Political diversity, meritocracy - Way forward

In 2004, when Barack Obama gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention and proclaimed, “I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth is my story even possible", little did he imagine that 18 years later, one Humza Yousaf would not only be the first person of colour but the first Muslim to become the Prime Minister of Scotland.

In his acceptance speech, Prime Minister Yousaf also remarked, "My grandparents made the trip from Punjab to Scotland over 60 years ago.

As immigrants to this country who knew barely a word of English, they could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that their grandson would, one day, be the next Prime Minister."

Scotland is the second-largest country in the United Kingdom, with a population of 5.4 million, of which only 1.4 per cent are Muslims.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics, the Christian population in England and Wales fell from 59.3 per cent in 2011 to 46.2 per cent in 2021.

The Muslim population grew in the 2011 to 2021 period from 4.9 per cent to 6.5 per cent. Christians in England and Wales are no longer a religious majority, and up to a third of people follow no religion at all, according to census data

Today, the United Kingdom is headed by a son of African-born Hindu parents of Indian Punjabi descent. Rishi Sunak is the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. When my little daughter retorted on the day of his inauguration that “Dad, his name is not English”, I replied, “My daughter, it has come to pass”.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr. prophesied in clear terms, 60 years ago, that one day, we will not be judged by the colour of our skins, or perhaps names, religion or gender, but by the content of our character”. 

Diversity, meritocracy

The content of our character means integrity, professionalism and accountability, as noted by Prime Minister Sunak in his inaugural speech. In more than 200 years of British history, a Hindu has broken the status quo to reach the highest rank in Westminster Abbey at the age of 42, making him also the youngest to occupy the high office.

Earlier, the son of a Pakistani immigrant, Sadiq Khan, had become the Mayor of London.

In today's global politics, the terms diversity and meritocracy have become dominant factors when considering leadership.

The theory of meritocracy, obviously, had been advocated by Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew based on fairness and pragmatism, and although the meritocracy system in Singapore has created a large middle class by allowing upward social mobility amongst most Singaporeans, it also seems to have created structural and cultural conditions that reproduce inequality and elitism, according to Kenneth Paul Tan, Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

A regular member of Pure Morning Drive on the Kumasi-based radio station, Pure FM, Kwasi Mensah, has long held the notion that the world is shifting in the direction of meritocracy, pragmatism and superior wisdom.

Britain is known for its imperialist past, where migrants have often experienced racism and hostility, both covert and overt, according to Jill Lawless of the Associated Press (2023), but in recent times, British society and politics have grown more diverse.

Jill’s report indicated that about 18 per cent of the population of Britain is non-white, and many individuals trace their ancestry to former colonies of the British Empire, such as India, Pakistan and Caribbean nations like Jamaica.

Ghana is no exception.

Kwasi Kwarteng is the first of Ghanaian origin to become the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer and is still a member of the British Parliament.

A report indicates that 40 years ago, there were no ethnic minority lawmakers in the British Parliament. Now there are 65, representing 10 per cent of the total.

Perhaps, political and religious diversity began in Africa when Leopold Seger Senghor, a staunch Catholic, became the first president of a Muslim-dominated Senegal in 1960.

Senghor was a Catholic and had attended a Catholic seminary upon the request of her mother, who wanted him to become a Catholic priest.

Although a Roman Catholic and a Serer, Senghor headed a predominantly Muslim Wolof nation for 20 years before he resigned, making him the first African leader to voluntarily resign from his presidency.

The global political landscape is undergoing accelerated diversification, particularly in Europe.

It, therefore, begs the question: Is Ghana ready for any experimentation with political diversification?

Christians, at least by association, have led this country as Heads of State since the country gained independence from British colonial rule.

Not even the autocratic military regimes were able to produce a head of state other than a Christian.

So, the 2024 presidential election gives rise to several complex hypotheses: the theory of "breaking the eight," the theory of a former president attempting a comeback, and the theory of a minority Muslim seeking the highest position at the Jubilee House.

The latter theory is the most complicated, considering the religious demographics of Ghana.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, Christianity is the largest religion, with 71.3 per cent of the total population.

Muslims account for 19.9 per cent.

The highest political rank a Muslim has attained in our political history is a   vice-president or a running mate.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama became the first Muslim vice-president after being a running mate to President Kufuor.

Abdul Hamza (2012) underpinned that in the early part of 1954, Muslims in Ghana formed a political party that was named the Muslim Association Party (MAP).

Even though its battle cry was "Islam!" "Islam!", the MAP welcomed Bankole Awoonor Renner and Cobbina Kesse, who were both Christians, into their leadership. That is the wonder of religious tolerance in Ghana. 

Religious tolerance

The Ghanaian tolerance of religious diversity is not a Bradley effect; it is a reality. Since independence, Ghana has not experienced any religious conflict. All religious groupings co-exist in a very harmonious atmosphere.

However, the question of whether religion will have any significant impact on the 2024 presidential election arises, in which the Vice-President, a Muslim, is widely believed to be seeking the topmost rank of the nation.

On the surface, without any scientific study, many Ghanaian Christians might have genuine concerns and apprehensions regarding whether a Muslim president will govern for ‘his group’ or everybody, or whether his group will take advantage of their own being the president.

In the same vein, Christians should critically evaluate whether the Muslim vice-president’s actions and conduct have subtly and overtly suggested that he serves only his religious group or all groups.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia might go down in history as a Muslim Vice-President who has attended more Christian church services and events than any other vice- president in our political history.

Going into the 2024 elections, will Ghanaians maintain and intensify the cherished religious tolerance and essentially embrace political diversity on the account of competence and meritocracy?

God bless our homeland Ghana!

The writer is a broadcast journalist