Book Review

Author: Edward Yaotse Wornyoh
Publisher: PI Research and Development Limited
Title: Vote Without Tears
Number of pages: 83
Reviewer: Gifty Bamfo

Many qualified voters look forward to voting for their best candidate to help shape the future of the country.
By doing so, some may be indecisive about which candidate to vote for and this is where Edward Yaotse Wornyoh’s book, “Vote Without Tears” comes in handy.
The book gives indepth guidelines about who the best candidate could be and also describes how an election in an emerging democracy would look like if all stakeholders could play fairly as in a game of decent football match.
The first of the six chapters of the book comes with the heading “Fair Play” where the author ironically likens the roles played by referees, football players, fans (supporters), linesmen to that of roles played by the Electoral Commission as the referee, the fans as the electorate and the judiciary as the linesmen.
In assessing all these roles, he points out that just like how match officials and players execute their duties on the playing field without heckles, so should the elections be conducted in a country , peaceful and free from violence.
In chapter two, the author maintains the football match scenario but stresses on the fans, that is electorate.
He raises the issue of different dialect and ethnicity as a major problem causing confusion in elections in countries, especially Africa.
Chapter three addresses “what elections can do”. Here, the author observes that political power could destroy as well as absolute power vested in the hands of a leader could also be “destroyed beyond recognition”.
Thus he poses a rhetorical question “why things are not working in most African countries because sweet power is in the hands of just one person or a small group of people for decades?
He cites examples of dictators like Adolf Hitler of Germany, Pablo Bokassa of Central African Republic, the late life President of Malawi and others.
He, however, observes that, “politics can become exciting if our politicians can leave behind the tag politician which has basically become a dirty word and see themselves as policy makers or lawmakers”.
He adds that the work of parliament would become client centred, that is using the people’s scarce resources to come out in a timely fashion with policies and laws to make lives better.
He stresses the need for policy makers to see an incumbent government as the father of the nation and the opposition as the mother, since both sides are in for the total good of the nation.
“If policy makers can catch such a vision, then I think all the acrimony in our politics can die down, and any election can indeed be like a nice football match, so that the election year phenomenon would get off our backs” , he adds.
In Chapter four, the author entitles it “from democracy to meritocracy”. He explains that the attitudes of politicians and electorates should be one that can move beyond democracy to a merit-based one.
Meaning, people should be given power based on their abilities and support to the nation.
In further explanations, the author uses words like “deation”, “depersonalisation”, “demystifying”, and “depoliticisation” to make readers understand his view on the issue he raised.
He states that with proper selection of people with right background , each political party can take a particular policy path or approach to developing the nation.
He adds that focusing on such a policy direction could be enough rather than the zero sum gave temptation to focus on the other party’s weaknesses which unfortunately will not sell to today’s Ghanaian voter.
Chapter five tells the reader “how to vote without tears”. Here he cautions readers or the electorate about the kind of leaders to vote for. He tries to highlight the qualities of a good leader, that is “he is not a joker, but a serious person”.
He states biblically that, leadership position is such a serious business, leaders are not allowed to play the fool slightly even once.
“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour” (Eccl 10:1), he adds.
He further explains that anyone who has been publicly known to have played the fool a little is not qualified to be a leader.
In the final chapter, the author is hopeful that ”vote without tears” would become a part of everyone not only in Africa but in the world as a whole.
Written in simple modern English, the author, with illustrations and scenarios explain in detail what the reader needs to know about elections and the voting process.
The book comes at a time when most countries, including Ghana, are holding elections. Thus it serves as a useful guide for the electorate and politicians as a whole.