Political Animals

Not sure if it is the stellar cast, riveting storyline or the politicking angle that made the US television series Political Animals so enjoyable for me. Unlike many who proudly declare that they "hate politics" or "don't do politics", I'd be the first to admit I really enjoy politics as practiced under democratic dispensations anywhere in the world. The jostling for power, shady deals, the compromises, broken promises, the neverending scandals, the manipulative nature of good politicians and of course the collective amnesia exhibited by electorates everywhere.

I am not sure if what makes Political Animals so good is the way it blurs the line between fact and fiction. By the way, is there some literary device for basing fictional characters and events so closely to real people and events but cleverly making slight deviations? 

See for example, the plot synopsis for Political Animals on IMDB:

"A divorced, former First Lady, is currently serving as the Secretary of State. She deals with State Department issues, while trying to keep her family together"

I should also add that this former first lady was married to an affable fictional President of the US in office in a fictional 1990s when he lied about an affair. This former President has a strong Southern accent and perchance for cigars.

Anyway, like me, some loved Political Animals:

" 'Political Animals' Review: Sigourney Weaver Owns This Delish Washington Soap"

- Maureen Ryan, Huffington Post 

 

Perhaps 'Soap' is the operative word since some were not so in awe:

"What was sold as "The West Wing" comes out looking a lot more like "Dallas." Not necessarily a bad thing, if you can lower your expectations" - 

Timothy Goodman,The Hollywood Reporter

Speaking of Dallas, I'm still reeling from the fact that its back after a 21 year hiatus. The theme song should be on the soundtrack of my life. Well, probably not as prominently featured as the themes for other fine soaps such as Santa Barbara, Bold and Beautiful, The Young and the Restless and of course Days of Our Lives. One day I will blog about how the Young and the Restless was broadcast on South African TV for years dubbed in Afrikaans during the dark days of apartheid. One day somewhere in 1990, around the time apartheid was collapsing all around, we turned on the TV to find the Young and the Restless was inexplicably in English. I kid you not. Alas I digress.

As a kid I cramped my big sister's style when she tried to secretly trying to watch Dallas and Dynasty after our bed time by plugging earphones into the TV.  I must admit that despite pestering her to explain what was going on, I understood absolutely nothing about the 'complex' Dallas storylines.

Main Dallas cast then:

Source: imdb.com

Main Dallas cast now (it really does still revolve around JR):

Source: tnt.com

But isn't real-life politics like a soap opera anyway? Aren't they all about money, power and respect and much more? Anyway, the bottom-line for me is that Political Animals is worth a watch. Oh and so is Dallas.....I'm sure.

Farewell to the Humble Professor; Damirfa Due

I am still reeling with the shock of the sad passing of President John Evans Atta Mills this afternoon. It is hard to put words together.

May the soul of President Mills Rest in Peace. My heart goes out to his family.

Prof: Damirfa Due, Due ne Amanehunu!

Ghana Politics 101: The Radio Lawyer

Anyone keeping up with Ghana politics will know that it is reaching a whole new level of farcical. It is a never-ending theatrical drama with comedy, irony, absurdity and of course tragedy. But that is another post for another day. One of the key actors actively involved in this drama is the "Radio Lawyer" a term that is worthy of an entry in the Ghanaian Political Lexicon for the Aspiring Politician. 

1. Radio Lawyer: any politician, journalist or social commentator who is a regular panelist on one of the many political discussion programmes aired on Ghanaian radio who provides legal interpretations. The radio lawyer will preface their submission with "I am not a lawyer but..." and then proceed to discuss cases pending in court, give legal opinions and also buttress their arguments with references to the Ghanaian constitution. The radio lawyer will vehemently argue the law with real lawyers and perhaps muddy issues which may mislead the public. The radio lawyer is actually not just restricted to radio but you may find "lawyers" giving opinions in public transport, work place canteens or even markets. In reality, Ghana is not only a country of 25 million football coaches, 25 million political commentators but also 25 million lawyers. 

