Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Andreas Kamasah
Published on 2024-02-14 09:37:20
In a recent interview with GhOneTV, Member of Parliament for the Asante Akyem South Constituency, Hon. Osei-Owusu, shared an interesting anecdote about his constituents threatening to vote against him if he did not take immediate action to drain full public toilets in some of the communities within his constituency. Hon. Osei-Owusu expressed his frustration with the demand, stating that it was an act of irresponsibility on the part of his constituents.
He emphasized that it is the personal responsibility of individuals to provide their own toilet facilities, and that the state had undeservedly used taxpayers’ money to build the facilities for them. He was quoted as saying, “It is your personal responsibility to provide a toilet facility for yourself. For some reason, we used state funds to build one for you, you use it and it is full, and then you come back, saying ‘come and drain it for me or else, I won’t vote’,” This statement reflects his disbelief at the fact that constituents were demanding such services in exchange for their votes.
Popularly known as Jowise, Osei-Owusu further expressed his disappointment with his constituents, stating that they were showing ingratitude by making such demands when there were other communities that did not even have access to a public toilet facility. He highlighted the lack of appreciation and gratitude by his constituents and the unfairness of their demands. He was quoted as saying, “there is another community that does not have a public toilet at all.”
Furthermore, the MP lamented the fact that the people using the toilet facility were already paying for its maintenance. He highlighted the fact that community leaders collect money from the users and call it community funds, even for basic maintenance tasks such as replacing bulbs. He also highlighted the issue of communities requesting assistance with utility bills for infrastructure projects such as mechanized boreholes, which posed further challenges for public officials. His frustration was evident as he mentioned, “What is even more annoying is that the people using the toilet facility pay for it. The community leaders collect that money and call it community funds. Even replacing bulbs. You build mechanized boreholes for communities, some come back and say they can’t pay the bills and ask you to come and pay the electricity bills. These are some of the things that make it difficult to be in public office.”
Another factor that influenced his decision to quit lawmaking was the excessive abuse and disrespectful language used by young people in discussions. He expressed his dismay at the choice of words used in discussions, citing it as a reason for walking away from public office. Hon. Osei-Owusu stated, “I think it’s enough”.
Despite his frustrations, he acknowledged that the state has failed to educate the citizenry enough to understand that governance involves responsibility, leading to the incessant demand for help in everything. This highlights the challenges faced by public officials in trying to balance the demands of their constituents with the responsibilities of governance.
In conclusion, Hon. Osei-Owusu’s interview shed light on the challenges and frustrations experienced by public officials, particularly in relation to demands from constituents and the lack of appreciation and understanding of governance responsibilities. His decision to step away from lawmaking reflects the difficulties faced by political leaders in meeting the demands and expectations of the public.
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