Former Govt Vice President of Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Yaw Nsarkoh, says Ghana could have embraced the looks of democracy, however the substance by no means adopted.
He made the comment throughout a candid dialog on JoyNews’ PM Specific, following his thought-provoking lecture titled “Iniquities of Iniquity in Our Santa Claus Democracy.”
In his view, Ghana doesn’t apply a homegrown democratic system however relatively an imported template missing the essential foundations that enable such techniques to thrive elsewhere.
“We imported democracy with out the foundations that made it work within the West,” Nsarkoh said, drawing a transparent distinction between kind and substance.
“You don’t get a working democracy simply since you put up poll bins and sing an anthem. In the event you haven’t constructed the underlying establishments, you’re enjoying a harmful sport.”
His argument is rooted in each historic context and political financial system.
In contrast to nations the place trendy democratic techniques advanced after sustained industrialisation and capital accumulation, Ghana and far of Africa, he defined, tried to graft democracy onto states nonetheless grappling with the hangover of colonialism and extreme financial fragility.
“When trendy European democracy took root, they have been distributing wealth that had already been created. We didn’t have that. We began from below $3,000 per capita GDP. That’s a essentially totally different dialog,” he stated.
Nsarkoh emphasised that democracy with out a robust financial and institutional base degenerates right into a transactional contest—what he termed “a public public sale for the very best bidder.”
In such techniques, he famous, the citizens is lowered to passive members, voting each 4 years after which retreating into silence whereas elite teams commerce energy for private acquire.
He was particularly essential of the concept that independence mechanically conferred sovereignty.
“Kabral Blay-Amihere stated it and received into lots of bother: what sort of independence do you actually have if you happen to don’t management your productive forces?” Nsarkoh requested.
“Having a dark-skinned president and a brand new anthem doesn’t imply you’ve achieved independence. You’re nonetheless navigating a distorted actuality.”
Citing the work of political economist Claude Ake, Nsarkoh argued that African states didn’t emerge organically however have been formed by colonial disruptions, abandoning weak and synthetic constructions.
“The post-colonial elite took over the amenities of the state and have become the brand new colonialists. They sorted themselves,” he stated. “That’s the deformity we’ve refused to confront.”
He lamented the collapse of native governance, describing it as symptomatic of a broader democratic decay.
“Take a look at the house we’re in—native authorities has primarily collapsed. The place is the citizen engagement? The place is the accountability?” Nsarkoh requested.
“We’ve constructed a system the place individuals come to energy to not serve, however to get better their marketing campaign investments.”
On the coronary heart of his message is a warning: Ghana’s democracy, if not radically rethought, dangers turning into a hole ritual.
“This Santa Claus democracy we’re practising isn’t sustainable,” he stated.
“It feeds expectations however doesn’t ship outcomes. It’s harmful as a result of it breeds disillusionment—and disillusionment is the seedbed of instability.”
ALSO READ:
