Participating in democratic processes is a fundamental right of citizens in a democratic state, essential for ensuring their voices are heard and their interests represented.
However, when citizens’ participation in Ghana’s democracy is reduced, it has far-reaching consequences on the country’s political landscape.
Accordingly, reduced citizens’ participation leads to decreased accountability as when citizens are not engaged in the political process, leaders are less accountable for their actions.
This lack of accountability can lead to corruption, abuse of power, and mismanagement of resources.
Furthermore, citizens become disconnected from governance, thus, when citizens are not participating in the political process, they become disconnected from the decision-making process, leading to a sense of powerlessness.
As such, this instance can further exacerbate the feeling of disconnection and disillusionment with the political system.
Recently, renowned Ghanaian journalist, Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM), has expressed his dismay over the apathy of citizens and wondered why Ghanaians remain so silent and disengaged in the face of controversial developments under the Akufo-Addo administration.
KSM pointed out the hypocrisy of the current situation, where prominent Ghanaians and organizations vociferously condemned former President John Dramani Mahama for relatively minor issues, yet remain eerily silent in the face of far more egregious developments under the current administration.
“Every one of you listening to me, we experienced the reign of John Mahama and I tell you, during the reign of John Mahama, that is when we saw citizens, not spectators… You’re my witness, under Mahama, we spoke”.
“My good friend Prof Martey, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, his famous proclamation ‘Where are the wise men in this country? Looking for brilliant and intelligent people to get up and speak, was during Mahama’s rule’. I was wondering why he was so upset because people were speaking out. Everybody was speaking out, the bar association, the media”.
Kwaku Sintim-Misa
Citizen Apathy Threatens Marginalized Groups’ Representation
Moreover, reduced citizens’ participation can lead to a lack of representation as citizens’ interests and needs may not be represented, potentially marginalizing vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and minorities.
As such, this can perpetuate and entrench systemic inequalities, thereby exacerbating existing social and economic injustices.
Reduced participation can also lead to erosion of trust in institutions and the political process. When citizens feel that their voices are not being heard, they may lose faith in the democratic system, leading to widespread disillusionment and disengagement.
Most importantly, weakened democracy is a significant consequence of reduced citizens’ participation as lower participation undermines the foundations of democracy, making it more vulnerable to authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.
Likewise, reduced citizens’ participation can lead to inefficient policies, political apathy, and decreased civic engagement.
As such, resources may be misallocated, and citizens’ priorities may not be considered, leading to policies that do not address the needs of the people which perpetuates a cycle of disengagement and disillusionment.
Accordingly, KSM highlighted the egregious misallocation of government funds by the ruling government on frivolous endeavors.
He emphasized that if former President Mahama had squandered public resources with similar reckless abandon, he would have faced vehement criticism and outrage from the same individuals who now remain curiously silent in the face of the current administration’s profligacy.
“I can imagine what Ghanaians would have said if Mahama had purchased a chair and that one chair would travel alone in a V8 wherever Mahama was going”. – Kwaku Sintim-Misa
KSM further drew a stark contrast between the widespread outcry over Dumsor (power outages) during the previous NDC administration and the deafening silence on the issue today.
“During Mahama’s era, ‘dumsor’ was made to be something synonymous with his name. If you meet someone, you greet the person, ‘ye ma wo dumsor oo’ and the person would respond, yaa Mahama’”
Kwaku Sintim-Misa
He challenged Ghanaians, particularly the youth, to engage in robust public debates and demand accountability from leaders to drive progress and development.
“Now that we are in the era of Nana Addo and it is happening, ‘koom ye’ everyone is quiet“. – Kwaku Sintim-Misa
Reduced citizens’ participation in Ghana’s democracy has severe consequences for the country’s political landscape. It is therefore essential to address the underlying causes of reduced participation and work towards creating an inclusive and participatory democracy that represents the needs and interests of all citizens.
