Whither our country Ghana? Union Government re-visited

As it often happens in an election year, political actors make demands,as the current one relating to the Voters Register, make accusations and counter-accusations and statements the net effect of which is the creation of tension and anxiety among the citizenry and the raising of the political temperature in the country.

When the political season begins candidates of the various political parties, both big and small, spend considerable sums of money buying T-shirts, cutlasses,machetes, give cash donations, etc., with the sole aim of getting voters to vote for them. At the end of the day, the financial situation in the country worsens.

We find that after operating the 1992 Constitution for over 20 years, there are serious challenges in almost every sphere of life in the country.

The ordinary people continue to suffer many deprivations. You see both men and women, young and old, selling all manner of things in the hot sun along the streets to make a living. Workers stand in long queues to get transport to go to work in the morning or return to their homes in the evening. People spend many hours in hospitals and clinics in their desire to seek medical attention, and the cost of living is high.

 And they do not experience any significant improvement in their living conditions when new political administrations come into office after they win political power through the general election.

With barely four months left to the next general election, the question many concerned Ghanaians are asking is whether there is going to be any meaningful change in the circumstances of the country after the December 7, 2016 General Election.

The purpose of this article is to bring out the inherent weaknesses and their associated consequences, in the multi-party political system of government, which, after many years, has brought us to this state; briefly review the various political administrations from the colonial time to the present; and re-state the case for Union Government which has the best prospects for significantly improving the standard of living   of the people by maximising the utilisation of the talents, expertise and skills of all Ghanaians to ensure faster development and enhance peace and tranquility in the country.

Section 2: Discussion of weaknesses in multi-party political system of government                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The following is a discussion of some of the main weaknesses of the multi-party political system of government and their consequences:-

Weakness No. 1

There is no agreed National Development Plan, with clearly defined goals.

Consequence

Each political party prepares its own manifesto, unrelated to any National Development Goals. The result is that work on Housing Projects initiated by a previous government is stopped and workers are thrown out of work, worsening the unemployment situation in the country, and the expenditure on the projects is wasted.

The education system is thrown into disarray as one administration increases the duration of Senior High School (SHS) from three years to four years, only for the next political administration to revert to the former three-year duration.

Another consequence is the discontinuation of the Public Sector Reform started by a previous administration to improve the public services.

Weakness No. 2

Abrogation of International Agreements and Contracts.

Consequence

The nation has, in many cases, been compelled to use colossal sums of money, out of its meagre resources, to pay huge judgement debts when a new political administration abrogates an international agreement or contract entered into by the previous administration.

Weakness No. 3

Political parties demand huge deposits from persons who wish to take part in their primaries to be selected to contest parliamentary seats on the ticket of the political party during elections.

Consequence

Many individuals in the political party who are not only very competent but also have great integrity are thus unable to take part in the primaries due to their inability to come by the money to pay the huge deposits.

Weakness No. 4

Political parties incur huge expenditures on their electioneering as they maintain and run party offices, purchase vehicles and fuel, pay for hotel bills, print posters and leaflets and lavish items such as roofing sheets, sewing machines, bicycles, bags of rice, cooking oil and physical cash on would-be voters in order to secure their votes. In the period leading up to the general elections, governments of ruling parties tend to embark on many development projects in order to win votes.

Consequence

After elections, the political parties devise ways and means of recovering the huge expenditure to repay loans they have taken. Often, National Budgets are thrown out of gear as a result of the huge expenditure on development projects.

Weakness No. 5

Our thoughts call forth into being that which we hold in mind. Every thought has creative power and potential. As such, freedom of speech is one of the most important human rights. However, in a multi-party political system, the Whip System in Parliament is used to stifle this important freedom, as Members of Parliament are not free to fully express their opinions on issues.

Consequence

Since Members of Parliament are not able to freely voice their thoughts and ideas which could improve the living conditions of the people, the nation is the loser.

Weakness No. 6

Contrary to international practice, the Ghanaian Parliament is not completely separate from the Executive, since the 1992 Constitution imposes an obligation on the President to appoint more than 50 per cent of his ministers/deputy ministers from parliament.

Consequence

In the first place, this practice violates the well-known Principle of Unity of Command in Organisation Theory, which states that a person should be accountable to only one boss. In the second place, it goes againstthe command in the Holy Book which states in 1 Corinthians 14:40 that: “Everything must be done in a proper and orderly way”. Since there are only 24 hours in a day, a Member of Parliament who is also a Minister or a Deputy Minister must share his 24 hours between his two duties.

Let us consider a situation where, on a particular day, a Member of Parliament who is also a Minister is summoned to attend a Cabinet Meeting at the Flagstaff House, starting at 2:30 pm. 