Ghanapolitics 101: Of fights over slogans and the ongoing comedy of errors

Anyone following Ghana politics must have realized that there is something theatrical and dramatic about happenings in the Beacon of African Democracy (BAD). On the current stage there is a play going on with so many genres and dramatic devices that it is hard to follow.

1. Drama: Promises of dramatic revelations from the Ministry of Information which is now spending good time and energy to serialize judgement debts revelations. The purpose is to 

This exercise has been accused of being a cherry-picking exercise.

1. Farce: 
2. Comedy of Errors: 

4. Tragedy: The fact that the electorate has very few choices in election 2012.

descended into the realm of absurdity a long time ago. On one side it we have the government spending good time and tax payers money to serialize judgement debts to prove that the opposition is equally complicit. Such enthusiasm and energy could be better directed to coming up with creative ways to stop the continued free-fall of the cedi or to deal with this nagging problem of employment for the legions of tertiary graduates. The main opposition is equally taking delight in pointing out the governments faults without accepting complicity in the ongoing judgement debt debacle. So it was actually no surprise to me that apparently the two main parties emerged with the same slogan for election 2012. The slogan "People matter, you matter". Apparently a fierce verbal battle has now emerged with both sides claiming to have originated the slogan and accusing the other side of plagiarism. We will just ignore the irony of the slogan message since ALL political parties in Ghana rarely demonstrate that The People actually matter. Although one may be inclined to believe that there was plagiarlism, I firmly believe this was not the case. Both parties have proven that the differences between them are less distinct than before and it is no wonder that they may have independently arrived a the same point.

BBC's Sherlock: A Stroke of Genius

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson outside 221B Bakers Street
Source: www.bbc.com

I must admit that I completely ignored the buzz and hype around the BBC TV series Sherlock when it first debuted in 2010. Although I'm a great fan of most interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes, a rendition set in modern London just did not seem appealing. Well, that was before I watched the first few minutes of the first episode of the first series and was instantly sucked in. I am not sure if it was the riveting plot, offbeat humour or the slightly gloomy modern London setting. More  likely it was brilliant acting from all the cast and the perfect onscreen chemistry between the two main actors. Although I had seen Martin Freeman years ago in the original 'The Office' series, I had sadly never heard of Benedict Cumberbatch whose turn as Sherlock Holmes is unforgettable. Rather than the modern interpretation taking away from the Sherlock Holmes story, it just made it even better. This is Sherlock Holmes digitalized, social media-ed, interneted and smart-phoned.  The worst part is having to wait until 2013 for the next installment of Sherlock.

Dust Magazine: The Aspiring Politician's Complete Guide to the Ghanaian Campaign Trail

It has been quite a busy and exciting month for me. There was a short but sweet sibling reunion in London, a conference in Geneva that turned out to be awesome professionally and of course getting an article I wrote in print. Indeed, my piece entitled "The Aspiring Politician's Complete Guide to the Ghanaian Campaign Trail" is featured in the June issue of the creative master-piece that is Dust magazine. This is a particular honour for me since I've long admired the ingenuity and creativity of Dust. Edited by the veritable Renaissance man Kobina Graham, it really is one of those publications that gives you hope in Ghana's future by reminding you that there are indeed great minds at work in our country. Not only do Dust articles capture the spirit of contemporary Ghana but they always have pieces immortalizing our glorious and often forgotten past. Then there is the colourful creativity underlying their work.When I submitted the article in its final form, it was a black and white dud. This was then transformed into something readable by the Dust magazine team that includes the super-talented Ghanyobi.

June edition of Dust magazine

Please do check out Dust magazine. It can be downloaded here and is also available for free in Accra. In addition, they also have a cool website here.

