Features
Ghana: When hypocrisy preaches ‘melodious honesty’
In a democracy, the authority of the government derives solely from the consent of the governed.
The principal mechanism for translating that consent into governmental authority is the holding of free and fair elections.
Indeed, elections are the central institutions of democratic representative governments. And all modern democracies hold elections, but not all elections are democratic.
According to Jeane Kirkpatrick, scholar and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations: “Democratic elections are not merely symbolic …
“They are competitive, periodic, inclusive; definitive elections in which the chief decision-makers in a government are selected by citizens who enjoy broad freedom to criticize government, to publish criticisms and to present alternatives.”
Democracies thrive on openness and accountability, with one very important exception; the act of voting itself.
To cast a free ballot and minimise the opportunity for intimidation, voters in a democracy must be permitted to cast their ballot in secret.
At the same time, the protection of the ballot box and tallying of the vote totals must be conducted as openly as possible, so that citizens are confident that the results are accurate and that the government does, indeed, rest upon their “consent”.
The fact of the matter is that, the practice of Ghana’s democracy is riddled with a lot of ‘election issues’. From internal party elections to inter-party elections or national general elections; there are a whole lot of issues.
And it is compounded by our District Level Elections and election of Metropolitan/Municipal and District Chief Executives, after their nominations by the President of the Republic.
For instance, some political analysts say with certainty that during the ‘primaries’ to select or elect presidential and parliamentary candidates to represent their various political parties in general elections, a lot of “underhand dealings happen.”
According to the analysts, the contesting candidates in the primaries, “flood the election venues with ‘pure cash and all manner of goodies’ including television sets, motorcycles, bicycles, sewing machines, wax prints, food and drinks to ‘grease the palms’ of the electorates, so that they could influence them to vote for them.”
The analysts contend that,”this is an open secret in Ghana’s internal party contests,” stressing that, “this is replicated by the political parties, all the way to the national elections.”
And for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Executives (MMDCEs), other political watchers also claim that “the unspoken rituals” are known and performed by some nominated MMDCEs and their acolytes, irrespective of whichever political regime in power since the 4th Republic.
And the “rituals” are said to be turning the whole “confirmation process” into ‘moneycracy’ thus, influencing ‘the small-small honourables’ to vote in a certain way to confirm some of the MMDCEs.
And even in Parliament, some political watchers say, “some opaque rituals” are performed by some persons nominated for ministerial appointments during the vetting process, adding that “all these are presumably done to enhance the chances of the approval of some of the ministerial nominees by the Appointments Committee”; even though such activity is indirectly related to elections.
Mr. Elvis Afriyie
Ankrah, NDC’s Director
of Elections
•Mr Kwabena
Mintah Akandoh
Again, some political watchers claim that when some institutions are “pushing” or “lobbying” for Bills to be drafted and passed by Parliament to enhance their performance, such institutions are said to sponsor hotel bills, meals and transportation costs of the parliamentary committees discussing such Bills, insisting that “such acts by such institutions, together with Parliament, fly in the face of good governance practice and democracy,” even though it has no direct linkage to elections.
It is in line with such arguments that some critics have taken the Juaboso Member of Parliament, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to the cleaners, about the statement he read on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.
Mr Akandoh’s statement on the floor of Parliament demanded action from the House over the way some of the approvals of MMDCEs had been carried out in the midst of allegations of vote-buying among others.
Mr Akandoh mentioned the Juaboso District where a Presiding Member is currently challenging the approval of the DCE nominee in court, alleging that his confirmation was conducted on the blindside of some Assembly Members.
Mr Akandoh urged Parliament to probe “questionable election” of some of the MMDCE nominees, adding that, “at the core of our democratic practice is elections.
“The plethora of locations where such horrible examples occurred, included Suaman, Bebiani Ahwiaso, Bekwai and Sekyere Kumawu.”
He said, “as Members of Parliament, we have through democratic processes emerged as voices for countless thousands.
“For this reason, we must raise our voices against such acts,” and urged Parliament to institute a probe into areas where such schemes were reported to have taken place and to propose measures to rectify them.
According to the critics, however, Mr Akandoh and his cohorts in Parliament ” are acting ‘hypocrisy’ and preaching and singing ‘honesty’ with melodies.”
The critics contend that Mr Akandoh and his like-minded friends in Parliament are very much aware of the many of the “underhand election processes ” in the country, especially the performance of “monetary rituals” to influence voters at all levels of elections.
Readers, Wikipedia defines hypocrisy, as the practice of claiming to have higher standards or noble beliefs than is the case.
Hypocrisy is typically caused by an inflated sense of ego and self-righteousness, coupled with an inability to be humble.
Synonyms for hypocrisy include insincerity, pretence, deceit, falsity, duplicity and phariseeism.
The critics say, for Mr Akandoh to single out the election of MMDCEs for mention and attention on the floor of Parliament, while ignoring other related and very disturbing ‘election schemings ‘ in the country, smacks of hypocrisy and dishonesty.
The critics are, therefore, urging Mr Akandoh and “his friends” in Parliament to be candid and courageous to “open all the cans of election-related worms ” on the floor of Parliament for thorough scrutiny and redress; instead of using the election of MMDCEs as “an escape route.”
Per the recommendations of the critics, “the ball must be kicked, back into the court” of Mr Akandoh and his cohorts in Parliament.
Contact email/ WhatsApp of the author:
asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
By G Frank Asmah
Features
Fix It Fast or Lose Them Forever: The Ever-Rising Importance of Service Recovery in Competitive Industries
Yes, in literature and in practice, differences exist regarding customer service, service failures, and service recovery.
But have you ever considered the latter (service recovery) and its potential impact on service experience, brand building, and sustainable growth?
Well, in today’s fiercely competitive service economy, customer experience has become one of the most powerful determinants of business survival and long-term success.
Across industries, from aviation and banking to telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, retail, and digital platforms, customers now expect fast, seamless, and reliable service delivery at every touchpoint.
Yet despite technological advancements and operational improvements, service failures remain inevitable.
Systems experience downtime, deliveries are delayed, reservations are misplaced, payments fail, customer inquiries go unanswered, employees mishandle interactions, and digital platforms experience disruptions.
In the midst of these, what increasingly separates successful organisations from struggling ones is not whether failures occur, but how quickly and effectively they recover when they do.
Service Recovery
Simply put, it is the process of fixing a service problem and restoring customer confidence after a failure has occurred.
Examples of service recoveries are; an airline offering compensation after a flight delay, a telecom company restoring interrupted service and providing bonus data, a restaurant replacing a wrongly prepared meal at no extra cost, a hotel upgrading a guest’s room after a booking problem, and finally a bank reversing an erroneous transaction and apologising promptly.
As competition intensifies and customer expectations continue to rise, service recovery is rapidly evolving from a routine customer service function into a critical strategic capability.
Businesses are discovering a hard truth of the modern marketplace: fix customer problems quickly, or risk losing them permanently.
Customers are More Powerful Now Than Ever
Customers now possess more power than at any other time in business history. Digital technology, social media, online reviews, and mobile connectivity have fundamentally changed customer behaviour.
Consumers now easily compare competitors instantly, publicly share negative experiences, switch providers with ease, and influence the purchasing decisions of thousands of others online.
This evolution has made customer loyalty increasingly fragile. A single poor experience can quickly damage years of brand-building effort.
In highly competitive sectors where products and pricing are often similar, customer experience has emerged as one of the few sustainable competitive advantages.
Modern customers no longer evaluate organisations solely by product quality or pricing. Increasingly, they judge businesses by their responsiveness, reliability, transparency, empathy, and effectiveness in resolving problems.
Why Service Recovery Matters More Than Ever
Failures are no longer viewed as isolated operational incidents, especially in competitive service sectors. They are moments that directly influence customer trust, brand perception, and future purchasing behaviour.
Research across service industries consistently demonstrates that customers are often willing to forgive mistakes when organisations respond quickly, communicate honestly, show empathy, and resolve issues effectively.
Conversely, poor recovery experiences frequently create stronger dissatisfaction than the original service failure itself.
For many businesses, the greatest reputational damage does not arise from operational errors, but from delayed responses, poor communication, lack of accountability, and unresolved customer frustrations.
This has elevated service recovery into a central component of customer relationship management and competitive strategy.
Speed, a Competitive Weapon
In the modern service economy, speed is no longer merely operational efficiency; it is a basic customer expectation.
Consumers increasingly expect: immediate responses, real-time updates, fast complaint resolution, and proactive communication. Delays are often interpreted as incompetence, indifference, or organisational inefficiency.
Consequently, organisations are redesigning their service recovery frameworks to prioritize rapid intervention and customer reassurance.
A cursory assessment revealed that some businesses now operate dedicated customer experience teams, 24/7 support systems, AI-powered service platforms, automated escalation systems, and real-time issue monitoring dashboards.
The ability to resolve customer problems quickly is now a major source of competitive differentiation.
Technology Is Transforming Recovery Strategies
Technology is fundamentally reshaping how organisations manage service recovery. Across industries, companies are leveraging artificial intelligence, customer analytics, chatbots, predictive monitoring systems, and integrated digital support platforms.
These tools allow organisations to identify service failures earlier, monitor customer dissatisfaction, automate responses, personalize engagement, and accelerate resolution timelines.
Some organisations now proactively contact customers before complaints are formally lodged, using analytics to identify service disruptions in real time.
This means that the future of service recovery is increasingly preventive rather than purely reactive.
Service Recovery as a Brand Strategy
Forward-looking organisations are now treating service recovery as part of brand management strategy rather than operational damage control.
The logic is straightforward because, acquiring new customers is expensive, dissatisfied customers influence others, and loyalty is increasingly experience-driven.
Businesses are therefore measuring customer satisfaction, response times, complaint resolution rates, customer retention, and net promoter scores more aggressively than before.
In many industries, service recovery performance is now discussed at executive and board levels because of its direct relationship with profitability, reputation, and long-term growth.
A call to action
As industries become more digital, interconnected and customer-driven, service recovery will likely become even more important.
Therefore, organisations that succeed in the future will likely be those that respond rapidly, communicate transparently, empower employees, leverage technology intelligently, treat customers fairly, and place their (customers’) trust at the centre of recovery strategies.
Remember, customers now have more choices, less patience, and greater influence than ever before, a clear message to forward-looking organisations that when service breaks down, recovery is everything. Fix it fast or risk losing customers forever.
Writer: Mohammed Ali
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
