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Bringing all on board

There were good reasons why Ghanaians craved for a multiparty democracy after many years under one-party and military dictatorships.

The military coup of February 24, 1966 found justification among a large section of the population because it was argued that pluralism and freedom to choose were dead under the one-party governance declared by President Kwame Nkrumah at the time.

The events of February 24, 1966, when we remove all the emotions and sentiments, therefore, offered Ghanaians the opportunity to start all afresh the mechanism to establish democracy in the country.

You may be an Nkrumah loyalist or ardent disciple, but one thing that dented his image and diluted his  vision and achievements for this country which he loved so much was the declaration of a one-party state in Ghana.  

Many justified that decision by citing a very disgruntled and unco-operative opposition at the time.  All the same, it strengthened the hands of the Western powers who were suspicious of an emerging African economic and political power leading to its eventual overthrow.

The same cannot be said of the January 13, 1972 and December 31, 1981 coups which stifled the second and third attempts at constitutional rule.  The reasons are very simple.  These were democratically elected governments that had not exhibited any restrictive or coercive instruments or tendencies to subvert any democratic change.

All said and done, Ghanaians arrived at a stage when they showed preference for a democratic governance with all its pitfalls to a dictatorship, no matter its advantages.

The Fourth Republic, which derives its strength from the 1992 Constitution, is a choice by Ghanaians to follow  a path of a governance that would allow full participation by all — from the choice of our legislatures to who heads the Executive as President of the Republic.

This is a choice that hinges on some vital pillars – rule of law, freedom of choice, freedom of association and, of course, multiparty democracy.

Unfortunately, through our own actions and inaction and also partly due to how the 1992 Constitution was framed, we have not been able to take full advantage of the virtues of constitutional, multiparty democracy to advance the progress of this country.

We have been able to conduct elections to choose  or reject our leaders.  We have enjoyed other benefits such as freedom of speech, freedom of association and almost all the personal freedoms and human rights protections guaranteed under the Constitution.

Unfortunately, the state has not made the expected gains, which in a way has ended up eroding away whatever personal gains we have attained.  This is because we have failed to harness our collective talents towards national development.

The end of every election has seen the country torn into two parts – those in control of political power – and the rest of us.  The governments have appointed people they describe as communicators who cruelly fend off any criticism, no matter how genuine they are, with vicious attacks on those who so stick out their necks in the interest of the republic.

Of course, there are also those on the other side whose criticisms are not directed at any positive change but to score cheap political goals.  Caught         in-between these extremes are those who offer genuine advice but who end up being labelled one way or an other,  depending on who felt aggrieved.

The result is that while  the country is not making any headway, more and more people are shying away from offering suggestions for fear of being labelled and insulted.

The truth is that as a nation, we float or sink together.  That is why we welcome President John Mahama's appeal to all Ghanaians to join the bandwagon to save the cedi and to contribute to other matters of national importance.

We will also remind the President that once he has invited the total involvement of all Ghanaians, he should be accommodating and all-embracing to listen to all. Those offering advice also should do so without any partisan bias to encourage a healthy debate on issues.

Our democracy is not about tearing the country apart or dividing it on party lines.  Ours is to sift through the diverse opinions and as much as possible make the right choices that would serve our collective interest.

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