Building bridges for accelerated development

Last Wednesday, the Standing Committee of the Council of State met with the leadership of the minority group in Parliament to address recent developments in parliamentary affairs.

It was the first in a series of such encounters the council is embarking on. This week, it is billed to meet the leadership of the Majority and later also meet the Speaker of Parliament.

These engagements, with the ultimate aim to discuss issues of national interest, are significant, especially to deepen democracy under the Fourth Republic.

We at the Daily Graphic consider the meeting as falling in line with the call by the Catholic Bishop of Navrongo-Bolgatanga, Most Rev. Alfred Agyenta, for politicians to build bridges among the people and promote cohesion to drive the progress of the Ghanaian society.

As the Catholic Bishop of Navrongo-Bolgatanga noted while delivering the sermon at the burial mass for a former Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, in Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana District, genuine politics did not celebrate power and dominion over others but inspired a servant-style leadership that sought to put the needs of the people first in the administration of the nation.

With the current state of a hung Parliament, the Daily Graphic believes that the initiative by the Council of State is worth commending and emulating by all segments of the political divide. We are happy that the council has indicated its intention to meet other stakeholders to help encourage good governance and foster peace among the country’s political leadership.

After all, governance processes seek to uplift the dignity of politics and the lives of the poor and vulnerable in society. Political leaders should not be seen to be domineering or lording it over the electorate but must seek to put the needs of the people first in the administration of the nation.

We believe that it is through such regular engagements that we can build the necessary bridges and help this country address its development challenges. This, indeed, is what we need to steer the affairs of state.

Being in opposition or government does not mean we should not engage one another on matters of national interest. Even when a government has an overwhelming majority in Parliament, listening to the other side for constructive views helps it perform better.

There have been calls for consensus-building in Parliament and in democracy, and we believe the Council of State and the Minority caucus have shown the way.

With such approaches, we believe there will be no hurdle that the government, and for that matter the country, cannot overcome.

Indeed, politics will become a dirty game if we do not engage one another but resort to insults and undermining for the sake of seeking political power.

The Daily Graphic, therefore, urges all political actors to change the way they conduct themselves in the political space and learn from the initiative of the Council of State to engage other stakeholders for the benefit of the electorate.

For those elected or appointed to serve the country, we remind them that politics is a lofty profession if they choose to serve and meet the needs of the people who put them in those offices. They must, therefore, seek to serve the common good of all the people and not their personal or family interests.

Once again, we commend the Council of State and the Minority caucus for such a meeting, which we believe will inure to the benefit of the people.