Commissions And Committees, The Beauty Of Social Democracy

BY : NANA BOADAA

It has become the style of many Ghanaians, political crtics and activists to oppose or find fault with whatever the government proposes, and one's ability to convince his undiscerning readers or listeners, by his skillful linguistics and access to media, makes him a notorious idol to the struggling opposition front. It is painful to realise that , NATIONAL INTEREST is absent in our way of opposing and challenging governmental policies and programs, even though these criticisms are needed in every democratic governance. The extent to which Ghanaians make and are making noise on COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS, set up by the president is not only appalling, but also disgraceful, as if they are not essential.

What the struggling opposition dont realise is that, the president and his people work with SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY, as against their outmoded ELITISM, Democracy is, and should be people centered, and social democrcy encourages mass participation in governance, and and that makes everybody a stakeholder in matters of national interest. It is therefore, hypocritic, out of political stupidity, to try to vilify government's effort to work for the people, with our own people, in committees and in comissions . IF NOT THE ABOVE , WHAT IS IT THEN... ? .IS IT BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT DID NOT INCLUDE YOU OR YOUR FAVORITES IN THE COMMITTEES , OR THE PEANUT ALLOWANCES ATTACHED TO IT THAT WOULDN'T COME TO YOU, OR YOU NAIVELY THINK THE COMMITTEES ARE JUST UNNECESARY IN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANACE, OR YOU ARE ONE OF THE UNNATIONALISTIC CITIZENS WHO ACCEPTS TO BE GREASED TO SING NO-GOOD HYMMS TO THE EARS OF THE FEW UNDECERNING GHANAIANS???

In a social democratic governance, people of varying backgrounds and wisdoms are put together to help solve an issue of public interest, by tapping ideas and views, and sometimes researching for solutions and recomendations. Since social democracy seeks the welfare of the people with the use of the people, the president is not mandated to choose the membersip from a specific class or group of people, and it is never true, as the opposition and their spin doctors want Ghanaians to know , that a committe or commission on say energy or food should comprise of only energy or food experts. Composition also takes into consideration those that energy and food issues affect but do nott have voice and representation. Is it therefore abnormal or unconstitutional to have Waakye sellers, butchers and farmers in various committess set up by Mills administration? And if not , why the fuss from the fuss?

Every committee that the president has set up since his inauguration is in the right direction, they bring participation and inclusion, make way for transparency and beautify the government's social democratic stance. I am yet to understand the wisdom and intelligence (if any) of those who have been lambasting the government over the committee he set up, and the package he gave out , on Black satelittes' golden achievement. WOULD IT HAVE BEEN EXPEDIENT IF THE PRESIDENT CONSULTED ONLY ON HIS WIFE, OR HIS SPORTS MINISTER OR HIMSELF BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE PACKAGE FOR THE SATELLITES, INSTEAD OF SETTING UP A COMMITTEE , NOT ONLY FOR THE SATELLITES, BUT ALSO ANY SUBSEQUENT VICTORIES IN SPORTS? DO GHANAIANS AND THE OPPOSITION PREFER A PRESIDENT WHO TAKES UNILATERAL DECISIONS ON PUBLIC ISSUES IN A HOTEL ROOM WITH INVESTORS, TO A PRESIDENT WHO WOULD FORM A 3O-MEMBER COMMITTEE TO LOOK INTO IT..? The committees diversely puts money in the pockets of some citizens, (of which people are jeolous) and making the program or the project in question transparent, and that is the beauty of social democracy. Yes jeolousy is always seen in their oppositions and criticisms. Imaging how they call on the president to remove a certain minister , with the flimsy excuse of being incompetent, just becuase their narrow-hollow -minds tell them that , that sector of the economy is not performing. Absurd indeed! ...and if that sector is not performing, how do you know it is the minister responsible,,,Maybe the cabinet poliicies towards that sector is not workable, as was seen in the previous government, I would rather call on the government to change its policies rather than jealously asking for someone' s head.

After desperately attacking the Satelittes' Committee, they were ready to attack whatever package given, some of them had their scripts written before the package was announced. THE QUESTION IS, IS THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA MANDATED BY ANY CONSTITUTION OR DOCUMENT AT ALL TO HONOR OR REWARD ANY PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS THAT BRING HONORS TO THE NATION IN ANY WORLD EVENT, BEYOND THEIR NORMAL REMUNERATIONS OF SALARRIES AND WAGES AND BONUSES ..? The answer is BIG NO, so why the nonsense and the embarassment to the nation by making this a political issue. The government could have come out to say that , because of the global recession and lack of funds, it cannot come out with any monetary package for the boys, and therefore each player would be given a certificate of honor from the presidency, or symbolic keys to the Castle as it's done in even the western world. Or yet still, the money involved would be used to build a hospital in Kasena-Nankana, and a housing complex to resettle our unfortunate brothers and sisters in Sodom and Gomorah, and this would never be a violation of any constitution or instrument. it would have also beautified the NDC social democratic governance. However, since social democracy seeks to the welfare of people of all class, these gallant sportsmenalso need to be honored, it's not only sitting presidents that are honored, and i dont think how much honor is an issue here. Even though the package is unprecedented in terms of its size and beauty, yet, the desperate and struggling opposition would downplay it What the oposition, critics of the government and the spin doctors need to know is that, any social democratic government welcomes and sees criticisms as intergral part of democracy, their comments and opinions are free, and it depends on how many objective and discerning Ghanaians they can woe with their exagerated, cooked and unationalistic reports

NANA BOADAA