A co-founder of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has questioned the practice of Ghana’s democracy, saying has not been helping the development of the country.
The Professor says democracy as a system of governance is good and needed by every nation, but the manner in which Ghana’s is practiced is very problematic
Speaking on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, August 10, 2024, the former Senior Governance Advisor to the United Nations, noted that Ghana is not moving forward due to how its democracy is being implemented.
“Even as I talk to you, I’m questioning our practice of democracy. I’m not questioning democracy because democracy is necessary for everybody but the practice of it varies. So we don’t have to stick strictly to what we have written and say this is democracy, we have to do this. To me, this is one of the reasons why we are not moving forward.
“We have to be democratic but the way we have structured our democracy, the way we are practicing it, it is killing us. That is the basic fact. You don’t pride yourself to be democratic only because every four years you manage to have elections,” he lamented.
His comments come on the back of President Akufo-Addo’s Founders’ Day speech which has created controversy.
President Akufo-Addo has maintained his stance, opposing the notion that an individual founded Ghana.
In his 2024 Founders’ Day address, President Akufo-Addo rejected claims that Kwame Nkrumah single-handedly founded Ghana, emphasising that the struggle for independence was a collective effort by many which has span through generations.
Although he acknowledged Dr Nkrumah’s significant contributions, he stressed that the nation’s freedom was achieved through the efforts of many and cannot be attributed to Ghana’s first President alone.
The President, addressing the ongoing debate surrounding the commemoration of August 4 as Founders Day, acknowledged the differing perspectives on Ghana’s history.
Speaking on the matter at the senior citizen’s luncheon at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo noted, “I know that there are some who question the ceremony – that is 4th August as Founders Day, because they believe that we were all asleep in Ghana until the arrival of Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP.”
“I have already stated my views on that several times, including in my speech last Saturday evening. I don’t intend to go over that matter again,” he said.
In 2019, Parliament established August 4 as Founders’ Day to honour all who contributed to Ghana’s independence, and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
However, this stance has sparked protests from those who support Nkrumah’s singular role, including the Conventions Peoples Party (CPP).
President Akufo-Addo, however, has reemphasised his support for the consensus reached by Parliament in 2019, which recognises both the significance of Kwame Nkrumah and the importance of August 4 in Ghana’s history.
According to him, “Preserving the critical importance of August 4 in our history is a good consensus and it deserves to last.”
Meanwhile, former President John Mahama argued that Ghana’s history is well-known and promised to restore the previous historical narrative if elected, criticising the United Gold Coast Convention, which included J.B. Danquah, for historically opposing Ghana’s independence.