Remembering an African Icon: Brenda Fassie (MaBrr) 3 Nov 1964 - 9 May 2004

The Late Brenda Fassie
Source: Lastfm

The late great South African musical icon Brenda Fassie may be remembered by some only for her infectious hit Vulindlela that took the African continent by storm in the late 90s and early '00s. However, for many of us growing up in Southern Africa in the 80s and 90s, Brenda Fassie's music was the soundtrack of our lives. Her early pop hits were the songs we used to sing along to in the playground in primary school while in high school, her kwaito tracks were the stuff of intricately choreographed dance routines. 
In fact from the late 1980s through the 90s there was a transition in  Brenda Fassie's music from pop songs mainly in English to the dance rhythms of kwaito almost exclusively in local South African languages. As Brenda Fassie reached the height of her career during this period, not only was she known for the music but also for the offstage drama that managed to fill newspapers and tabloids.

Despite all the drama, it came as a complete shock to me when Brenda Fassie tragically passed away at the age of 39 years in 2004 just months after I saw her perform live at the Ghana Music Awards.

So I was just thinking to myself. Today marks 8 years since the passing of one of my favorite musical icon and out of the plethora of her songs, which would be my ultimate favorite? This is actually a very hard question. 

Would it be Zola Budd the hit that celebrated the Johannesburg mini-van taxis nicknamed Zola Budd after the South African long distance runner of the time Zola Budd? 

Would it be Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. The song that encapsulated the Zulu proverb "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (a person is a person because of people) and described Brenda Fassie's gratitude to others? This song had a really glitzy video involving a plane and runway. I am sure we still have it on VHS somewhere.

Would my favorite be No No No Senor? A song with an amusing video that replicated an American Western (or more like a Spaghetti western) with Brenda as a heroine saved by a cowboy on horseback complete with a stetson. I kid you not.

There are just too many songs to choose from. There's Brenda's ode to Mr. Nelson Mandela in Black President which was years before he actually became the first black president of South Africa.  There is also Boipatong  featuring the powerful vocals of Tsepho Tshola of the band Sankomota dedicated to those killed in the tragic Boipatong Massacre of 1992. 

Who could also forget Too Late for Mama that tells the story of a mother struck by lightning on the way to fetch water. I am really confused why google keeps linking this track with Alicia Keys. Or did I miss Alicia Keys re-doing a Brenda song completely?

Still among the Brenda anthology there is the ultimate early dance  track Istraight Lendaba which along with Higher and Higher were hits around the time that kwaito music was just emerging as a genre. 

There are the later kwaito classics like Qula, Ngeke Umconfirm, Nomakanjani, Amagents (an angry response to another South African musician), the very dark Memeza and of course Vulindlela. 

So I thought about it long and hard. My ultimate favorite Brenda Fassie song would have to be the very first one I ever heard when I was still a child. The video featured a young 19 year old Brenda Fassie belting her heart out in It's nice to be with people when she was still billed as 'Brenda Fassie and The Big Dudes'. This was before the fame, before the drama and before the tragedy.

Sadly, I can't find the original video on the internet:

When Time Magazine described Brenda Fassie as the Madonna of the Townships in a 2001 article, I for one thought they got it completely wrong. Brenda Fassie was not the Madonna of the Townships, Madonna was the Brenda Fassie of America. 

Brenda Fassie aka MaBrr; fondly remembered and forever cherished.

Does the Ghanaian Cedi have Election Year Blues?

There has been quite a lot in the news lately about the Ghanaian cedi falling to record low levels. It was this tweet from one of my Ghana Tweeps (Twitter-peeps) that got me thinking about the freefalling cedi:

@Kwabena i am no economist but if you paid attention to the cedi in 2000 and 2008, you should know what's going on.#Ghana

So what exactly does happen to the cedi in election years? Thanks to my big brother who introduced me to Oanda and their amazing currency tools, I was able to find out. The graph below shows the value of one US dollar to the Ghanaian cedi from January 2000 to March 2012. Calculations were based on the old Ghana cedi exchange rate since the conversion to the new Ghana cedi took place within this period. The y-axis shows the increase in numeric value of the cedi. At the start of the graph back in January 2000, 1 USD = 2,500 cedis (approximately). By March 2012, the exchange rate was 1 USD to 17,279.4 cedis (1,73 GHS).

