4 Express Concern About Degeneration Of Democracy

The chairpersons of the four political parties with representation in Parliament have expressed concern about the degeneration of democracy in the country and the manner in which the electorate is making governance difficult. The eminent persons�Dr Kwabena Adjei of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Paul Afoko of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan of the People�s National Convention (PNC) and Ms Samia Nkrumah of the Convention People�s Party (CPP)� cited the politics of insult and �monetisation� in politics as some of the critical issues needed to be addressed. Interacting with journalists last Saturday at a weekend retreat at Senchi, they said as political party leaders, they had a role to play in addressing these challenges in order to bequeath a sound democratic legacy to posterity. The meeting formed part of the Ghana Political Parties Programme (GPPP) under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Under the GPPP, the chairmen of the political parties with representation in Parliament, also known as the Chairmen Caucus, meet once every month to discuss issues of national importance in an apolitical manner. The theme for the weekend retreat, which was held behind closed doors, was how to consolidate Ghana�s democracy, as the Chairmen Caucus reviewed the state of governance in the country and discussed how best to plug the loopholes in the governance system. Demands on politicians Dr Adjei asked the electorate to go easy on politicians in respect of the demands they make, pointing out that politicians were doing their best for the country. �I think the demands on politicians are just too much and they (electorate) do not seem to appreciate the sacrifices we (politicians) try to put in to help the whole country,� he said. The NDC Chairman said good governance came as a result of the behaviour of the governed and the governors, but he observed that usually, the blame was put on the governors. �Not until we start to see an interaction between these two groups of people, things will be a little bit difficult for us; we�ll take a longer time to really consolidate our democracy, to make it functional, to make it a model that people will come and copy,� he noted. Mr Afoko said as the leader of the NPP, his prime aim was to win the 2016 election