DEMOCRATIC EXPERIMENT
As Ghanaians await 29TH August 2013 for the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision on the election petition, there have been advocacy from some ‘statesmen’ for formation of unity government-between the New Patriotic Party NPP and the National Democratic Congress NDC. Rev. Palmer-Buckle the Archbishop of Accra proposed on 23rd August 2013 that Ghana should ‘adopt a unity government system for the next three years. He added: ‘whoever the judgment will favour should draw members from the losing party to form a government that will steer affairs of the nation until 2016 general elections’. Dr Kwabena Agyei has also called for the formation of all inclusive government less than a week ago.
Both Rev.Palmer-Buckle and Dr. Agyei’s views have produced enormous anxieties and responses among Ghanaians across the social media. Given recent political tensions and impasses that led to internal civil disobedience in Kenya and Zimbabwe following their elections and subsequent formation of unity governments, it will be wise for one to condone and welcome suggestions by Rev. Palmer-Buckle and Dr. Agyei. Notwithstanding the importance of these suggestions they have grave weaknesses in substance, content, form and analysis and lack merit in thought and critical imaginations in the context of our democratic dispensation.
Democracy probably is one of the most important concepts and ideologies in human history. Understanding democracy is important for the survival and progress of our nation state. The idea of democracy can be embraced and looked at in different ways by different countries. Democracy may be seen as government of state by the citizens, and for the general population. Contextually, democracy in Britain or the United States is similar to representative democracies around the world such as Russia, China, Norway, South Africa, Venezuela, Japan and Iran. Democracy thrives on effective and efficient organisation conscious application of rule of law, checks and balances and strong institutions through multi-party elections. Representative government is best judged when every citizen is empowered to have easy access to resources irrespective of their tribal background, cultural beliefs and values, sexual orientations, age, gender, class stratifications, colour and level of education.
When the concept of democracy is sketched and applied to NPP and NDC, it can be said that both parties have different political and socio-economic ideologies. That is to explain that, both parties have uncommon political manifestoes in terms of policy, national interest, rule of law and party agendas.
The NDC claim their political values are rooted in the Social-democratic philosophy blended with probity and accountability. On the contrary NPP’s Political and Socio-Economic outlook was founded on UGCC’s philosophy which sits in Liberal democracy, promotion of private enterprise and enjoyment of unqualified freedoms combined with some aspects of socialist ideas.
The question that comes to mind is; can NPP and NDC work together with each party having a seemingly different political philosophy and manifesto? Since NPP and NDC are politically diverse in terms of ideas and governing strategies, it will be difficult for both parties to govern Ghana with the best sense of national purpose, direction and accountability. As I have outlined above, democratic principles are embedded on true checks and balances, rule of law, democratic accountability and responsibility. These core and critical values may be missing under unity government.
Unity government will not work due to the fact that both NDC and NPP do not have any political and strategic experiences and tactical wisdom that will promote a true holy alliance for the interest of the people. Unity government will require political maturity and national patriotism but both parties are not advanced and sophisticated to that level. Suggesting unity government under the auspices of NPP and NDC will also breed systemic and ecological troubles will cripple Ghana’s democratic dispensation in future. One of the true ingredients of a true and mature representative democracy is that the opposition always acts as watch dog on the powers of the ruling government. Under Unity government it will be difficult to get a body to strongly scrutinise activities of the incumbent government and anticipated executive abuses of power that may emerge.
Additionally formation and success of unity government may largely depend on political elites, national policy interest, combined with a strong sense of nationalism, patriotism and love for the citizens. The national interest should involve genuine essential fundamental policy for the populace such as: social security, education, agriculture/food security, health, housing and utility services et cetera. The general policy should strictly adhere to harness and benefit the general population.
Before accepting and establishing an Unity Government we need to understand and reflect deeply to find out if Ghana has any national policy that the parties will follow such as Iran, Israel, South Korea, Malaysia, Britain, USA and other emerging countries in Latin America - Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. Unlike Kwame Nkrumah, none of our current political leaders have been able to display true nationalist and patriotic characteristics to ensure and maintain consistent national development agenda for posterity. Besides, our politicians lack political competencies and will unlike what pertains in China where political elites are patriotic and nationalistic under their unitary communist party. The question is, ‘Can Ghana progress under a Unity Government with political leadership that lack national policy interest like China and Russia? I strongly believe the time is not ripe.
CHEATING GHANAIAN ELECTORATES
During the 2012 elections both NPP and NDC campaigned on the strengths of their manifestoes. The electorates have already voted for the party they trust and hope will be able to deliver socio-economic policies that will bring changes to villages, towns, communities and their lives. Ghanaian voters have already made their choices as to who should be president for the next four years and it will be political unreasonable and stupid for this popular decision to be reversed by any statesmen and stateswomen or external forces. To propose any government other than the majority Ghanaian electorate have consented will negate popular voices, choices and autonomy. Ghanaian electorates are competent, intelligent and honest enough to make decision as to what they want and they have made that preference. If Ghanaians want a unity government they would have requested this prior to the electoral processes. It will be silly enough should we deny Ghanaian electorate feelings.
SUBVERTING MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY
The 1992 constitution of Ghana strongly promotes multi-party democracy through representative government. This means that the constitution provides every citizen inalienable rights to listen, assess, choose, and vote from competing political parties during elections. Additionally, the constitution gives power to electoral commission to organise elections for Ghanaians to give constitutional mandate to the president to rule for up to two 4 year terms like the United States of America. Equally, the constitution provides for the rule of law and democratic principles to challenge electoral fraud and rigging in our Supreme Court. To put it clearly, one of the important and essential critical aspects of the 1992 constitution is that: it gives power, authority and fundamental human rights and freedoms to electorates to decide which party they can mandate to rule Ghana. If these are the basic principles, why should people favour unity government formation following the Supreme Court’s decision? Will this idea not encroach on voters’ fundamental human rights and freedoms and also undermine national wisdom and identity?