Historical Currency Rate (picture is a weird size)
Source: Oanda.com 

Interestingly, Kwabena was right. The cedi did drop in value dramatically in 2000 and 2008 which were both election years. Very curiously, the cedi remained quite stable against the dollar in 2004 which was also an election year. So economist types, please tell me, why does the value of the cedi drop during an election year? In other words, why does the cedi have election year blues?

REPOST: Ghana Politics 101: To avoid unnecessary damage, control your loose cannons

Very recent events in the BAD (Beacon of African Democracy), Ghana, have prompted me to repost this from 2010. Clearly politicians in Ghana never seem to heed advice proffered freely in my lectures for Ghana Politics 101. Maybe they are all taking the course pass-fail. 

Cannons at Fort Antonio in Axim in the Western Region, Ghana
Source:  My personal album of fabulous pics

In military history, cannons transformed the art of warfare and were essential artillery for some key battles dating back to Ancient China. Cannons were also vital to naval combat and the phrase 'loose cannon' alludes to the fact that if your cannons were not secure, they were likely to roll about on deck and cause damage to your ship.  It is not surprising therefore that modern English has adopted the term:

Main Entry: loose cannon

Function: noun

: a dangerously uncontrollable person or thing

Source: Merriam-Oxford Dictionary Online

Over the years, a number of colourful 'loose cannons' have dotted the Ghanaian political landscape. Just like improperly secured cannons, these are usually from one's own armory and cause damage to one's own interests.

Class, the take-home message is simple: if you do not want your political opponents to make mischief of ambiguous statements emerging from your camp, then control your  loose cannons. If you are unable to do so, the ensuing damage could be serious. You would then be forced to field spokespeople who have the excruciating task of explaining the indefensible to the general public. At that point, you just have to hope that the spokespeople are able to use enough circular logic to dazzle the populace and prevent further questions.

The Great Regression: Coup dÉtats and West Africa

"You'd be forgiven if you woke up & thought it was the 70s & 80s again #CoupsIn21stCenturyWestAfrica #WTF" - tweet by  @kobbygraham

The tweet sums it all. The winds of change may be blowing across the African continent but clearly not always in a good way. While the people of Senegal stood firm against attempts by their leader to impose himself for a third term on the populace, Mali witnessed turbulence with a coup détat toppling the government of President Touré. At the same time, Toureg rebels in the North decided to compound issues by declaring the North of the country an independent state. Just when West Africa was reeling from events in Mali, reports from Guinéa Bissau are suggesting yet another Military take over. This is not a time-warp. An accident has not transported us all to 1973 like the character Sam Tyler in Life on Mars (erm that reference never gets old for me), this is 2012 and yet there is a dangerous regression to a Coup d'etat past.

Africa Rising: Mrs. Joyce Banda sworn in as President of Malawi

Mrs Joyce Banda
Source: BBC Online

Although largely by default, history has been made today on the African continent. Following the very sudden death of President Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi, vice-president Mrs. Joyce Banda was sworn in as President. She is the first female president of Malawi and the 2^nd female President of an African country. 

I must admit that I do not know much about Mrs. Banda. I know nothing about her policies nor do I have a complete understanding of the issues surrounding her acrimonious relationship with the now-deceased former president. However, I do feel a wave of hope and optimism for the African continent that comes purely from a deviation from the norm. I think I have to explain.

African politics is a very male-dominated arena and not only that but it is dominated by males of a certain age and generation. Although their wisdom and experience have added a level of stability to the African continent, some of these learned men have clung to power for far to long leading to stagnation.There is always a need for change. Such a change came in Senegal recently when a relatively young 50 year old Mack Sall was sworn in as President after octogenarian Abdoulaye Wade gracefully conceded defeat in a run-off election. This was after the same President Wade not-so gracefully changed the constitution to allow himself to run for an unprecedented third term in office. 

