DEMOCRACY IN GHANA: A POLITICAL MYOPIA.

 

DEMOCRACY, literally means, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek word demokratia, which was coined from demos meaning” people” and kratos meaning “rule” in middle of the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. It is therefore a system of government in which laws, policies, leadership, and major decisions of a state or other polity are directly or indirectly decided by the people. Democracy is not necessarily about elections, but the fair distributing of the national cake, protection and respect of human rights, tolerance of varies views, and more.

A POLITICAL MYOPIA refers to the tendency of politicians to prioritize short-term gains over long-term benefits of the general good. The concept is often used to describe the narrow focus of politicians on their next election or political survival, rather than considering the broader implications of their decisions on the general public. This narrow focus is re-election. How to gain political power is what they consider and how to distribute these resources become a problem, and refer to that as a “deliberate or intentional action” 

Aristotle said democracy is the worse system of government he can think of. His reason is clear and simple. He said in democracy, “a group of foolish people will come together to form a majority”. But not withstanding that, democracy still remains the order of the day in the world. Democracy is not champion by fools but brilliant and sensible individuals. 

According to Plato, in his book, “the republic”, where he describes an ideal ruler as a “philosopher king” who has knowledge and wisdom to make laws and policies that promote the common good. The philosopher king should possess all the virtues to be able to seek the common good. Plato believe that the ideal society would be ruled by the philosopher kings who prioritize the well-being and happiness of all citizens, rather than personal gains or power. In modern times, the concept of philosopher king has evolved to represent a political leader.

GHANA POLITICAL LEADERS TODAY

Since 1957 to date, Ghana has had a number of presidents who has contributed in diverse ways to the development of the country. However, in the fourth republic, leaders seem not to have the interest of the state. The leaders of today now seek to build their personal capacity rather than considering the common good. We have seen this behavior in their daily activities including their national campaign rallies where leaders make comments or utterances that are dangerous to the well-being of the citizens and the state. It clearly tells you that they are not interested in dealing with issues that will promote the common good. The leaders of yesterday were moved by nationalistic attitude, and today leaders are moved by “money and property”. People move in for leadership positions with the intention of becoming rich or property owners. We know people to have no property and when they hold political office, two, three years they have cars, houses, and many more.

POLICY MAKING

The policy making process in Ghana is “as good as the decision of God”. Our political leaders make policies that aim to address specific social, cultural, economic, and political problems. However, these policies lacks continuous evaluation and learning, stakeholder engagement, evidence-based research and clear communication. The beneficiaries don’t have any knowledge or understanding concerning the policy being rolled out. This is because the framers of the policy are not aiming at the beneficiaries, but for their hidden agenda and personal growth. For instance, the high cost of living is a deliberate action by our political leaders in this country. In their attempt to stop importation of foods and other basic needs, their interest will not be met. They are the same people that will be awarded the contracts to import these basic needs. When you go to the international market, you buy in dollars. Your currency can be weak as a “sick animal”, but if you control your import, you will be comfortable as far as cost of living is concern. Take also the Nigerian Naira for example, the Ghanaian cedi is stronger the naira but nominally, it has a purchasing power over the cedi. These leaders know the policies that can help the ordinary Ghanaian but out of their personal interest, they refused to formulate such policies. The reason Ignatius Kutu Acheampong introduced “operation feed yourself” in 1972.

THE BEHAVIORS OF THE CITIZENS

In every democracy, the participation of the citizens is very crucial. In a democracy where the citizens are deliberately refuse or deny in the governance process, then the country’s development is at risk and expose to external humiliation and attack. The citizens are too partisanship even more than the politicians to the extent that they support every bid of their irresponsible behavior in this country. Instead of the citizens to be angry with their reckless behavior, they are rather hungry expecting them to feed them. But forgetting that “Whoever that feeds you controls you”. Now the citizens are in the “cage” of the politicians as a result of their own refusal to hold them accountable after given them the mandate. Can this “cage” be broken one day? Yes, it is highly possible, if only the citizens will be willing to change their behavior and mind set and look at politics in a different perspective.

The president of the republic of Ghana NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO advised his citizens not to be spectators but citizens. The president knows that, the citizens will help him govern in the interest of the country. The citizens endorse anybody that feeds them today without considering the repercussions that will fall on them in the future. The citizens made the politicians to believe that there is no accountability when elected to office.

By: Amatus Bantaapuong

(Prof. Bantaapuong)

Email. amatusbantaapoung@gmail.co

DISCLAIMER: This article is solely the opinion of the writer and not that of  StraightNews so StraightNews will not be responsible for any inaccuracies.