BY SESHIE, STANLEY

THROUGHOUT the world, DEMOCRACY is touted as the best form of
governance system found by mankind. Probably because it guarantees
that intrinsic desire of man; freedom. Freedom is the condition or
state of being free. It is the power to think, speak and act without
externally imposed restrictions, especially intellectually. For this
overarching singular reason, democratic governance system properly
understood and practised readily brings development to the people than
any other governance system as the people make the proper and best use
of this freedom.

In other words, notwithstanding the critical decision-making roles of
leaders, the responsibility for the realization of the benefits of
democracy lies more with the people as followers than the people as
leaders of a nation.
So as a nation we must re-evaluate our understanding of what it means
to be democratic, especially in the context of the participatory
masses? It is time we go beyond limiting democratic freedom to having
the right to vote, to litigation, to freedom of speech among others
that probably might constitute the mission of democracy. We must
redirect our focus to the vision of democracy, which is intellectual
freedom to propel development.

A nation that has actualized the vision of democracy and not satisfied
with its mission is inundated with enterpreneurs; a group of
independently analytical thinking citizenry that are conceptually and
operationally adventurous for the development of the nation. Afterall
development is driven by the inclination to stamp something new, in
principle or practice onto society, that everyone in the long run
would embrace and apply to confronting problems locally and
nationally.
And that is, essentially the duty of entrepreneurs. It must interest
you to know that, despite the powers of government, a nation is
fundamentally developed by entrepreneurs and not necessarily the
government.

Governments only regularize the activities of nation by passing,
monitoring and enforcing laws to ensure fair play in the system of
players with different motives. And also, but more importantly
creating the enabling environment to ensure development. As a result
it is the increasing number of entrepreneurs in the enabling
environment of a nation and not the number of politicians, pastors,
priests, imams that are indicators of the potential developmental
possibilities of such nation. For this it is unfortunate that as it is
now and in the absence of the enabling environment, most people
especially the youths are gravitating towards politics assured by NPP
and NDC. And we all know why.

Of course, almost every multi-party democratic nation is dominated by
two parties. But such dominating two parties must necessarily be
united by the plight of the people, not just in theory but in practice
as in their contemplations to improving the peoples' conditions. The
trio of contemplations that underlies the activities of a nation,
though in different forms are IDEAS, EVENTS AND PEOPLE. How a nation
handles these defines their path to development or underdevelopment.

DISCUSSING THE PEOPLE

WE must discuss our welfare, demand for and contribute to its
fulfilment as a people in a democratic nation. What matters to the
teeming masses as in job opportunities, health and educational
institutions, motorable roads among others must constitute our
discussing the people.But GHANA is a nation likes to talk, talk and
talk about people. Unfortunately the wrong people; the politicians.
Yes, had we been talking about the welfare of the teeming masses and
not the politicians and parties, Ghana would not be polarized as it is
currently and seemingly irreversible.

In fact the national discourse of the supposedly educated and opinion
leaders are centered more on the political figures than the masses
making up the nation. And worst of all, the masses themselves are
equally busy talking about prophet this, priest that, imam this,
pastor this amist others, shockingly ignoring their national
situations to the "happiness" of these very masquerading "democratic"
politicians. In sum, Ghana is indeed religious nation....meaning, a
nation that talks about people only. And hardly any productive ideas
to back any meaningful actions.Just that the people talked about in
Ghana is the wrong people; the politicians.

DISCUSSION OF EVENTS AND IDEAS

Development is an institutional affair. For a democratic nation to
develop, institutions must be functional...implementing policies as
events here and there to the betterment of the people. In the pursuit
of the unending demands of the people, building of industries,
energy-generating facilities,judiciary centers, construction of roads,
health centers, educational centers and staffing all these key
institutions for the development of the nation, should form the bulk
of discussing events. Without such meaningful events here and there
saturating the country and yielding practical results, Ghana is far
from being satisfactory democratic nation, because democracy yields
results via its institutions.

When we listen, read and watch the content of most of our media as
representatives of the national discourse, it is clear that Ghana is a
democratic nation if and only if it means freedom of speech and
voting. Whilst we must certainly congratulate ourselves for always
having an almost peaceful and nearly free, fair and transparent
elections, we must remind ourselves that elections are not the end of
democracy. The freedom guaranteed by democracy must not be invested in
election only but must necessarily free the minds for the citizenry
to think and engage in discussion of ideas that will better their
conditions and the nation at large. Our educational institutions
especially the universities has a huge task to play, explicitly or
implicitly but forcefully in directing and shaping the national
discourse.Nations are developed by good and working ideas called
policies.

This means Ghanaians must take themselves as well as the education
system very serious. There is no nation that values the people and
understands their indispensable role in sustainability of development
and watch unconcerned as the mainstream national discourse descends
into obssession with religion and politicians and their parties.
Unless to the diabolical benefits of the politicians. No wonder the
Ghanaian democracy is capable of producing more political gangs than
entrepreneurs needed to sustain our development via their innovative
ideas. Development of a nation is fundamentally and intrinsically
driven by enterpreneurs.

And since entrepreneurs feeds on ideas, that means the nation must be
fertile socially and intellectually to engender them. As a matter of
fact, it is the nationalistic engagement of ideas that eventually
sprouts entrepreneurs, and not necessarily holding free, fair and
transparent elections that made such nations as America, Russia,
Germany, Britain and France. China, India, Malaysia, South Korea among
others are equally reaping the fruits of consciously moving their
people away from wasting time and energy on discussing politicians and
their parties to discussing the ideas and events that shall benefit
them nationally.

CONCLUSION

The difference between European and American democracies and that of
Africans has all to do with how they are handling the trio of
contemplations; the people, events and ideas, in the affairs of their
respective nations. Whilst others have created the enabling
environment freeing the denizen's minds, making them focus on ideas
and events in their national discourse, engendering more entrepreneurs
to sustain their development, the Africa democracy is freeing only the
mouth....where we talk, talk and talk about the politicians and their
parties.

In Ghana, it is about NDC and NPP, and worst of all is that our
democracy is now producing more political gangs as in Azorta boys,
Invicible forces and many unknown ones. Unfortunately, according to
most of our political scientists in the country, the uninspiring and
unsatisfactory achieving Africa democracies like that of Ghana, are
due to its youthfulness than the actual obssesion with politicians to
the neglect of the worsening conditions of the teeming masses on the
continent.
We cannot continue doing what others had long realized its futility
and be expecting to develop simply because Ghana is referred to as the
best democracy in Africa. No wonder we produce political gangs for our
elections, in lieu of entrepreneurs to initiate and sustain the
nation's development.

Email: seshiehanku@gmail.com

Whatsapp: 0508951323