Prof. Ransford Yaw Gyampo
Professor Ransford Yaw Gyampo of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana has diagnosed the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) with a severe case of “winner-knows-all” syndrome. In his view, the party’s current stance demonstrates an attitude of belligerence and arrogance that could be detrimental to its future success.
Speaking during a post-mid-year budget review discussion on TV3’s Big Issues, Prof. Gyampo criticized the NPP’s decision-making processes, particularly the reintroduction of road tolls.
“I heard them saying that they are bringing back the road toll,” Prof. Gyampo began. “And I said, you see, this government is not only suffering from winner-takes-all politics. It is also suffering from winner-knows-all. Meanwhile, clearly, they have shown that they know nothing.”
He went on to highlight how road tolls are a standard practice in many countries, including the United States, to generate funds for road maintenance.
“In the United States of America, every road is tolled so they can get money to maintain those roads. We don’t have anything, but all of a sudden we said we have abandoned road tolls. And we’re looking for money. Some people were giving every justification. When we did not complain about the road tolls, we said we’d pay. But your people were justified. Oh no, it is even a way of easing the flow of traffic.”
Prof. Gyampo emphasized that the government’s refusal to listen to expert advice and public opinion exemplifies its “winner-knows-all” attitude.
“We were giving them insight, we were giving them knowledge, but because of winner-knows-all politics, they didn’t listen. This government, they don’t know anything, and they pretend to know everything. That’s what we call winner-knows-all politics. This attitude undermines the quality of governance because when you proffer an idea, they say because it is coming from you, we have heard, but we will not use it.”
He further argued that the government’s tendency to dismiss proposals from civil society leaders and experts has led to poor decision-making.
“The whole nation is plunged into a governance system headed by ignorant people who would argue against a proposal and then later come back to that same proposal. They should be apologizing to Ghanaians, saying, ‘Yesterday we didn’t know, that’s why we didn’t know the impact of and we didn’t know the dangers or the weaknesses of the decision we took to abolish the road toll. So today we are bringing it back and we are apologizing for not even listening to wise counsel from civil society leaders and people who gave the views to you free of charge.'”
Prof. Gyampo’s scathing critique highlights a significant challenge for the NPP: the need to adopt a more inclusive and receptive approach to governance. Whether the party will heed this advice and adjust its strategies remains to be seen, but the call for introspection and humility is clear.
About The Author
