DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP IN GHANA?

DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP IN GHANA?

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others - Philippians 2:4 (AMP).

Democracy has been defined severally. The concept may mean different things in different contexts. For instance, the meaning of democracy will differ if one focuses on the procedures of governance as against the focus of the concept on goals of democratic government. Nonetheless, one of the most popular definitions of the concept is the one rendered by Abraham Lincoln. The revered US Statesman defines democracy as ‘a system of government of the people, by the people and for the people’. Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy implies that democracy in all forms should be people-centred. In this piece, the use of the concept of democracy implies upholding public interests above personal interests in democratic governance.

Ghana is a democratic nation. The country has been practicing constitutional democracy since it attained republican status in 1960. Despite the chequered nature of Ghana’s constitutional evolution and the unfortunate instances of military regimes, the country’s democratic dispensation has yielded a number of precious fruits. Ghana can be proud, at least, of its political stability and multi-party democracy since 1992. The country’s political stability over the past three decades has also engineered peace, growth and development in a number of sectors. Notwithstanding the dividends Ghana has so far enjoyed from its constitutional democracy, the nature of democratic governance in the country has not been totally centred on the welfare of the people in Ghana.

Article 1(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana vests the sovereignty of Ghana in the people of Ghana. This requires powers of government to be exercised within the boundaries of the 1992 Constitution to secure the welfare of the people of Ghana. Article 55 (5) of the 1992 Constitution, for instance, requires political parties to conform to democratic principles in their activities and undertakings.  Article 58(1) of the Constitution also requires executive powers to be exercised in accordance with the 1992 Constitution. Despite the provisions of the foregoing articles, the actions and inactions of political parties in Ghana have not, in most instances, been focusing on securing the best interests of the people of Ghana. Similarly, the exercise of executive authority in the country has not been focused mainly on securing the larger interests of Ghanaians. In practice, a number of decisions are taken to serve the parochial interests of political parties and their cronies irrespective of their adverse impact on the ordinary Ghanaian. 

It seems to  me that in Ghana, partisan politics and the exercise of executive powers are usually centred on how a government in power can win the next election or satisfy the expectations or demands of party folks. In this vein, the ordinary Ghanaian remains a mere voter who becomes important in the political architecture only when there is a general election. The powers, views and the welfare of the ordinary Ghanaian are usually swallowed by the dictates of political parties and those exercising executive powers.  It is unfortunate that unless a Ghanaian identifies him or herself with a political party and dabbles with that party’s antics and optics, that person’s share of the national cake will remain a mirage. This sad commentary has also robbed the nation of the benefits of the gifts and talents of many of its citizenry who may not be interested in partisan politics.

Why do we continue to preach democratic virtues and practice the vices of dictators? Why should true democracy be made to appear as if it is a master rather than being a servant? Why should we clothe the exercise of executive authority with democratic antics and optics while acting as dictators? Partisan politicians usually lose sight of the fact that multi-party democracy cannot exist in a vacuum. Similarly, executive authority cannot be exercised in the absence of a nation and its people. This implies that wise leaders will always focus on building stronger nations, not stronger political parties nor personalities. While Ghanaians are encouraged to challenge the excesses of the exercise of powers by political parties and executive authorities, honesty remains the greatest policy. It is high time a number of political parties and executive authorities in Ghana acknowledge that they are increasingly becoming democratic dictators. Let the ordinary Ghanaian wise-up!

Richard Obeng Mensah, author  of If You Think of Your Opposition You Lose Your Position. The writer is an award-winning prolific author of 8 books and over 250 articles on legal and non-legal themes. The writer is a fellow of the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, KNUST, Kumasi. He is also a pastor, lawyer, law lecturer, certified life and leadership coach and a blogger.

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com.  Mobile: +233 (0)246 556 774.

Publication History

Authored on  21/03/2024 and published on 21/03/2024 on the author’s blog and other social media platforms.

Acknowledgement

The author appreciates the critiques and valuable comments of his Editorial Team to this write-up.

References

1. 1992 Constitution of Ghana

2. Russel J Dalton e’tal, ‘Popular conceptions of the Meaning of Democracy: Democratic Understanding in Unlikely Places’ (2007) CSD Working Papers >https://escholarship.org/content/qt2j74b860/qt2j74b860< Accessed 21 March 2024.

3. ADCO Law, ‘Democracy: Definition, Characteristics. And Types’ [ADCO Law, 14 December 2022] >http://adcolaw.com/blog/democracy-definition-characteristics-and-types< Accessed 21 March 2024.