By Joseph Owusu (jowusu@gmail.com)

Alexandria, April 3 – With all its touted numerous virtues, democracy can be a very imperfect political system with serious flaws, especially when demagogues and selfish leaders are allowed to have their way. For one, democracy can be very polarizing, especially during the two quarters following a hotly-contested election. Political campaigns are about winning and can produce tons of toxic and divisive rhetoric, as most campaign gurus and political leaders would do or say anything to win –sometimes splitting their countries along ethnic, racial or religious lines --regardless of the long-term consequences for a nation. But once elected, many leaders prudently spend time to clean up the noxious waste they spewed on the campaign trail, and immediately seek to unify their countries shortly after a new leader is sworn-in. Ghana’s new President, John Mills is failing this critical and important test.

Ghana’s 2008 presidential election was the closest and most polarizing in its history –and arguably the most competitive in Africa’s history, with barely 40,000 votes separating the victor from the loser out of over 10 million votes cast. There is no question the campaign often got testy and dirty, with both major parties clearly guilty of ethnic demagoguery. The National Democratic Convention (NDC) played on the subliminal anti-Ashanti sentiment ever present in Ghana politics and the New Patriotic Party was just as guilty pounding away on anti-Ewe rhetoric also all too common in Ghana. The result is that we have a Ghana that is now the most ethnically polarized in our history.

All this make it very disconcerting that President John Mills is acting like a stone deaf leader at the ugly, new political climate that is threatening Ghana’s stability. He sits idly by whilst unscrupulous elements in his party are busy harassing opposition leaders, particularly, the ex-President John Kufuor and NPP leader Nana Addo. President Kufuor has endured unwarranted verbal abuse and ill-conceived property seizures from the NDC, presumably as cover for protecting state property and as retaliation for similar actions by the NPP in the last 8 years.

The world economy is experiencing the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression and whilst Washington, Johannesburg, London, Beijing, and other centers of power are busy brainstorming solutions to combat the global recession, it is comic hour in Ghana—with politicians fighting over state vehicles, houses and other properties. That is democracy in Ghana and Africa –it is all about who gets to enjoy the spoils of state property and money.

President Mills ought to promote unity and project an assertive presence that he is in charge at this social and economic turning point in the nation’s history. President Mills cannot continue to look weak and helpless whilst his cronies are busy creating chaos and discord. We are seeing a level of lawlessness unhealthy for the unity and stability of our nation. The worst of the government officials committing such wanton acts is ex-aide to former President Jerry Rawlings, Victor Smith. Accompanied by armed commandos he has been the main leader going after ex-government officials to seize properties in often confrontational and demeaning manner, rather than follow legal or appropriate channels. And thugs from the Ga Adangbe Youth are out there threatening ex-President Kufuor. The stone deaf silence of the president in the midst of the gangster abuse of state office by low-level staff and acts of lawlessness by the governing party-affiliated interest groups that can ignite civil strife is quite disappointing.

The President must lead by reining the so-called Ga-Adangbe Youth. He must use the bully pulpit to unite and encourage Ghanaians to desist from acts that would foment tension and conflict. Setting such a positive tone would create the right atmosphere for serious policy discussions that the nation currently and desperately needs. We are not immune from the global economic breakdown and we need to seriously debate our way forward. In the past, we sit lazily for the IMF and World Bank to lecture us on restructuring our economic and financial systems, even writing our budgets. Whilst their recommendations are often well-intended, they are not always right as the global institutions often employ foreign experts who often do not have full grasp of our cultural, political and socio-economic systems. As a result, the international consultants often make recommendations that seldom help to curb inflation, stabilize our currency or strengthen our export-driven industries. It would be more effective if we take the lead to drive our own destiny and tell these institutions what we need and the direction in which we want to go. Such a proactive effort will more effectively complement the efforts of these donor institutions to help us.

President Mills must lead and at the moment he is failing his first test of setting a unifying tone for the nation. He is tight-lipped on a very polarizing climate unleashed by elements from his party –a situation that is counter-productive for our democracy and a distraction for national progress. The President must also lead by setting in motion serious policy debates on urgent matters facing the Republic of Ghana.

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