Ghana generally touted as the beacon of democracy on the African continent and as such countries emerging from civil war and political turmoil are always striving to be like Ghana.Thus, it'll be fair to say that Ghana has set the standards of democracy and good governance on the continent.
However, this so called achievements has come with huge cost which sometimes include the lost of innocent lives during election. Our democracy is gradually becoming if not a sham, then a stinking system that is glorified by the few it seeks to benefit. Just to make it clear, i believe democracy is the best form of government and as a person, I am happy to be born into a democratic state like Ghana even though this democracy is stinking and needs rescue through immediate reforms.
But what is the essence of democracy if the media cannot freely express itself without self censoring despite the guarantee of free speech under chapter 12 of the 1992 constitution. Democracy is the best form of government that allows the media to be critical of government and serves as the voice of the muted and muzzled. Yet, our democracy is sinking so low to the extent that, the media space has been hijacked by politicians and lapdog journalists who re-echo mediocre performance as concrete achievement that needs attention at the expense of broader developmental challenges that needs critical attention. Politicians under our nosediving democracy are the owners of our media houses and uses the medium for nothing but to persuade the vulnerable voter to vote for them during election.
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Our democracy has still not find a remedy to state brutalities through institutions such the Police service and the Armed forces. These institutions as part of colonial inheritance, are made to belief that they are above the very people whom they have sworn to protect and as such can unleash brutal forces on them without any fear of being persecuted. In our sinking democracy, Police can kill unarmed civilian and later on come and tell Kweku Ananse (Tales) to the Ghanaian people. The same police that kill innocent Ghanaians and accused them as armed robbers despite a committee reports that said otherwise expected us to be passive with them all in the name of democracy and faith in state institutions. What is the essence of democracy if justice is sold at our courts for goats?
The military shoots and killed innocent protesters and up to date, no officer has been prosecuted yet, they wants us to praise this sham and the expense of the huge cost in trying to sustain this sham. We have glorify this democratic dividend and the expense of the widening inequality among of society and have pretend as if we cannot see nor feel the growing bitterness in our societies. Slums continues to sprung up near well developed and gated communities. Our governments are worse than the colonial government we chased out some decades ago.
This country needs immediate reforms that would give hope to the youth who seems to have lost every hope in the State and its institutions.