So winds of change are blowing through the African continent. A Malawian from high school could not have expressed it better on facebook when she said that this Easter has a special meaning as it marks a renewal of hope and rebirth. This can be seen as hope and rebirth not just for Malawi but for the entire continent. 

Next up, can we please have Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala heading the World Bank already ?!

I got the (Biometric Voter's Registration) Blues - Observing Ghana go Biometric from a distance

The 2008 Election summed and effectively captured 

Election year is here again in the country I call the Beacon of African Democracy -Ghana. On December 7^th 2012, Ghanaians will go to the polls for the 6^th time since what is known in Ghanaian history as "the return to democratic rule" in 1992. This return heralded a new political era in Ghana known as ‘The Fourth Republic’.  Since the start of The Fourth Republic, the Ghanaian electoral process has gone on successfully although not always so smoothly. Some called the 1992 election a farce but then again there were similar grievances with the 1996, 2000, 2004 and even the 2008 elections.

Ah but who could forget the down-to-the-wire 2008 election? It ended up being the stuff movies are made of…literally. I kid you not. Apparently the behind-the-scenes electioneering of this election are chronicled in the film, An African Election by Swiss-born actor/producer/director of Ghanaian descent - Jarreth Merz.

Being a Ghanaian citizen of age and sound mind (I hope) and having relocated to Ghana almost a decade ago, I have not taken my constitutional right to vote lightly. I was proud to vote in the 2008 election but was shocked at the level of apathy when it came to voting in general. There was apathy from rural-folk living in agricultural communities who felt that regardless of whomever was in power their lives would remain the same. Interestingly, I also observed apathy coming from highly educated urban individuals some of whom arrogantly postured that the 2008 election would be decided by rural folk anyway so they would not bother voting. Hopefully, the newly launched Ghana Decides project and similar initiatives will succeed in getting more of both of these groups involved in exercising their franchise in Election 2012.

Alas I digress. Before I was distracted by Election 2008, I meant to talk about what makes Election 2012 different from other elections conducted under the banner of the Fourth Republic. Well, maybe it is because modern technology is coming to the aid of our never-ending quest for transparent and democratic elections in Ghana. This year, after many calls, the Ghanaian Electoral Commission has decided to adopt a biometric registration process. Interestingly, I blogged about moving to electronic voting in 2009 with a post entitled Mayhem in Akwatia: Isn't Ghana ready for Electronic Voting yet? However, biometric registration and verification is NOT going to mean electronic voting at least not for Election 2012. 

My initial excitement over the introduction of biometric registration turned bittersweet quite quickly. This is simply because I will not be in Ghana for most of 2012 and the narrow window in which biometric registration will take place will not afford me the opportunity to participate. So just like that, I find myself disenfranchised. As if this was not clear already, the Electoral Commission came out recently to reiterate the point that all old voter identification cards will be null and void. 

Since the biometric registration exercise started, I have actively been following the process from a distance via online radio, social media and personal accounts from people in Ghana. At first complaints revolved around lack of information concerning the exercise in general. Later there were reports in the media on attempts to influence the process as well as acts of violence in some parts of the country. However, so far, the biometric registration appears to be going smoothly albeit slowly.

People patiently waiting for biometric registration

Source: JoyFM

Perhaps I am being cynical and a little bit bitter but I can already foresee that by the end of the allocated registration period, not everyone wishing to register will be registered. In the meantime, I will be watching from a distance enviously admiring pictures I've seen of people holding up their new voter cards. I will also keep looking for narrow windows of my own; windows that will allow me to hopefully swing by Ghana to participate in the process. After all, being able to vote for one’s leaders is a privilege that cannot be taken for granted.


