WHEN PARTY COLOURS BECOME SHIELDS FOR WRONGDOING

There is a dangerous game being played in Ghanaian politics, and sadly, many citizens have become so used to it that they no longer see how destructive it truly is.

A politician steals.
A public official abuses office.
A contract is inflated.
State money disappears.
An investigation begins.

And almost immediately, the conversation changes.

Not “Did he do it?”
Not “What happened to the money?”
Not “Should the law take its course?”

No.

The only question that suddenly matters is:
“Which party does he belong to?”

That is where the real tragedy begins.

Because in Ghana today, crime increasingly stops being crime once it is painted in party colours. The moment wrongdoing wears either NDC or NPP colours, accountability becomes political persecution, and the accused suddenly transforms from suspect into victim.

It is one of the greatest tricks modern politicians have perfected.

Serve in government.
Mismanage public resources.
Award questionable contracts.
Loot state funds.

Then when citizens demand answers, simply shout: “witch-hunt!”

And immediately supporters rush in.

Not to defend truth.
Not to defend justice.
Not even to defend the law.

But to defend the party.

It no longer matters what was done. What matters is who is being accused and who is doing the accusing.

If an NDC figure is investigated under an NPP government, supporters scream political persecution. If an NPP official is investigated under an NDC government, the same argument appears again, only now from the opposite side.

The script never changes.

Suddenly the investigator becomes the criminal.
The accused becomes the victim.
The stolen money becomes a political issue instead of a national issue.

And the ordinary Ghanaian is expected to choose party loyalty over common sense.

This is how nations slowly destroy themselves.

Because once political colours become shields for wrongdoing, accountability dies quietly. Public office stops being service and becomes protection. People no longer seek power to solve problems. They seek power because power offers safety.

Steal with the wrong party behind you and you may face prison.
Steal with the right party behind you and you may become a hero.

That is the dangerous message society is beginning to send.

And what makes it worse is the hypocrisy.

The same politicians who cry “witch-hunt” today often spoke loudly about accountability when they were in opposition. They demanded investigations. They accused governments of corruption. They called for justice.

But once power changes hands and they become the subject of scrutiny, suddenly the institutions are biased. Suddenly the courts are compromised. Suddenly the investigators are agents of political enemies.

It is amazing how quickly principles disappear when personal interests are threatened.

Meanwhile, the real victims remain ordinary citizens.

The hospital without medicine because funds disappeared.
The poor roads because contracts were inflated.
The schools lacking classrooms while politicians grow richer.
The unemployed graduate struggling to survive while stolen state money builds mansions.

These are the true consequences of corruption.

Yet instead of outrage, we organize press conferences to defend politicians as though political loyalty is more important than national survival.

And perhaps this is why Ghana struggles to move forward properly. We are too emotional about politics and too casual about wrongdoing. We defend people not because they are innocent, but because they are “our people.”

A thief becomes respectable once he belongs to our party.
A corrupt official becomes a freedom fighter once he insults the opposing side.
A failed leader becomes a victim once investigations begin.

Everything becomes politics.

Nothing becomes accountability.

This is not democracy. It is tribalism dressed in party colours.

And until citizens stop worshipping parties more than principles, the cycle will continue. Governments will come and go. Scandals will rise and fade. Politicians will steal and cry victim. Supporters will defend them blindly. And the country itself will remain stuck.

Because the painful truth is this:

Corruption does not care whether the hand stealing belongs to NDC or NPP.

The money stolen is Ghana’s money.
The damage done is Ghana’s damage.
The suffering created is suffered by Ghanaians.

Crime has no legitimate political colour.

Wrongdoing does not become righteousness because it is painted red, blue, green, or any other party colour.

And a nation where every investigation becomes political persecution is a nation slowly teaching its leaders that accountability is optional.

That is a very dangerous lesson for any democracy to learn.