Defend democratic governance - Mahama Ayariga rallies young citizens

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has urged Ghanaians, especially young people, to defend and stand by Parliament and other organs of democracy, stressing that it is only in Parliament that different political parties can exist under the country’s constitutional dispensation.

He consequently urged the public to appreciate the role of the legislature in preserving democratic governance.

“You cannot have a different political party in the Executive.

The Executive is either fully National Democratic Congress (NDC) or fully New Patriotic Party (NPP). But in the Parliament, you can have all the different political parties which have won seats,” the Majority Leader explained.

Throwing the weight of the Majority Caucus in Parliament behind the new educational series, “Parliament and You”, Mr Ayariga urged young people to always choose democracy over any form of governance, stressing that “Parliament is really the place where democracy can be seen in action”, framing democracy as basically about different shades of opinions being expressed, heard and factored into national decisions. 

Event

“Parliament and You” is a partnership initiative between Parliament and the Junior Graphic to offer a weekly child-friendly publication of articles and stories in the Junior Graphic for approximately 50,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17.

It will simplify parliamentary concepts, functions and procedures through engaging age-appropriate content, including features, stories, quizzes, puzzles, illustrations and competitions.

The launch in Parliament House attracted the leadership of the House, the Parliamentary Service Staff, schoolchildren and officials of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL).

Notable among the dignitaries were the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor; the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George; the Clerk-to-Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror; the Managing Director of GCGL, Ato Afful; the Editor, Graphic, Theophilus Yartey, and the Assistant Editor of Junior Graphic, Eugenia Asare Tandoh.

Context

Mr Ayariga took the schoolchildren through the various republics the country had experienced, and what happened when the military juntas disrupted them and took control.

Providing basis for the defence of democracy, Mr Ayariga said during military takeovers, the soldiers abolished parliament (the legislature) and assumed the reins of government.

“When they form a military government, the soldiers who assume the governance step into the shoes of the executive.

They normally leave the judges, that is the judiciary, but at all times, they always shut down the parliament.”

“And then they rule by decrees. That is to say, they pass the laws themselves without a parliament.

So, we experienced that in 1966,” he explained, citing the other military juntas the country had experienced.

Mr Ayariga, therefore, stressed that constitutional democracy was the only system where all shades of views were accommodated in parliament.

“Ghana has been through different phases in terms of what we call our constitutional development. When we say constitutional development, we are simply talking about how we are governed,” he explained.

Supporting the educational programme, ‘Parliament and You’, Mr Ayariga stated: “It has become necessary for parliament, as established, to seek to rally the population to stand firmly behind it so that in future if anybody attempts to overthrow the government and to shut down parliament, the people will stand behind their parliament.

Public understanding

Mr Ayariga said building public understanding of Parliament was essential to ensuring that future generations remained committed to protecting democratic institutions.

He added that democracy thrived when opposing perspectives were allowed to be expressed freely and factored into the decision-making process.

“The idea of democracy is that let them say whatever they want to say.

When you finish, you put the matter to a vote,” he stated.

The Majority Leader further stated that parliamentary deliberations often led to improvements in proposed measures, as members were willing to incorporate worthwhile suggestions regardless of where they originated.

Invest in education

Mr Ayariga further encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities to visit Parliament, observe proceedings and deepen their understanding of how the institution functioned.

He expressed support for programmes that promoted civic participation among young people, including essay-writing competitions and educational activities centred on Parliament.

Mr Ayariga added that similar initiatives in other jurisdictions had successfully encouraged young people to establish model parliaments in schools and communities as a practical means of learning about democratic governance.

"I also want to commend the Clerk and his team for the partnership that you are forging between Parliament and Junior Graphic so that we can create space there for young people to write about Parliament and, in the process, also have Parliament covered so that their colleagues, other young people, can read and appreciate the happenings in Parliament," he said.

Donations

The Majority Leader announced a contribution of GH¢200,000 from his office towards the initiative to support the partnership between Parliament and Junior Graphic.

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, also donated GH¢100,000 in support of the initiative.

The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, donated 25 laptops to support the ‘Parliament and You’ educational series published in the Junior Graphic.

He said the laptops would be awarded to winners of the quarterly quizzes, which would be organised to test students’ knowledge of the weekly educational series.