Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhaji Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has revealed that financial hardship and constant public expectations influenced his decision to enter Ghana politics by contesting for public office.
According to the lawmaker, many people assumed that his close relationship with prominent political leaders meant he had the power to solve their financial and personal challenges. Faced with growing pressure and endless requests for assistance, he decided to run for office, hoping that an election defeat would provide an excuse to step away from those expectations.
Speaking at the launch of “Newsroom Poverty,” a book authored by journalist Abdul Hayi Moomen, Suhuyini explained that his political ambition was initially motivated by a desire to escape the overwhelming demands placed on him by members of the public.
“They would come and wait for you at the reception, and sometimes the atmosphere at the reception would become uncomfortable,” he said, describing how the constant stream of visitors seeking help became increasingly difficult to manage.
His remarks have sparked conversations about poverty in Ghana, public expectations of politicians, and the social pressures faced by public officials before and after entering political office.
“People sometimes always mistake popularity for wealth and fortune. They listen to you interview businessmen and political actors and in their mind they are your friends; they are people you can ask for anything to solve their problems and so they come with all sorts of problems.”
“So I used to operate a clinic at Radio Gold even before I joined politics. One day I sat back and talked to myself about joining politics to wield the power to solve problems.”
“In my mind, I was hoping that when I came for the elections, they would not vote for me so that when they come to worry me next time I will say that is why I said you should vote for me and I will help, but you didn’t vote for me.”
“I joined the campaign not hoping to win; I joined to get a message that when people come to me, I will use it, but I won, and I have been winning, and I am here. The poverty in the newsroom chased me into the headache of politics, and I am happy that we are launching this book that will begin a conversation on this important issue,” he said.
Source: newsthemegh.com