The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has stressed the need for the citizenry to demand higher standards in governance and accountability.
She said leadership must be willing to take unpopular but necessary decisions and demand more from citizens while also holding those in high office to stricter standards.
“You can’t expect that the citizens should do the right thing, and yet those who are given higher levels of responsibility and greater access to the nation’s wealth are held to a different standard.”
Speaking on an Accra-based radio station, Joy News programme, “Talk No Dey Cook Rice” Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stated that good governance could not be reduced to clean elections or winning popular favour.
“Good governance is not just about going for elections and having a certain level of trust, transparency, and fairness.
She criticised Ghana’s political culture, warning that the obsession with elections was undermining the nation’s progress.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed the need for leaders to stop pandering to populism and start making the tough choices that secure the country’s future.
“It seems as though we’re constantly chasing elections, and the populism thing is just becoming so central to what is always being done that we are not paying enough attention to what is the right thing to do, not just for today, but for tomorrow, for generations yet unborn.”
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, stated that she derived her strength in politics from a deep reliance on prayer and wisdom passed on by her late father, former President Jerry John Rawlings.
“To a large extent, I do pray a lot. You just surrender certain things and pray for the grace to move on and keep focused on what your purpose is,” she explained.
She recalled how his late father advised her never to inherit his enemies.
During the interview, she reflected on the hostility she had faced both as a child and as a public figure.
Father’s counsel
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings recounted how her father’s counsel continued to guide her. “I remember my father saying to me, ‘Do not make enemies of your parents’ enemies.’
She said that advice had guided her, adding that “it is something I have lived by.”
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that she would never disown her parents or distance herself from their sacrifices.
“I will not publicly or privately turn my back on my parents, because I know what they did. I am also aware of the sacrifices they made,” she insisted.
She also pointed out that her father had apologised for the revolution's excesses, even taking responsibility for actions carried out by other people. Despite this, she said, many who know the whole story have chosen silence.
Political framing
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said those experiences shaped her approach to politics.
“I do not take kindly to people on my platform abusing or assaulting other people.
It is not something I endorse, because I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of something you may have had nothing to do with,” she stated.
To her, critics only expose their fear of conviction when they try to undermine her.
“Sometimes, people see the level of conviction you have.
They know that if they attack you enough, they can get you to move away from what you believe in.
You must resist that so they don’t win,” she added.
