News:
October 6, 2023
President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin at the opening of the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra Ghana has noted that the nation feels a sense of accomplishment hosting the event.
According to him our experimentation of parliamentary democracy is now full-blown feature of our governance architecture.
This year, we celebrate 30 years of stable parliamentary democracy, ours is a stable democracy in a sub-region that has in recent times developed notoriety for reversing and back sliding on its democratic journey, he stated.
According to him, Parliaments in this sub-region and in Africa in general must try to understand the reasons for the loss of trust and confidence in the leadership of democratic processes and institutions that has characterized the recent spate of military incursions into governance.
We should be able to pick the signals should there be any, and steer our democracies away from such incidents.
High level corruption, nepotism, neglect of the hopes and aspirations of the electorates in pursuit of personal and parochial interests, and policies that only deepen poverty and deprivation levels, whilst supporting ostentation among the political elite would only generate mistrust among the electorates.
That explains why in some of our countries, election into public offices has become highly transactional between candidates and voters, with instant personal gratification as the currency.
This only serves to accentuate the cycle of mistrust that is fueling the dissatisfaction with political leadership and institutions in the sub-region.
“Distinguished delegates let’s encourage ourselves to endeavor to restore dignity to elected offices and to rebuild trust and confidence in democratic processes and institutions. Above all, let us enjoy not just the content of this conference, but also the burgeoning democracy that Ghana represents, the warmth and hospitality, and the sights and sounds of this country, he added.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com