A democracy worth keeping?

About 2 weeks ago, a media location contacted maine for an interview.

They were funny successful discussing my book, 5Presidents, 8Elections, 30Years Later: How Ghanaians See Their Democracy.

Although 2 years person passed since the work of this book, the contents stay applicable to immoderate treatment astir the authorities of ideology successful Ghana. 

Over 1 hour, we discussed a scope of topics, including challenges facing the youth, assurance successful institutions, the relation of authorities successful occupation creation, the backstage assemblage arsenic the motor of maturation and the outgo of societal involution programmes.

At the extremity of the conversation, the big said to me, “I tin spot you are a ideology optimist.” 

It was the archetypal clip I had been described arsenic specified and it forced maine into reflection erstwhile the interrogation ended.

It besides reminded maine of a remark during my publication motorboat successful 2023, erstwhile the moderator asked, “How bash you constituent retired each these challenges with however the state is practising democracy, and inactive extremity up saying Ghanaians person made their bid with democracy?”

Democratic Cynicism

The remark astir my optimism and the question astir wherefore I asseverate that Ghanaians person made their bid with ideology bespeak a definite authorities of cynicism.

But tin you blasted the cynics who, successful nationalist conversations astir the country’s authorities and governance, rise doubts astir its democracy?

Here are a fewer reasons wherefore you cannot.

First, the polarised quality of our politics, and the regular tussle betwixt our 2 ascendant parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) breeds among citizens a feeling that nationalist interests play 2nd fiddle to partisan interest. When nationalist issues are debated on strictly partisan lines, wherever adjacent connected the basal facts, determination is partisan disagreement, it forces citizens to ask, Who is the absorption of our democracy? 

Second, each predetermination rhythm comes with a committedness of warring corruption.

Yet, aft each election, particularly those that nutrient a turnover, citizens bash not witnesser immoderate transformational alteration successful the combat against corruption.

While we marque efforts astatine post-regime accountability, determination is precise small done astir in-regime accountability.

Even connected matters of post-regime accountability, the deficiency of demonstrable results of seeing radical being genuinely held accountable gives citizens the content that our ideology lacks the tools of due accountability.

What is worse, reports from the Auditor General’s bureau reenforce this feeling.

Third, the increasing power of wealth and the deficiency of transparency surrounding governmental and run financing are concerning.

I person argued that the contented is not needfully wealth successful our antiauthoritarian politics.

After all, governmental parties and candidates moving for elected bureau request wealth to screen run expenditures.

The occupation is erstwhile the sources of financing are unknown, disclosure requirements are not complied with, and citizens spot what happens during enactment primaries, by-elections and wide elections successful presumption of inducements, it lone tells them 1 happening – ideology is for merchantability to the highest bidder.

Fourth is the perceived abrupt alteration successful the manner of people, particularly the youth, who participate authorities and unafraid appointments to assorted nationalist offices.

Sometimes, erstwhile immoderate of these appointments are seen much arsenic governmental rewards than arsenic merit appointments, it lone tells citizens that our ideology boils down to winning and sharing the spoils of “war” among enactment faithful.

These four, among galore different factors, are surely going to breed antiauthoritarian cynicism among citizens

 Yet, I reason erstwhile again that Ghanaians person made their bid with democracy.

And I accidental this due to the fact that connected the halfway features and principles of antiauthoritarian governments – a) usage of elections to prime leaders; b) term-limits; c) media freedom; d) parliamentary oversight; e) enforcement restraints and f) judicial independence, Ghanaians explicit affirmative sentiments astir them arsenic captured by the Afrobarometer survey.

Most important of all, adjacent successful Afrobarometer survey years (2014, 2022, and 2024) wherever restitution with ideology was precise low, Ghanaians continued to say, “democracy is preferable to immoderate different signifier of government”.

This is what guides the interviewer’s cognition of maine arsenic a “democracy optimist”.

Yes, a ideology worthy keeping

Ghana’s ideology is worthy keeping.

But adjacent successful my ideology optimism, I bash not connection this endorsement arsenic a blank cheque due to the fact that those experiencing “democratic cynicism” connection america thing to truly deliberation about.

In fact, our ideology volition not further mature and fortify if the factors that thrust antiauthoritarian cynicism among citizens persist.

The consequences of our ideology failing volition beryllium disastrous. 

We indispensable enactment hard unneurotic to code the challenges our ideology faces.

These challenges are good captured by the Afrobarometer survey and regularly expressed by citizens successful nationalist conversations.

We person an fantabulous accidental to bash this done the ongoing law reappraisal process.

This is our 1 unsocial accidental to instrumentality meaningful steps to “cure” the ills of our democracy.  

The writer is the Project Director, Democracy Project.