Laptops for Ghana MPs – A Good Idea
I earlier promised a post on why I support laptops for Ghana’s MPs. Here it is:
The Communication ministry led by Haruna Iddrisu last week made known they are providing laptops with modems for Ghana’s 230 members of parliament (No official information on this on the Ghana Government website yet, but see JoyFM’s report here).
There was immediately an uproar. Most of the critique goes along these lines:
Many villages in the 3 Northern Regions fetch water from stagnant waters and used for cooking and washing. Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, just this morning when I was traveling from Yendi to Tamale, I saw one of your bill boards you used for the 2008 campaign in one of the villages I am talking about. You could have lobbied for the money to sink 230 bore holes this year in 230 villages in the north. Next year another 230 and here we go. God bless us all !!!!! (this is an acctual comment from myjoyonline.com)
Now I strongly disagree, and this is why I say providing laptops for Ghanaian MPs is a good idea:
- In today’s world, to be able to do any political work you have to have access to good communication tools. To be able to make important decisions on water, politicians have to read proposals, write motions, communicate with citizens etc.In fact, it is shocking that it is news…did Ghana’s MPs not have access to ICT before last week?
- Now we can easier demand accountability. Make MPs send all official emails through a centralized system so there will be transparency and a backlog if anything goes wrong. (Today many Ghanaian government officials send you emails from yahoo and hotmail accounts…)
- Efficiency. Imagine if all motions and bills could be stored online. Maybe finally things could be done earlier than “the last year”?
- Mzalendo in Ghana. Lets set up a website that keeps track on MPs work! This could never be done if MPs did not have access to ICT.
- And last, but not least: Now our politicians can read blogs! Maybe even write their own on what they do! The Swedish foregin Minister Carl Bildt has a blog (in Swedish), The White house also has a blog etc.
The problem in the past has been the personal ownership of all “tools”. Like the personal car loan. I think governments should provide a car, an office with suitable equipment etc. to elected officials – just as for administrators – but it should not be given/donated/offered to the individuals. May I remind you of Plato’s idea of denying the right of property to the rulers of his Republic (called philosopher kings)?
I’d like to challenge Osabutey Anny and Emmanuel Adu whom I know disagrees with me o this matter to respond.
And you, what do you think about MP laptops. Long overdue or a waste of money?
Photo borrowed from Single Particles.
Art and Politics in Accra
Yesterday evening I went to two delicious events (the other one I’ll elaborate on in my next post *suspense!*).
The evening started at Passions Bar in Osu, where an event called Art and Politics was hosted by Mantse Aryeequaye, a Ghanaian film director focused presently on music videos and Sionne Neely, academic from University of Southern California.
The evening went from definitions of “art” and “politics” to how they are connected through discussions on beauty, colonialism and mis-education. We discussed if art is the mother of politics or if the relation was more complex…We also saw some music videos like Kanye West’s Power (Ego or Excellent?), M.I.A.’s Born Free (utterly disturbing or a reflection of life?) and a new video by Mantse himself for Kwau Kese – so fresh I cannot find it online – (escapism or bloody reality?). The videos were interesting, especially from a teaching perspective, but the discussion could have gone on for hours without them. There is so much to say about art and politics. Especially in Ghana.
The audience/contributors was amazing and diverse, some famous faces present were Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Ato Kawmina Dadzie, Osabutey Anny, Kobby Graham (the latter wrote a post on the Art and Politics event here) and many others!
Thanks to the organizers for a unusual and thought-provoking event!
3 Top Beach Weekends in Ghana
3. Kokrobite. (Big Milly’s)
2. Anomabo. (Anomabo Beach Resort)
1. Axim. (Lou Moon Lodge)
Which is your favorite Ghana beach?
Why Ghana’s MPs Should Be Grateful for their Grades
From Graham, I got the tip about Ghana’s Members of Parliament having been assessed in an Political Performance Index performed by the African Watch Magazine.
