In every community, people need to tell leaders when they are doing something wrong. This helps keep them in check, makes sure they are doing their job, and makes the community better.
In Ghana, people like to talk about what’s going on in the country. They do it on the bus, at work, in church, and on social media. There is something that people are not talking about enough: selective criticism.
Selective criticism is when people only get angry when someone they do not like does something. When someone they like does the same thing, they make excuses or stay quiet. This is not a problem in Ghana alone, but it is very visible here.
A person from Ghana might get very angry when a different political party does something. If their own party does the same thing, they get defensive. A pastor might talk about how bad it is when people do wrong things but stay quiet if someone in their church does something bad. People might get mad at the government for wasting money. If someone from their own group does it, they think it is okay. The problem is not that people are criticizing. The problem is that they are not being fair.
This happens because people are not thinking about what’s right or wrong anymore. They are thinking about who’s on their side. In this kind of situation, what is true does not matter as much as who you like.
Politics is a reason why people are being selective with their criticism in Ghana. People who support the parties often act like they are fans of a football team. They will do anything to defend their team. When their party is not in power, they want the other party to be accountable. When their party is in power, they get quiet or make excuses. If there is a problem with corruption, they will find a way to explain it away.
This means that leaders know they can get away with things if they have people defending them. Instead of being afraid of doing something wrong, they just get their supporters to defend them on social media, on the radio, and in public. This makes it hard to hold people accountable because criticism is not fair.
Social media has made this problem worse. Platforms like Facebook, X, TikTok, and WhatsApp make it easy for people to get angry only when it is convenient for them. People attack others for doing things they would excuse if their friends did them. They ignore facts if they do not fit what they want to believe. It is more about being loyal to a group than about what’s true.
This is very bad for Ghana.
First, it makes people lose trust.
When people only criticize their enemies, they do not seem honest. It is hard to take them seriously when they are trying to make a point.
Second, it means leaders do not have to try hard.
Leaders only get better if people are always pushing them to do the right thing. If people only criticize when it is convenient, leaders can get away with doing a bad job.
Third, it makes people fight with each other.
Instead of talking about issues in a fair way, people only care about their own group. This makes it hard for the country to come together.
Fourth, it makes institutions weaker.
In a country, institutions are more important than the people in charge. When people are being selective with their criticism, they attack institutions when they do not like what they are doing.
This problem is not about politics alone. It happens in families, at work, in church, and in life. Parents might get mad at kids for doing something wrong but excuse their own kids for the same thing. Employers might expect their workers to be honest but cheat on their taxes themselves. Religious people might criticize others but not look at their own problems. This makes it seem like it is okay to have double standards.
So why do people do this?
Part of the reason is that people do not want to be left out. They think that if they criticize their group, they will not be liked anymore. So they defend their group instead of defending what is true. In Ghana, loyalty is often more important than honesty.
Another reason is that people get emotional. They want to protect the people and things they care about. Sometimes this makes them not think clearly. They criticize people in a way that is not helpful.
Some people also do this because they need something from someone powerful. They might need a job or protection, so they stay quiet and do not criticize.
Ghana cannot be a fair country if people only get angry when it is convenient. A country gets better when people always try to do the right thing no matter who is involved. If someone does something wrong, it should not matter if they are a friend or an enemy. It should still be wrong.
Being a citizen is not about defending a person or a party. It is about caring about what’s right and fair.
The Ghanaian who only gets mad about corruption when it helps their party is not really fighting corruption. The citizen who only demands accountability from their enemies is not really defending democracy. The activist who only talks about injustice when it is convenient is not really fighting for what’s right.
To stop being selective with criticism, people need to be honest with themselves. They need to separate what is true from how they feel. They need to be able to say that their own group is wrong sometimes. That is what it means to be mature and honest.
Ghana has a lot of people. Sometimes they are not consistent about what is right and wrong.
If people used the energy to criticize their friends as they do to criticize their enemies, Ghana would be a better place. Leaders would be more afraid of doing something wrong. People would trust the government more. The country would have more productive conversations.
Being selective with criticism might make people feel good for a while, but it hurts the country, a group, or company in the long run. A country cannot get better if what changes depends on who is talking.
Ghana’s future depends on having leaders who are good, but also on citizens who are brave enough to always do what is right, even when it is hard.
About the author
Kodwo Mensah Aboroampa (Amos Kwofie) is a journalist with the Multimedia Group Limited and Development Communication Advocate.