P.S. This post also appears on the new website for Ghana Decides, a BLoGHA initiative that employs social media into getting the Ghanaian electorate more informed. The power of social media and technology at work. 

Celebrating Ghana @55

Today marks 55 years since the wonderful country I call home became a reality. The journey has not been easy, the journey has not been smooth. Along the way there have been victories and triumphs alongside potholes and pitfalls. Yet through it all, we still forge on and remain united as one people. After all, we are all bound together by a common past, present and destiny. 

I make no apologies for posting In Ghana  by Rocky Dawuni on my blog for what may seem like the 100th time. I love the way it captures the spirit of being Ghanaian with such joy, fervor and excitement. Plus the impromptu interactive video with beach scenes of late 90s Ghana are just classic. 

Happy Independence Day to All Ghanaians.

In Ghana - Rocky Dawuni (1998). 

[Opening lyrics borrowed from Museke.com]

"Time now for jubilation

Oh God I wish I had an answer

Cause in sweet love our spirits will grow

We are sitting down to life's every rhythm

And then behind the walls the smiling sun stalls

The people all know the reason why we still grow

So brothers be jamming

Yes be jamming

We'll be jamming till they are hiding away

Oppressor man running 

Whiles we're jumping

We will all be jamming today..."

Death of an Iconic Diva

Source: Wikipedia

I literally just woke up to the sad news of Whitney Houston's passing with a text from my brother. For kids of the 80s and 90s, she was the R&B Diva we all looked up to. We are the generation that got excited about everything Whitney Houston including her (now odd seeming) pairing with Kevin Costner in the film 'The Bodyguard'. It is very hard to pinpoint one's favorite Whitney Houston song because there are so many gems. She had the amazing voice, the glamour and on the surface, the idyllic life. 

Strangely enough, back in 1994 on a trip to Southern Africa, she came to my secondary school in Swaziland accompanied by Bobby Brown and one of Nelson Mandela's daughters. It was supposed to be a tour but ended up being only a few minutes leaving many of us disappointed and standing in the rain. However, we still have a memory from that day captured on film of our headmaster shielding the entourage from the rain with an umbrella while the rest of us stood around the school car-park transfixed. That picture is in a fading album at home in my wardrobe as I type.

I am sure the media will have a field day chronicling the rise, fall and eventual rise of Whitney Houston. There will be a multitude of  experts attempting to pinpoint when things started to unravel. Like millions, however, I will not want to remember the Tragic Whitney Houston but rather the Triumphant Whitney Houston that lives on eternally in her music. May she rest in peace.  

My Love is Your Love - Whitney Houston

"If tomorrow is Judgement Day (sing mommy)

And I'm standin' on the front line

And the Lord ask me what I did with my life

I will say I spent it with you..."

Gay Relief from the Woyome heat (wave)

Contrary to what most people believe, African leaders love gay people. In recent times, the African politician has come to realise that no single issue can galvanize and unite the citizenry across the usual divides than calls for gay rights. Lets face it; there are quite a lot of issues causing friction, heat and tension across the continent right now. Aside from ongoing violent conflicts, there are several instances where the masses are growing increasing discontent with their governments.

There are the events in Senegal with a populace irate at the prospect of President Wade heading for another term in office.

Shocking scenes of violence in Dakar following a court's ruling that President Wade
is eligible to run for a 3rd term
Source: cnn.com

There is the increasingly agitated populace in Nigeria refusing to accept excuses from their leaders. In Uganda the opposition has been busy organizing a series of rallies that have left the government seriously unimpressed.

In Ghana we have Woyomegate. This may seem trivial in  comparison to other serious problems across the contient but since the beginning of the year, no other issue has dominated Ghanaian media more than the so-called Woyome saga. Everyday serial callers all over the nation call into radio stations stating their opinions on the saga.  Many of us have actually given up trying to understand the intricacies and it is all panning out to be a political soap opera of costly proportions. Everyone appears to be taking the heat for the Woyome debacle but the greatest toll so far has been on the present administration. 