Out of the 230 parliamentarians, 24 received F’s. Others received As and Bs. There were also Cs and Ds. See the full list of grades for Ghanaian MPs here. From a teacher’s point of view, I know that grades sometimes create “learning moments” – reflection and insight could come out of a low grade. This seem to not have happened here. This morning, some of the politicians are lashing out on the grading exercise.
One Member of Parliament that was upset was, Honourable Abayatei from Sege constituency (rated ‘C’), he said to Citi News:
“they sit down and talk rubbish and write rubbish. If they have no work to do, they must shut up…What right has he got to grade us? What assessment has he got the right to do? …Those of you in the Media must call your friends to be sensible. Criteria don’t even come in because he has no right. Worldwide has there been any grading of any Parliament?”
It seems the rating has been done by independent professionals looking at several criteria. According to Ghanamma it was “MP’s Knowledge of Law Making and the Constitution”, “Participation in Legislative Business”, “Contribution to Parliamentary Debates”, “How The Ideas and Suggestions of MPs Reflect Societies Need” and “Interest and Tolerance of Divergent Political Views”. Although this might not be the best and fairest rating, I applaud this survey.
And this is why I think MPs should also be grateful for their grades:
1. The parliament is weak in Ghana, the only way of getting more power is getting more public support, then we need to see you are working.
2. You were probably rated high in the public eye. Only yesterday, the news of laptop computers with Internet connections being given to MPs was shared (following the car loan etc.), and Ghanaians were heard muttering about not having water in their houses. That’s an F grade the Ghanaian people have given to you already (although I personally think the laptops was the best investment the Government of Ghana could do at this point, but that is another post, I guess).
3. Discussion and information sharing should be encouraged by politicians so that you who work hard stand out and get reelected. Someone has done your work for you!
4. It is a PR opportunity. Maybe you initiated something we haven’t heard of, this is your chance to inform us!
5. A hardworking MP loves accountability. Do you really want to share benches with people who do not do their part?
On this note, I have for some time been thinking about how to introduce something similar to Mzalendo, The Eye on the Kenya Parliament. It is a website that publishes information on MPs and their parties. There are also sections for what MPs do; questions, motions and bills they are involved in hence “grading” can be done by the Kenyan people using the facts available. Through such an innovative parliament watch, we can judge for ourselves.
Now with such information available, it would be easier to do a fair assessment. But regardless of that and regardless if a politician feels we have the “right” to do so, we will grade MPs performance.
Isn’t it part of the political game?
Ghanablogging, BlogLovin’ and Afrigator
Some blogging news:
The aggregator for the group of bloggers I started in 2008, Ghanablogging.com has gotten a new, improved, user friendly, greenish design by David Olunyi Ajao/Web4Africa. Surf there today and read one of the 70+ blogs about Ghana!
As I added the new Ghanablogging badge on my page, I also decided to update my affiliations. I joined BlogLovin’ and a Follow my blog with bloglovin badge, currently I am trying to add some other I can see my badge from Afrigator has been reduced to a line of text and when I visit their site their server is not responding. Anyone knows what happened to Afrigator?
I have also tried to clean up my Google Reader, as it makes following blogs (outside of Ghanablogging) so much easier.
How do you organize your reading of blogs?
Pic borrowed from David Maybury’s Children’s Book Blog.
Magnus in Ghana on Swedish TV
Yesterday, I was seated in my friend Magnus Ericsson’s house to see how his TV-debut came out in the TV4 program Felix stör en ingenjör (translates into: Felix – a well-known Swedish TV-personality – disturbs an engineer).
Well, Magnus did wonderful!
The program provided (a tiny bit of ) information about the Sweden Ghana Medical Center Magnus is working on and featured some truly wonderful footage from Ghana. There were also some funny episodes including a wall gecko, a fetish priest known from Facebook (see pic below) and a tailor made fantasy coffin that made us Swedes present in Magnus’ living room shriek with laughter!
See the program on TV4 play.
