of future elections, which could go something like this:
?Open Position: President/MP-In need of political marathon runners with integrity and drive. No short distance ?athletes? need apply.?

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