Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng, has described the current political culture in the country as conflictual.
Dr Amakye-Boateng revealed that the conflicting nature inherent in the current political space is evident in the hung parliament and matters arising over the passage of the e-levy. He indicated that the current happenings in parliament really brings to the fore a key component of Ghana’s politics, which when compared to other jurisdiction’s parliament, they would have solved the matters out themselves.
The Political Scientist noted that when these parliaments disagree, they have a practice and a culture of sitting down to try to meet one another halfway. Commenting on whether Ghana’s House can attain consensus-building going forward, Dr Amakye-Boateng explained that he does not envision seeing that happen for government anytime soon.
“Here, in Ghana, and generally in sub-Saharan Africa, our political culture is generally conflictual. It looks like the political divide is interpreted in ways that shows that an issue of this nature, if you try to accommodate your opponent, it becomes something indicating weakness. But when you’re engaging society, you have a good number of people in society coming out to raise concern[s], then the person who puts the policy forward, has a charge to relook at the concerns being raised. It is not an issue that people don’t want to pay tax, but [even with] that there is the need to rework some of the elements in it to take out this repetitive thing. So, if you don’t do it, we are saying that look, we are sticking to our original position, we are not changing it and this is the way we are moving”.
Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng
Consensus-building in parliament
Dr Amakye-Boateng explained that when members of parliament are unyielding in their position to reach a consensus, it largely translates to unresolved matters on the floor of the House, thereby, making consensus-building difficult to achieve. He intimated that in Ghana, politicians are looking for some sort of accommodation and compromise on pertinent matter.
“Consensus is a far higher IQ than even the way we go about our politics; We are nowhere near it at all”.
Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng
Recounting the dominant political scene in the past, Dr Amakye-Boateng expressed that the country’s initial indigenous “political institution”, that should have given birth to the current parliament, was grounded in consensus. He noted that during that period, parliaments in those regimes did not have an authoritarian system where members “raise hands and at the end of the day the Majority wins”.
“They took their time, deliberated over issues, review it and at the end of the day came to a consensus. We are the offspring of our forebears, yet, we’ve lost all those values in a way… It looks like what is structured is that [the] phenomenon of imported institution. It looks like we’ve gone in for something one would say has not been with us all the time. So, the issue of consensus, we should forget about it”.
Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng
To ratify the situation in parliament, Dr Amakye-Boateng suggested that both parties must resort to do business differently from what they’ve done over the years. Following this, he urged parliamentarians to be mindful of their utterances in parliament.
“Their opposing views, if taken in good faith and [they] try to also review what [they] are putting forward, I think at the end of the day, it will be an issue of two minds coming together to produce something better from what would have been the case from just one mind”.
Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng
READ ALSO: I Am Not Surprised- Ras Mubarak on President Assenting E-levy
