Pushing forward our democratic culture

Since the return to democratic rule in 1993, the country has witnessed stability and progression in its choice of governance. Indeed, Ghana is now an icon of democratic governance, not only in Africa but also globally, where it continues to be the reference point when it comes to peace and stability.

We have come this far because our political parties, especially major ones, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have stayed the course the country has chosen in order to bring about development. We have witnessed the successful changeover in government from a ruling party to the opposition on a number of occasions.

No wonder that in his message on the State of the Nation to Parliament on March 30, 2022, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commended the NPP and the NDC for the positive contributions they had made to the development of multi-party democracy in the Fourth Republic.

The Daily Graphic could not have agreed more with the President when he charged all of us to “find a way to accommodate each other and our differences to make things work for the benefit of the Ghanaian people”.

Sustaining our democracy is not the responsibility of just the two major parties but all stakeholders, among whom there seems to be some mistrust, especially the arms of government.

Since Ghana attained independence in 1957, it has recorded a chequered political history, with a number of coups d’etat disrupting its stabilisation and development agenda.

We believe that if the country had remained on a democratic path since independence, with an appreciation of the essence of divergent views and the contribution of civil society organisations, our chiefs and other stakeholders, it would have been far better off than it is now.

The Daily Graphic believes we need to help build our institutions to perform at their optimum. For instance, the Ghana Police Service is demonstrating that with the requisite support, it can perform and deliver on its mandate without let or hindrance.

With such encouragement, we believe our democracy is, indeed, worth fighting for, and if we succeed, the course of the country’s development will be charted in such a way that we will rub shoulders with the advanced world.

A few countries in the sub-region are embroiled in terrorist attacks and military interventions which are disrupting their progression. Their citizenry are not safe, as they live in fear of attacks, while the fruits of democratic governance have evaded countries where military juntas have taken over.

The Daily Graphic believes it is always better to have meaningful engagement with political actors and settle differences, instead of picking up arms. Conflicts can only lead the country to political instability, and the cost of instability is enormous — the exodus of artisans and professionals and the refusal of investors to do business in our country.

The Daily Graphic, therefore, urges all stakeholders to stay focused in our democratic march to put this country on a pedestal that will attract more investment to help with our development objectives.

We urge our political parties to continue to dialogue meaningfully and help stabilise the country. We look forward to the day when our political parties and civil society organisations will agree on a common national development agenda which successive governments, irrespective of which party, will commit to pursue to ensure uninterrupted growth.

For now, we join the President in lauding the two major political parties for staying the course to place our democracy on a strong pedestal.