11th Annual Constitution Week begins

Accra, April 28, GNA - The 11th annual Constitution Week celebration on the theme: 93The State of Democracy in Ghana," started on Thursday with the identification of debilitating factors, which has the potential to inhibit democratic development. The factors include the traditional governance system, which was classified as a counter-weight to the liberal democratic development; ethnicity with high tendencies of disrupting even the political administration of the country and failure of institutions to develop the culture of democratic ethos.

Mr Farhan Laari Bimi, Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) identified other weakening factors as the high recognition and respect given to traditional rulers by the citizenry whilst on the contrarily exhibiting total disrespect to the President of the Republic.

He explained that on a daily basis one hears the same citizens insulting the President of Ghana, the Chief of the State=85 93Let us not lull ourselves into the false belief that we are at home and dry and that there will not be a reversal in our democratic development. "Unless we take serious and frontal steps to address the deficits in our democracy practices=85, if we do not address the huge youth employment and other democracy debilitating factors, we run the risk of running into turbulence with unpalatable consequences." Diagnosing the State of Ghana's democracy since 1992 at the opening ceremony in Accra, Mr Bimi revealed that there was a semblance of the rule of law and adherence to some human rights. "Parliament is somewhat functioning and the judiciary is plodding on=85The institutions of State appears to be functioning, Civil Society is harping on and occasionally struggling to be heard. Political Parties barely exist.

"The media, both print and the electronic, are shouting hoarse in their new found freedom. These are what pundits and observers have seen and concluded that Ghana is a democratic country=85Ghana has become a virtual democratic state."

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhene of Oguaa, who was the Guest of Honour, noted that the wind of change sweeping across undemocratic States in Africa and other parts of the world offered Ghanaians an opportunity to protect and defend 93our democratic development". He said the democratic and political stakeholders must always be reminded that democratic change was a necessity. Osabarima Atta therefore commended the NCCE for instituting the annual Constitution Week celebration to remind Ghanaians of the birth of the 1992 Constitution.

Dr William Ahadzie, Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, called for constant acknowledgement of the tenets of multi-party democracy which included creating avenues for meaningful political competition among stakeholders. Others are the inclusive level of choosing leaders through free, fair and transparent electoral systems, which ensure that all groupings have fair representation in the governance of the State and the observance of civil and political rights of citizens. The Accra programme was attended by personnel from the security agencies, media practitioners, civil society organisations, educational institutions, politicians and a large section of the public.