As 2020 approaches, Kwesimintsim must review its options

In November 2020, the country will go to the polls to elect a president and members of parliament. Voters will have the choice of retaining the incumbents or choosing those who appear to them to be superior options among their competitors. Before that, the parties must decide for themselves if they are happy to present their holders. These decisions must necessarily be based on an appropriate badessment of the performance of these holders, the image they convey towards the party and, above all, their chances of retaining seats if they are again presented to the party. electorate.

Kwesimintsim, like all other constituencies, will face the same choice. As a seat that has long supported the new ruling patriotic party and is a reliable source of votes for this party in the Western region, the choice should weigh even more heavily on the constituency party. His decision will have an impact not only on the parliamentary elections but also on the presidential elections. An unpopular candidate could cause base apathy, discourage independents and embolden the opposition that normally does not count the constituency among its winning seats. This requires a sober and impartial evaluation of the performance of the incumbent and his chances of reelection.

The current MP from Kwesimintsim won a first fight against an incumbent president before winning the 2016 general election. He was expected to do better than the person he had been elected to replace him. Kwesimintsim has always been a critical seat for the nuclear power plant and some expectations of our representative. It must have the eloquence, the national profile and the skills that would make it difficult for the constituency to be ignored in the distribution of the proverbial national cake. These were the minimal expectations that he was supposed to meet. This is the type of representation to which the constituency is accustomed since its creation under the Fourth Republic. A dashboard of his performance should therefore include these as well as his own performance and that of other Members during the same period and in similar circumstances.

Broken promises
Before we even approach its performance by objective measures, we must first badyze it in the light of the very promises that prevailed in its functions.

As a candidate, our MP promised a golden era of creating jobs and opportunities for young people. In particular, he promised that he would use his experience and his relations with the port authority, where he was a long-time civil servant, to find jobs for the inhabitants. If there are young people in Kwesimintsim who have had this promise fulfilled in their lives, this writer is waiting to hear them. It is instructive that in Parliament this "experience" was strangely not enough for our MP to sit on the special committee overseeing this area. Why would not a veteran of three decades in harbor affairs be selected for a committee where there are other members with little or no information or experience? Or is there a problem of competence?

In the last three years in which we have been represented by the member, infrastructure development in the riding has been of little value. Unlike the many badurances he has given us, there have been no major social infrastructure projects or improvements to existing ones. If the hon. Member has not received his common fund, perhaps he should tell us. If it's been, then maybe he has to tell us what he's using it for. Interestingly, with the approach of the primary season and rumors of a credible challenge, we see him attempting to meet this challenge. Will the population of Kwesimintsim be bought by this cynical ploy? We live to see.

Represent the constituency
Never in our history as a riding have we had such a silent member. In parliament, on radio and television, there is hardly a cry from our MP. With such silence, how does he represent us? And it's not like he's very active in committee work. He is a member of only two committees, which is the bare minimum for any MP governed by the rules of Parliament. It is not surprising that he was not able to lobby for projects in the riding. All our audits also show that he does not lobby "behind the scenes" either. It is not just the constituency that it deprives of its representation. He refused or was unable to represent and project party achievements on any platform. Unlike other MPs who do everything in their power to defend and promote the party, our MP remains silent even as our opponents do everything in their power to diminish our achievements. Since becoming a member of Parliament, he has not held any public meeting to explain to voters the many great policies of this government. Or to listen to their concerns so that he can articulate them where it counts. So what exactly does our MP do?

Elector Relations
Even when a member does not do what he or she was elected for, the least we can get from them is a cordial and respectful relationship with the people who appointed them. Yet even here our MP refuses to oblige. The only people for whom he has the time are his most devoted supporters and others who are under his material influence. Honest dissent has been criminalized, and good-faith objections are considered personal affronts to our member of Parliament and the cabal around him. Normally, as the political leader of the riding, he would badume responsibility for the division of the riding party, which is at the worst level ever. But in this particular case, his actions, his inactions and his general leadership style are in fact to blame. His choice of only supporters to treat; his refusal to engage with those who offer constructive criticism; and his unfortunate use of tribal considerations in his approach to leadership are just some of the ways in which he left his party weakened and demoralized before crucial elections.

But this is only his first term?
From his supporters, we heard this laughable excuse. Even if an apology mitigated bad leadership, it would be an exceptionally poor case. Although we were reluctant to name names, many new elected to the legislature were not prevented from providing effective and competent leadership early in their term. We do not even have to go very far from Kwesimintsim to see a member appointed for a first term who offers eloquent representation, keeps his promises and strengthens his parties for the upcoming elections. And what is the reason, I wonder, to keep a man in a job that makes him terrible in the hope of being able to improve himself? A man with decades of professional experience to his credit would have even had to find it easier to adapt and perform than some of his younger colleagues who would not think of offering this excuse to their constituents. If he has not yet mastered his memory, I'm sorry, but Kwesimintsim has to find someone who can do it and the sooner we do it, the better it will be for us. If the drafters of the constitution did not believe that a four-year term was enough, they would have created the first terms "non-score". But this is not the case, as President Mahama learned in 2016.

So what now?
In all respects, our member has failed. He did not do what he had promised to do. he did not do what we expected of him; and he has no excuses. We still have time to find someone who can represent us better than him, if we want to keep the seat of the NPP and regain the trust of the entire electoral group in the party. The Honorable Joe Mensah must leave and if he is concerned about the "investment" that he has not yet recovered, as we have heard, some of us will be ready to bring the acid of our widow to complete the redemption free of charge. that he will receive at the end of his term.