UN Secretary-general Mr. Ban Ki-Moon
Source: bbc.co.uk

So it must have been with much delight that the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon's call to African leaders to respect gay rights hit the headlines. In my mind's eye I saw government communication teams across the continent jumping for joy since the perfect distraction had just been gift-wrapped and presented to them.

Therefore, I was not too surprised to see that the President of Ghana has already responded to the secretary-general's call equivocally stating that Ghana will not be forced to legalize homosexuality despite pressure from the international community. He was also sure to  reaffirm the government’s position on the issue. Whether there has been relief from the heat of the Woyome saga only time, and the tone of serial callers' calls tomorrow, will tell. 

2012

Fireworks illuminate the night sky in The Hague not in December but in August 2011

2012 started with such momentum that I forgot to even acknowledge that we entered a new year. This year literally started with a bang all over West Africa. First there were the sad and unfortunate Christmas bombings in Nigeria even before the new year had started. Also in Nigeria the astronomical increase in fuel prices led to civil protests that surprisingly got the government to concede and reduce the price of fuel. The implications for the ability of people power to bring about change are tantalizing. Sadly, still in Nigeria, mid January then saw more violence with coordinated bomb blasts in Kano killing more people. 

Further west, in Senegal, a court has just ruled that octogenarian president Abdoulaye Wade can seek a 3rd term in office. This has led to violent protests and unrest in the country. It appears the writing is clearly on the wall but whether President Wade chooses to read it is another matter.

Meanwhile in Ghana, the first month of the year has been marked with quite a lot of activity. There have been major ministerial changes; one fired, one resigning, a number shuffled in, a number shuffled out and quite a few shuffled around. In the background has been the incessant humming noise of the (so-called) 'Woyome Saga' that just does not seem to go away. 2012 will be a momentous year for Ghana since at the end of the year, Ghanaians will decide who will govern the country for the next 4 years. Well, here's to 2012. May it be a peaceful and productive year that lives up to everyone's expectations. 

Ghanapolitics 101: How to End an Action Year with a *Bang*

In January 2011, the government of Ghana declared that 2011 was an "Action Year". Indeed, the government hit the ground running with the first order of business being a  20-30% fuel price increment which came into effect on 4 January 2011. This and other swift actions that characterised the first full week of 2011 were captured in "Ghanapolitics 101: How to Start an Action Year with a *Bang*".  It seems that Action Year 2011 has also ended on a similar note with a 20% increase in fuel prices that came into effect yesterday.

Apparently the fuel price increase was necessitated by  international crude price increases and depreciation of the cedi. The ripple effects of the price hike have also been rapid with transport operators having also swiftly increased their prices. It seems public engagement is lacking and already the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC) is asking the government to explain the fuel price increment since it is coming at a a time when "the cost of living in the country is high".

On Peace FM this morning it was pointed out that the government does not have control over the fuel price increments and it is up to the  National Petroleum Authority (NPA). Therefore it would be great if the NPA would hold a public forum to interact with the public and explain in detail the justifications for the hike. 

Also on Peace FM this morning, the deputy secretary-general of the ruling asked people not to "play politics" with the issue. Finally, could a ceasefire on playing politics with fuel prices be in the offing? That would be great since for the entire decade that I've lived in Ghana, one thing that has remained a mainstay of Ghanaian politics has been playing politics with fuel prices!

Well, the jury is still out on whether 2011 was indeed an Action Year in Ghana. The government insists that the Better Ghana Agenda is underway while the main opposition insists a Bitter Ghana Agenda is in full effect. Ordinary people seem ambivalent to the situation but do lament that prices are going up from utilities to fuel. Hopefully the government will release a pamphlet soon with a listing of the successes chalked in 2011 to remind the populace that things are indeed getting better and not bitter. Alas, some may also then say that pamphlets are unfortunately not edible.