Building Consensus Politics: The Creation of Good Losers.

Many Scholars have attempted to explain why consensus politics eludes nations when it comes to the passage of critical bills. Ghana is no exception as the recent ROPAB passage and its attendant demonstrations and effect on the economy is still fresh in the minds of Ghanaians. It is in this light that I want to point out and time-proven and tested ideologies that have been used to build consensus politics thereby creating good losers.

Why should the minority intentionally violate the rules of the democratic game thereby causing parliamentary obstruction? One of the reasons is that the bill to be passed may be incompatible with the ideologies of the opposition. It may also be de biased legislative proceedings. However, it has been noted that “When the costs of legislative defeat are high, even the fairest rules may not secure the compliance of potential losers.” This then leads us to the need to create good losers. Good losers are legislators willing to accept defeat when the lack majority votes to prevail on an issue. Martin Luther King, Jr’ once points out that “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” It is therefore important for our parliamentarians, be they minority or majority, to come together mould consensus politics through the creation of good losers. I present some time proven ways through good losers were molded in countries like Japan.

1. Leaders of the various political parties should meet privately for consultation.

2. Each party should establish a legal committee if they do not have any.

3. Members of parliament or parliament as an institution should consult the Council of State whose membership should be composed of people from both the opposition and the government.

4. Opposition members should be given a fair chance of becoming heads of parliamentary committees.

Before the presentation of a controversial bill(s) for passage,

5. Each party’s legal committee should meet to work out compromises that would allow the smooth passage of the bill (s).

6. The leaders of the legal committees of the various parties should then meet to negotiate and work out the final concessions that would allow the smooth passage of the bill.

After this has been done, the bill can then be presented to parliament for passage.

This system will give the minority and opposition the chance to pursue their interest through the consultation, suggestions in parliamentary committee meetings and the concessions worked out by the legal committees. Wolfe (Winter 2004) asserts that when the majority (ruling party) makes minor concessions, it gives the minority (opposition party) an increased incentive to abide by the rules of the democratic game. They would feel recognized and would therefore cooperate to smoothly pass bills in parliament. This system would therefore mould the minority into good losers (legislators willing to accept defeat when they lack majority votes to prevail on an issue). According to Wolfe (winter 2004), “Good losers are not born. They do not necessarily evolve. They are created, at least in part, by the behaviour of those in power.” I therefore believe that the implementation of the above suggestions would create good losers in Ghana thereby preventing a future protracted conflict between the minority and the majority.

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