We need to find answers to the following questions. Do Ghanaian statesmen want to undermine this simple basic idea on the face of systematic fraudulent and obvious falsified electoral practices embedded within our National Electoral Commission’s practices? Why would NPP or NDC and Ghanaians in general decide to subvert commonsense, the rule of law, and democratic accountability? Will unity government be constitutional in the face of obvious present electoral deception and malpractices? The present Ghanaian elites, typically graduates, politicians, and opinion leaders for once need to be consistent, assertive, just and truthful in maintaining the democratic accountability as demanded by the 1992 constitution.
ACHAMPONG’S FRAGILE UNION GOVERNMENT TEST AND FAILURE
Let’s briefly diagnose the impact of Achampong’s 1977 union government when he seized power on 30th January 1972. Achampong attempted to introduce union government in 1976. The reason why Achampong’s regime attempted to impose union government on Ghanaians was that they were reluctant to transfer power to civilian government. The architect of the union government wanted to fuse the police and army to join the civilian government. Also the philosophy was to create constitutional third way to improvise representative democracy based on neither Britain’s Westminster parliamentary style nor military rule, but on traditional values and practices of Ghana. Achampong’s aim was to stamp out the rule of law and weaken civilian government.
Achampong won the referendum for this experiment, but the popular belief was that the referendum was rigged and stolen by the defenders of the union government. The effects was that the union government led to civil disobedience, political violence and student demonstrations, closure of universities, stagnating economy and unnecessary civilian deaths. This was due to the fact that the rule of law was stifled as well as establishment of nepotism, corruption and absence or organised or strong opposition.
If proponents of unity government stretch their historical imaginations and place the failure of Achampong’s union government experiment in our present political development, they will conclude that Ghanaian electorates abhor union government but always believe in representative democracy, partisan politics, checks and balances. So, will it not be politically unsafe and ludicrous for NPP and NDC to form union government now?. Ghanaian statesmen saw the dangers of our historical past including the recent tensions that characterised Kenya and Zimbabwe union governments so, why will they want to run away from this reality and try to promote similar catastrophic idea in Ghana. Marcus Garvey’s wisdom should never be forgotten. ‘A people without knowledge of their past history and origin is like a tree without root’.
UNHOLY ALLIANCE
There is unholy alliance between NDC and NPP. NDC has questionable political historical records in Ghana in terms of corruption, fraud, vices, dishonesty, deceit, and patriotism. No matter how one looks at NDC’s manifestoes and their beautiful phrases such as accountability and probity, today the NDC have more unpatriotic politicians and followers who always try to sabotage Ghana’s socio-economic development and progress. Truly national debates in Ghana will reveal and conclude that the present political tensions and economic underdevelopments, mass poverty, illiteracy, unbridled corruption have their origin from P/NDC. The recent popular unbridled embezzlement and corruption in NDC party across the country will make it impossible for NPP to trust NDC under union government and vice versa. Ghanaians have not forgotten 56 million Euros that was stolen by Woyomi among other and ongoing embezzlement since Atta Mills and Mahama political alliance. Who will check who under union government? Ghanaian graduates and politicians have corrupted, cheated and robbed ordinary Ghanaians since 1966 and NDC has recently contributed to these unstoppable exploitations. We now need to respect the dignity of Ghanaians in democracy. The NPP largely has weak ability to broaden their political structures, promote dynamic institutions and also show strong leadership to promote and maintain accountable and responsible government in Ghana.
Despite our social affiliations, social class, political interest and persuasions, we should try to be frank and bold to ourselves to resolve this political impasse peacefully and offer political power to the true winner of 2012 elections. We have done it before and we can do it again. Ghanaians achieved greatness (Independence) in 1957 with determination and honesty. We have all potential amenities and resources to continue to embrace multi-party democracy and not one party or unity government. To clamour for unity government in the face of logic and justice is unconstitutional. Ghanaians should avoid the danger of this unnecessary precedent as have been suggested by Rev. Palmer-Buckle and Dr Agyei.
Inclusive government should be advocated on the principle that the party that will be declared winner on 29th August 2013 can bring in experts, experienced politicians and technocrats from opposition parties to join, irrespective of their tribal/ethnic backgrounds and political beliefs. This diversity will harness competences, talents and qualities our country desperately needs now. The appointment of Dr Kwesi Ndum from CPP during Kufour’s government was a case in point. Whatever the Supreme Court’s decision, we can reset our electoral dates and will not affect progress we have made.
CONCLUSION
The weight of evidence I have provided above proves incontestably that there are no principles that NPP and NDC can form a unity government. The alliance of union administration will be persistently severe, it will be now and then be discreditable and generally a humiliation to the name of Ghana across the globe. We can also stress that to listen to proponents of unity government; will be to commit a grave historical error and to accept one of the greatest suggestions of all time. We should never sacrifice truth telling and scholarship to religious sentimentality. In order words we should not place faith before reasons as it used to be during the age of unreason. Union government should not be grossly exaggerated as it will defy all justice and the rule of law.
God Bless Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Kwame Nkrumah/the Big Six our ancestors for their sacrifices for the life we enjoy today and tomorrow.
KWABENA BOATENG JACABOBA - JUABEN ASHANTI
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