On the same day, as a member of one of the Parliamentary Select Committees,he is also required to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee, also scheduled to start in Parliament at 2:30 pm. The Member of Parliament is thus placed in a dilemma, not knowing whether to attend the Cabinet Meeting or the Parliamentary Select Committee Meeting. 

This is one of the main reasons why the work of Parliament is slowed down and the passage of bills delays, just as the work of the Executive is impaired and delayed.

 In effect, where the Member of Parliament decides to share his/her time equally between his/her duties as a Member of Parliament and his/her duties as Minister/Deputy Minister during the four-year term of the President, he/she will spend only two years on his/her duties as Member of Parliament and only two years on his/her duties as Minister/Deputy Minister. This arrangement which has been in force since the 1992 Constitution came into effect has had a very harmful effect on the governance and development of the country.

A member of the 1978 constitutional drafting commission, the last Director General of Ghana Posts and telecommunications Corporation, and the first Managing Director of Ghana Telecom

Weakness No. 7

Without doubt, the most serious of the weaknesses of the multi-party political system is what has come to be called the “Winner-Takes-All” System. Under this system, the political party which wins the General Elections mainly appoints persons or individuals who are loyal to and identify with the philosophy of the party as Ministers, Board Chairmen, Board Members, District Chief Executives and Chief Executive Officers, to the exclusion of persons who belong to other political parties.

As an analogy, going into General Elections can be likened to going into a battle. The victors share the ‘booty’ among themselves.

Consequence

This practice is what has come to sharply divide the country into two, those who support and work for the ruling party and those who are against the ruling party. The nation is thus unable to make full use of the available talents, expertise and skills of the many many qualified and competent Ghanaians in the management of the country, to improve the standard and living conditions of the people.

Weakness No. 8

Various strategies, including setting up committees of enquiry and carrying out forensic audits are employed by the new political administration to get rid of officers/officials in government institutions who are suspected to be loyal to the previous administration.

Consequence

Creation of job insecurity among occupants of positions in the higher echelons of the civil and public services.

The organisations so affected not only lose institutional memory but also the knowledge, expertise and skills of the officers removed. There is also discontinuity in the policies and programs initiated by the previous administration.

Weakness No. 9

Pull-Him/Her- Down (PHD) attitude of opposition parties. For the fact that opposition political parties also spend considerable sums of money and use other resources on their electioneering campaigns, members of opposition political parties refuse to offer suggestions to help the government of the ruling party for fear that the government will profit from the suggestions and thereby prolong its stay in office. They will do anything to make the government unpopular.

Consequence

The National Economy suffers.

 Weakness No.10

There are very wide disparities in the emoluments of Article 71 holders compared to those paid to public servants. The End-of-Service-Benefits paid to Members of Parliament at the end of every four (4) years are also far in excess of the End-of-Service-Benefits paid to public servants at the end of many years of devoted service to the nation.

Consequence

As a direct consequence of these wide disparities, there is a lot of dis-enchantment, discontent and a feeling of being cheated and not getting their share of the national cake among many public servants. This partly explains why there have been many strikes and demonstrations by various groups and classes of workers in the public service. These invariably result in low productivity and hence the slowing down of the national economy.

Section 3: Brief survey of previous political parties

1. Traditional System

Before the British colonial rule, the various ethnic groups in the country from the North to the South and from the East to the West employed the Chieftaincy Model to govern themselves. An essential feature of this form of government is that decisions were arrived at on the basis of consensus.

2. Coventions People's Party from July 1956 to January 1966

On attaining independence from British colonial rule on 6thMarch, 1957, the Convention People’s Party formed thegovernment which was in office from July 1956 to February 1966. The CPP government laid a solid foundation in all sectors of the economy. Among the many successes it achieved were the building and establishment of schools including the Ghana Educational Trust(GET) secondary schools, houses including estates, the State House, hospitals including Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, State- Owned Enterprises (SOE’s), Workers Brigade, Black Star Line, construction of roads including Accra - Tema Motorway, construction of Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, Tema Harbour, Tema Township and the Akosombo Hydro-Electric Dam to provide power for both industrial and domestic use.

Many Ghanaians were also sent abroad on government scholarships to study various disciplines to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills to be able to manage the various sectors of the economy on their return home.

Following the attempt on the life of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the CPP government introduced a one-party state towards the end of its administration in February 1964. This caused a lot of ill-feeling among a section of the electorate and eventually led to the first Coup D’etat in Ghana on 24th February, 1966.

3. National Liberation Council (NLC) from February 1966 to October 1969

This military administration prepared the way for the next constitutional administration led by Dr. Kofi AbrefaBusia to come into office through General Elections. It was during the tenure of the NLC that the sale of State- Owned Enterprises started.

