We must remain beacon of hope

Ghana has been touted as one of the stable democracies in the West Africa sub-region which has witnessed the re-emergence of coups.

In spite of the coups, Ghana continues to stand tall as a bastion of democracy in the region.

During his recent state visit to Ghana, the Kenyan President, Dr William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto, reaffirmed Ghana's democracy as a beacon of hope and an inspiration to many countries, especially with the emergence of unconstitutional governments in all directions.

He referred to the situation as a good one and was optimistic that the country would continue to be the hope for the rest of Africa.

The Daily Graphic sees the description of our country as a bulwark of democracy in a region increasingly characterised by political instability as apt, and a step in the right direction.

Since 1992, Ghana has witnessed peaceful transfer of power from one government to the other after every eight years.

The Daily Graphic, therefore, wants to commend the citizenry, including political actors, civil society groups, our security agencies, the Electoral Commission (EC), the judiciary and all who have contributed in diverse ways to ensure that we remain a shining example in the sub-region and the continent as a whole.

Being hailed as a beacon of hope and inspiration to many countries in the world has not come easy. It is the result of hard work and a conscious effort to get it right that have propelled us to this level.

This is not to say that there have not been challenges along the way. The road to this destination has not been always smooth; there have been tortuous times, there have been times that some citizens have felt let down, while others have been impatient because democracy is seen to be slow in dealing with some pressing challenges. 

But, in spite of the challenges, Ghanaians continue to uphold their democratic culture and values, and this has brought us this far as a nation and we wish to commend all citizens for playing their part in chalking up this feat.

Ghana's success story as an oasis of peace and stability in a turbulent region could also be attributed to a strong adherence to the rule of law by political actors, the independence and integrity of the legal system and an effective electoral management system.

Starting from 1992, when the country had its first elections, the EC has continued to put in place various measures to ensure credible and legitimate electoral outcomes.

Ghana's judiciary has also done its best in the past 30 years to maintain a democratic culture by settling electoral disputes and the various political parties, especially the governing New Patriotic Party and the opposition National Democratic Congress, have all done their best for using the judicial process to resolve post-election conflicts rather than resorting to the use of violence.

All these, the Daily Graphic sees as commendable which has contributed to Ghana's stable democracy and credentials.

Other things that  are worth mentioning include the nature of civil-military relations, freedom of the media, the active role of civil society organisations (CSOs) and good relations with donors.

However, we believe that as the nation progresses in its forward march towards consolidating the democratic gains made so far, there is the need to address the issues of poverty, corruption, mismanagement, soaring public debt and other vulnerabilities that are of concern. These do not help convince many that the democratic path is the best for us as a country. 

We must come together and resolve to deal with these to avoid some opportunistic adventurers taking advantage of them to advance their personal parochial interests.

Also, as the 2024 election approaches, it is the belief of the Daily Graphic that all Ghanaians must remain hopeful and stick to their democratic values and culture that has brought our nation this far.

We urge all state actors, such as our security agencies, the EC and the judiciary to remain neutral and professional in the discharge of their various mandates bestowed upon them by the 1992 Constitution to build trust and confidence in the system. 

We also urge the media, CSOs, among others, to continue to play their roles to enhance our democracy.

It is our opinion that when political parties which are the centre of our democracy stay true to their electoral promises and keep faith with the people our democracy will flourish and remain the beacon of hope and inspiration in the sub-region and on the continent.

As the electioneering gathers momentum and we await the election day on December 7, we as one people and a nation must do all we can to keep our democratic society intact.