Inclusive party governance key for democracy — Speaker

The time has come for political parties to redefine their structures and ensure the active participation of the youth in decision making, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, has said.

He said the present political system in the country did not adequately respond to the needs and challenges that confronted young people and therefore called for a more inclusive approach to addressing such issues.

The Speaker made the appeal in an address to mark Denmark’s Constitution Day and 60 years of diplomatic relations between Denmark and Ghana.

The event was held virtually on the theme, “Inclusive party governance and the future of democracy”.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledging the strides Denmark had made over the years in deepening inclusive party governance, including women and youth participation in decision making, he said there was a lot Ghana needed to learn from that country.

“Governments have a critical role to play with respect to the inclusiveness of the policy-making processes, and of the outcomes that they seek to promote, so advocating for inclusive governance requires strong processes and institutions,” he said.

To help the country to emulate Denmark’s achievements in that regard, the Speaker expressed his commitment to partner civil society organisations to reach out to political parties and its leaders to create the needed awareness and education for more inclusivity in decision making.

The Speaker commended the Danish government for the many developmental projects it had carried out in various parts of the country and called for a further deepening of cooperation between the two countries towards attaining mutual goals.

For his part, a former Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Mr Mogens Lykkotoft, also underscored the need for democratic countries to build strong institutions, particularly the legislature, which, he said, must have the muscle to hold the executive accountable for the people.