Ghana’s democracy has come of age. That is why we cannot continue to tolerate certain actions and inactions that were allowed during its fledgling state.
Thirty years into our democratic governance should be long enough to make us very responsible as adults. Unfortunately, we keep repeating the mistakes that have delayed our progress towards reaping the dividends of democracy.
To many of our compatriots who vote, their dividends can be found in joining crowds to shout party slogans on campaign platforms, join long queues to vote and celebrate when their political parties win.
Democracy has not brought improvements in the standard of living of majority of the people. We share in the belief that democracy may be the worst form of governance but there is no workable alternative yet. However, that presumption does not give the players the licence to do whatever they like and damn the consequences.
The consequences of these developments are the increasing apathy in the political game by a section of the public, the tendency to defend our own even if they go wrong, disrespect for rule of law and other pillars of democracy and lack of accountability by the ruling class.
What we always fight for is our right to free expression but not the responsibilities required of us because democracy has guaranteed what in the local parlance is called “kabi na menka bi.” It does not matter how it is expressed even in addressing the President of the Republic.
We would at this stage urge our friends in the electronic media to look at their definition of democracy that has encouraged those without opinions on certain issues to say “something” because they have the right to free expression. That is not the real import of democracy in jurisdictions where it has inured to the benefits of the people. In recent days, the word hooliganism has gained traction everywhere following the demonstration against the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and certain actions of the demonstrators, especially the NDC Minority.
Certain expressions hardly leave the media space, hence last Saturday some true hooligans stormed UTV studios to apparently discipline some of the panellists bad-mouthing the NPP government.
Very unfortunate, but we leave this for another day.
While looking at some of the dangers that portend danger for our democracy, it is important that we return to the internal contest of the NPP and draw attention of the contestants and their followers to be decorous in their choice of language while seeking the votes of the delegates.
Every politician who wants to win elections is always looking at the numbers because democracy is a number game. That is why in democratic communities it is established that the “majority carries the day.”
Be that as it may, we do not practice democracy in a vacuum and that is why there are rules both for internal party operations and at the national level with the Electoral Commission (EC) as the umpire. However, it has become very disheartening to listen to some of the conversations of the contestants in the race to fly the flag of the NPP in the 2024 general election.
For some of them, this is the time to settle scores for what they perceive to be ill treatment by the leadership of the party. In the 2020 elections, more than 6.5 million Ghanaian voted for the NPP to retain it in power.
We ask the so-called aggrieved party members whether the party has the wherewithal to satisfy everybody let alone every Ghanaian. What we expect government to do is to create the enabling environment for the people to go about their daily lives without let or hindrance.
We believe majority of Ghanaians still remember the gentleman (his name) who lost his eye during the “Let my vote count” protest when the police unleashed violence on them.
This gentleman subsequently died without any compensation from the state beside the medical treatment provided by the party. We believe his family members have not deserted the party but today, some party leaders who are even serving on boards with their spouses are shouting on rooftops that the NPP has neglected them.
That is understandable but what is nauseating is their claims that the Akufo-Addo government is involved in untoward actions. We do not want the rank and file of the party to take them serious, for they need prescription for their verbal diarrhea. These our compatriots need help.