Ghanaian Funeral Coincidence
This weekend I went to Takoradi for a funeral. I have been to quite a few funerals since I moved to Ghana. However this time, I was invited to the funeral and my husband accompanied me.
As usual for a Ghanaian funeral, it was a multi-day event for hundreds and hundreds of people, but being closer to the bereaved family, I saw more nuances, had more people to ask and hence understood slightly more than I have before.
This picture is from having a snack on the roadside after the burial. By chance, the newspaper that is wrapped around the smoking hot charcoal-grilled plantains on this day happened to be the Obituary section…
Census 2010 in Ghana
The Ghana 2010 Census has the catchy slogan “you count, so be counted!”
The exercise started on the night of the 26th of September, has been heavily publicized, but unsurprisingly for a large country the counting has not been without problems and is due to end any day now (to be precise on the 10th).
My Romanian friend was counted, it was her third census which I from the census-free Sweden thought was kind of cool. Fellow blogger Fiona was counted and surprised at one of the questions. I have also been counted, but sadly didn’t get to meet the census officer in person.
And you , have you been counted?
Bitter Sweet Oil – Film on Oil and Gas Exploration in Ghana
I got this invite for today, Thursday, in my e-mail and thought it might interest some of you.
Special Invitation to the Official Launch of Bitter Sweet Oil a Docu-Drama film on Oil &Gas exploration and Extraction in Ghana
The World Bank Ghana Office in collaboration with the Centre for Development Partnerships (CDP) & Media in Partnership for Development invites you to the Official Launch of Bitter Sweet Oil a Docu-Drama film on Oil &Gas exploration and Extraction in Ghana.
Date: Thursday, 7th October, 2010
Time: 5:30 pm
Venue: Silver Bird Cinema, Accra Shopping Mall.
So although I am not sure I understand what a “docu-drama” is, I do find it interesting to hear what the World Bank, which recently lended Ghana USD 300 million, and Centre for Development Partnerships, who I haven’t heard of before, have come up with. (Maybe it is the outcome of this call for proposals from last year? or related to the Oil and Gas dialog also of last year?)
Who’s views will they present? For who is the oil bitter and for who is it sweet?
I am also interested in seeing some visuals of this so-much-talked-about oil!
See you there?
Goodbye Finland, Hello Ghana
I am back in Ghana after an intense week in Finland attending the Nordic Africa Days 2010 in Turku. 
Finland was cold, filled with salmon sandwiches and interesting conversations. I took a lot of photos from the conference which I will share with you as soon as I have organized them.
Now I have to rush to work!
When I Visited Rijksmuseum at Schiphol Airport
When was the last time you went to an art museum at an airport?
For me, it was in August. I wrote a snapshot article for Swedish newsletter Spana! from my experience Rijksmuseum at Schiphol Airport in Holland.
With Google Translate (and some translating services on my own) it goes something like this:
AMSTERDAM: Between two flights I haste to Terminal D at Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol. Passing VIP lounges and chocolate disks you can find a branch of the Dutch Rijksmuseum. Here some 20 works are displayed, mostly paintings from the era of Dutch great painting. Three visitors of all ages – and a suitcase – are scattered in the room and below we can see the excitement travelers.
Dutch Lisa is standing viewing a portrait.
– I always take my time to go by here. Anyway now the money is finished!
She laughs and holds up a shopping bag.Despite a gift shop which is at least as large as the exhibition space, the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol provides a unique opportunity not to consume during the waiting time at the airport. With its very existence the museum site challenges the space – are airports really public places when they most closely resemble shopping palaces?
Lisa with the bag is also critical.
– The selection is too narrow. At the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, there is so much more.Apparently, the Rijksmuseum thought the same thing, for later this year will open a new, larger museum at Schiphol airport.
Find the article in original in the Spana! September edition (click on Netherlands).
Surprisingly, there was an article on Ghana too in the newsletter, but not by me but by fellow Ghanablogging member Osabutey Anny – translated into Swedish! I must say this network is going places…