4. Progress Party (PP) GOVERNMENT from October 1969 to January 1972. 

 

The Progress Party Government, which had an overwhelming majority in Parliament, did a lot within its brief 27-month tenure in office, in the areas of Rural Development and improving the conditions of life of cocoa farmers.

5. National Redemption Council/ Supreme Military Council from January 1972 to mid-1978.

The National Redemption Council administration successfully launched the Operation Feed Yourself Program to provide cheap food for the people. Many Ghanaians cultivated gardens at the back of their houses to grow various food items. The attempt by the government to introduce Union Government was brought to an abrupt end when the Supreme Military Council IIassumed office.

6. Supreme Military Council from mid- 1978 to June 1979

During its tenure in office, the Supreme Military Council II made preparations to return the country to constitutional rule when it was removed from office in June, 1979.

 It expanded the membership of the original body, that is to say, the 1978 Constitutional Drafting Commission, which was set up to draft a Constitution for Union Government,  to include representatives of political parties, professional bodies and other groups and changed its Terms of Reference to draft a Constitution for the Establishment of a Transitional (Interim) National Government for Ghana.

This is how the attempt to introduce the novel Union Government in Ghana was aborted.

7. Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (A.F.R.C.)from 4th June, 1979 to 24th September, 1979

The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council was in office for only three months. Its main plank was PROBITY, ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY. It also exhorted Ghanaians to be part of the solution to problems.

8. People’s National Party (PNP)

The administration of the People’s National Party was brought to an abrupt end after only 27-months in office by the 31st December, 1981 Coup D’etat.

9. Provisional National Defence Council(P.N.D.C.)

Government from December, 1981 to January, 1993.

The government of the P.N.D.C. strengthened the structures that ensuregrass-root participation in The governance 

 

10. First National  Democratic Congress(N.D.C.) Government from January, 1993 to January, 2001

The government achieved many successes during its 8-year tenure in office. It built the SSNIT Flats, extended electricity, provided bore-holes in the rural areas, constructed roads, reformed the educational system liberalized  and expanded the telecommunication sector which made it possible for many Communication Centres to be opened, established the Ghana Educational Trust (GET) Fund and Value Added Tax (VAT) system, and initiated the National Health Insurance service.

 As part of the liberalisationof the telecommunication sector, it sold 30 percent equity share capital of Ghana Telecom to Telecom Malaysia but did not give any part of the proceeds from the sale to Ghana Telecom.

11. New Patrotic Party (N.P.P.) Government from January, 2001 to January, 2009

For the first time in the history of Ghana, ex-President John Agyekum Kuffour took the bold initiative to invite members of other political parties to serve in his government. He brought in the brilliant and astute entrepreneur, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, to serve initially as his Minister of Economic Planning and Finance.

The NPP administration chalked many successes, including the Repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, stabilization of the Macro-Economy, taking the HIPC initiative, re-denomination of the Cedi, introduction of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Program, establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme on a wider basis, expansion of ICT Services, construction of roads, school buildings, Student Hostels and Housing complexes and modern Sport Stadia.

However, after achieving a growth in excess of seven percent at one stage during its tenure of office, the NPP administration towards the end of its administration faced challenges of such a nature that in spite of very serious opposition from the public, it had to sell seventy (70) percent of the shares of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone in order to use part of the proceeds from the sale to pay the salaries of Civil Servants.

Section 4: Whither Ghana – The way forward

In deciding on which political system Ghana should adopt in the light of the experiences we have had over the last 59 years since we attained independence from Britain on 6th March, 1957, we have to carefully consider the merits and demerits of the various political systems we have had in Ghana.

The one-party system is undemocratic and dictatorial.

The military administration cannot be an option.

The multi-party political system, as we have seen, suffers from many drawbacks,mainly due to its intrinsic divisive nature.

The only viable option Ghana should adopt is the UNION GOVERNMENT which is free from all the drawbacks of all the other political systems, mainly due to its INCLUSIVE NATURE.

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SECTION 5: What is union government?

How will it function ?

5.1 Pillars

The Union Government concept rests on four main pillars and these are: -

•There will be no political party.

•Electioneering campaign expenses will be borne by the State.

•There will be maximum utilization of the talents, expertise and skills of all the people to ensure faster Socio- Economic development of the country.

•There will be a National Development Plan.

5.2 Structure of Union Government

There will be the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial arms of government, with complete separation of powers. The Press will be the fourth estate of the realm.

5.2.1 Executive

The Executive arm of government will be headed by an Executive President who will be elected through universal adult suffrage. A three-stage strategy will be used to elect the President.

Stage1: Constituency Level

Individual candidates who are persons with competence, integrity and arepublic-spirited will present their manifestos on the basis of the National Development Plan.

