Champion interests of youth - Young parliamentarians urged
A former Director of the Social Development Policy Division of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Professor Takyiwaa Manuh, has argued that in spite of all the praises showered on Ghana for its democratic progress, successive governments have shown no commitment to the inclusion of the youth and women in decision-making processes.
She has, therefore, challenged young parliamentarians to champion the interests of the youth instead of narrow party political interests.
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"What is needed to embolden youthful parliamentarians to represent youth interests rather than narrow party interests?” she queried when she delivered this year's Kronti Ne Akwamu Lectures organised by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana.
It was the 15th lecture of the yearly ‘Kronti Ne Akwamu’ series, that also coincided with CDD’s 20th anniversary celebration this year.
She was speaking on the theme: “Gender and youth in Ghana's democratic consolidation”.
Party or youth?
Referring to a study by Ransford Gyampo in 2013, where all 44 young MPs made it clear in interviews that they were not in the House to represent youth interests but the interest of their respective parties, Prof. Manuh queried again, "So I am asking, what is needed to embolden youthful parliamentarians to represent youth interests rather than narrow party interest?"
"How much scope is there for this when we learn of the high cost in securing the coveted candidate ticket?
"What kind of affirmative action should we be embarking upon to ensure the representation of the youth, gender and other groups in our body politic?
"What guidance can we seek or learn from other jurisdictions like Kenya," she asked.
A case for the youth
Beginning her lecture, Prof. Manuh demonstrated how the youth and women became some of Nkrumah's able, devoted and fearless supporters as they worked to achieve a new Ghana with opportunities for all.
With all the existing historical facts, however, she was of the view that those haggling over the founding fathers of the country would find it hard just to mention a few such devoted youth and women, beyond Mrs Theodosia Okoe, who had been duly recognised and honoured for designing the national flag.
Prof. Manuh said the youth were the chief actors in Africa's struggle against poverty, underdevelopment and misery in the anti-colonial effort.
In the case of Ghana, she recounted that Kwame Nkrumah, who was Ghana's first President, was recruited at the age of 38 and became the full-time general secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).
She said his mass-based and youth-centred mobilisation completely changed the direction of the anti-colonial struggle.
Within six months, hundreds of branches of the UGCC, she recounted, had been established throughout Ghana, later metamorphosing into the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in 1949.
She added that several key actors of the CPP such as Kojo Botsio, K. A. Gbedemah, Kofi Baako and Akua Asabea Ayisi were youth by any definition when they joined the CPP.
"And some like Kwesi Plange were elected into office at young ages.
“Plange was elected to the Legislative Council in 1950 just before his 25th birthday," she said.
"But the re-telling of political history and popular accounts give little space and credit to the relative youth and gender balances, especially of the anti-colonial struggles, not only in Ghana but most of Africa," she said.
Proposals
Prof. Manuh mentioned legal intervention like an Affirmative Action Law to realise the rights of the youth and women as its critical nature was lost on policy makers.
She urged CDD Ghana to commission a wider study on the topic and urged politicians, policy makers and all to apprise themselves of the data provided by institutions such as the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research.
