that which ails democracy

The trust between the people and their government is the lifeblood that keeps nations running. When the trust erodes it becomes exceedingly difficult to get people to rally behind a common course. It does not matter the intention of the course, what it seeks to achieve, or who is the beneficiary; once the people get apathetic, it is destined to be a fiasco. The apathy gets even more impervious if the people have reasons to think drivers of the course are all about advancing their personal interests. It ultimately breeds cynicism and mistrust that can press dangerously close to the fragile membranes of democracy. Democracy by design is known to be contentious. Someone is always unhappy, unsatisfied and even angry about something that another is so pleased with. The beautiful tapestry of democracy is woven with the threads of these justifiable extreme emotions. But what is the bottom line?

 

Ghana undoubtedly has a sterling reputation for holding up democratic principles on the African continent. But recent developments challenge the fundamentals of democratic governance. Andy Stanley’s famous quote may be relevant in this case. It says “leaders who do not listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say” Recently there has been a series of fallouts between Ghanaians and the government. Prominent among them are the passage of the e-levy, the construction of the Ghana National Cathedral and the Domestic Debt Restructuring Programme. On one hand, the prevailing economic climate may provide an extenuating circumstance for the e-levy. On the other, it defeats the idea of allocating $400m to build a cathedral in a tumultuous time like now.

 

Those who are trying to rationalize the construction of the National Cathedral argue that it will create jobs and boost tourism. That is definitely a straw man argument. For all intents and purposes, the link between the Cathedral and employment cannot be stronger than that of (randomly picked) Tema Oil Refinery (which needs $500m to be revived). With no mention of the revenue the government will generate from the latter. Alas, the government have been sued for demolishing buildings to make way for the Cathedral. A Cathedral, in these turbulent times, should not make it onto the list of our national priorities.

 

Now the Domestic Debt Restructuring Programme. Labour unions and domestic bondholders are yet again discordant with the government about the murky prognosis of the programme. Claims of the government possibly short-changing investors and tampering with pension funds have created apprehension among the public. People are reluctant to yield to the government’s “no haircuts” explanations. So we are faced with two prospects; the likelihood of  “haircuts” with the programme and the certainty of a recession without it. The government’s ability to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund largely depends on the Debt Exchange Programme. It makes the programme a necessary evil because the economy sorely needs the IMF deal. These circumstances naturally call for full cooperation from every citizen.

 

Sadly, my observation paints a picture of intransigence emanating from distrust between Ghanaians and the government. A lot of references have been made to the e-levy, the National Cathedral, the government’s opulence and several other instances that the government deliberately and forcefully sailed against the waves of resistance from the public. Those are legitimate causes for concern because, in a democracy, the people’s interests are supposed to be absolute. If the trend continues, and the government always elbow aside the interest of the people, the bill that will come due will be insurmountable apathy that will turn every citizen into a spectator.