Stage 2: Regional Level

The successful candidates who emerge after the constituency level elections in the region will then campaign again and present their manifestos to the electorate in the region to be voted for and selected as the candidate for the region in the Presidential Election at the national level.

Stage 3: National Level

All the successful candidates who emerge after the regional elections will finally campaign again and present their manifestos, on the basis of the National Development Plan, to the entire electorate in the nation for one of them to be selected as the President of Ghana.

This method for the election of the President is similar to the one used to select Miss World.

Those contestants who are successful at the regional level can be likened to the National Beauty Queens of the different countries in the world taking part in the beauty pageant.

The criteria of competence, integrity and public-spiritedness can be likened to the beauty statistics used by the Judges in the Miss Worldbeauty pageant.

The entire electorate in the countrywho will vote to select the President can be likened to the Judges at the Miss World beauty pageant.

The Electoral Commission, which will organize and supervise all electioneering campaigns, will declare the candidate who will win the national elections as the Executive President of Ghana.

5.2.1.1 Ministers of State

To ensure maximum utilization of all the best talents in the country, the President will appoint the Ministers of State in consultation with the relevant professional bodies or organisations. For example, the President will consult the Ghana Medical Association to appoint the Minister of Health and the Ghana Institution of Engineers for the Minister of Works, Water Resources and Housing.

The President will appoint an Attorney General separate from the Minister of Justice.

Regional Ministers will be appointed by the President in consultation with the appropriate Regional House of Chiefs.

5.2.2. Legislative

Individuals who wish to take part in the Parliamentary Elections must be competent, have integrity and demonstrate public-spiritedness. They will present their manifestos on the basis of the National Development Plan.

No Member of Parliament will be appointed by the President as a Minister or Deputy Minister of State.

There will be no Majority Leader.

There will be no Minority Leader.

There will be no Chief Whip.

5.2.3. Judiciary

There will be the Judiciary arm of government to be headed by the Chief Justice.

5.3. Public Accountability

All top appointees in government as well as the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of Justice will declare their assets before assumption of office and at the termination of their tenure of office.

Just as the President, as Head of State, gives the State of the Nation Address to Parliament each year, each year the Speaker of Parliament, as Head of the Legislative arm of government and the Chief Justice, as Head of the Judicial arm of government, will give Annual Reports on their institutions.

Similarly, the Chairman of the National Media Commission and the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission will give Annual Reports on the Press and the Electoral Commission respectively.

Section6: Proposed Plan of  Implementation of Union Government

7TH November, 2016 is not in the too distant future. However, there is a saying that where there is the will, there is a way. It is therefore proposed that the following Plan of Implementation is adopted to usher in Union Government for Ghana.

Step 1: National House of Chiefs and National Peace Council meet the hierarchy of all the political parties in Ghana and convince them to accept the concept of Union Government for the Peace, Stability and faster Socio-Economic Development of Ghana.

Step 2: National Commission for Civic Education (N.C.C.E.) sets up a body, similar to the Ad Hoc Committee on Union Government which was set up in 1977, to collect and collate the views of Ghanaians, almost thirty-nine (39) years after the former Head of State, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong mooted the idea of Union Government.

Step 3: A body is set up to draft a Constitution on Union Government for Ghana.

Step 4: National Development Planning Commission prepares, for a start, a five-year National Development Plan for Ghana, to provide material for the manifestos of those who will contest for seats in Parliament or as the Executive President of Ghana.

Step 5: Under the direction of the Electoral Commission, electioneering campaigns be conducted by the various contestants. The State will bear the cost of all the campaigns.

Step 6: Electoral Commission organizes General Elections for Parliamentary seats and the President on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

Section 7: Conclusion

Before the advent of the British colonial rule, the various ethnic groups in the country knew and practised Chieftaincy for centuries. A key feature of this form of government is that decisions were made on the basis of CONSENSUS.There was no formal opposition as we have it today.

At independence on 6th March, 1957, the colonial British administration left us with the Westminster system of government, which is based on the “Winner-Takes-All” philosophy. Since then, we have modified it, to add a bit of the American system in which the Executive is separate from the Congress, so that today we have a hybrid system of government in Ghana.

The experiences we have had over the past 59 years clearly show that the multi-party political system of government with its Winner-Takes-All philosophy has not brought us the development we have hoped for. It is as though we have a “government of some people, by some people, for some people”.

Today, Ghana is sharply divided along party lines. There is no agreement on National Development Agenda. There is deep division, rancour and bitterness.

 Clearly, the multi-party political system of government is alien to our culture.

The proposal for Union Government for Ghana is therefore meant to bring about National Cohesion, Unity and Peace.

It is meant to ensure the full utilization of the talents, expertise and skills of all the people to quicken the pace of national development and ensure better living conditions of life for the people.

Divided We Fall; United We Stand.