Dr Eric Oduro-Osae, a\nLocal Governance Expert, has advocated an African type of democracy, embracing\ntraditional values and customs, with traditional rulers playing prominent roles\nin its implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Oduro-Osae, also the Dean of Studies and\nResearch at the Institute of Local Government Studies, said the current\ndemocratic system adopted \u201cblindly\u201d from the Western world would not help the\ncause of Ghana\u2019s development efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the current democracy lacked the\nnecessary ingredients in sync with the traditions of the people and it was time\nshe adopted the kind that best suited the cause of national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Oduro-Osae was speaking with the Ghana News\nAgency in an interview, on Friday, ahead of the celebration of the Constitution\nDay on Monday, January 7, on the relevance of Constitutional Rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government, last year, designated January 7\nevery year, as a Constitution Day, in recognition of the commencement of the\nFourth Republican Constitutional dispensation on January 7, 1993.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Day is also set aside to acknowledge\nGhana\u2019s collective efforts at ensuring the tenets of democracy, rule of law and\nprinciples of constitutionalism are upheld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consequently, Government, through the Ministry\nof Information, announced plans to organise the maiden \u201cConstitution Day Public\nLecture\u201d, under the topic \u201cConstitutionalism in Ghana\u2019s Fourth Republic:\nTowards Functional Performance\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lecture would be delivered by the Rector\nof the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA),\nProfessor Kobina Bondzie Sampson, at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences,\nAccra at 1700 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Oduro-Osae said in the past, every member\nof the society respected the Chief, noting that, anytime the \u201cGong gong\u201d was\nbeaten at the village square to summon the members of the community, nobody\ndared stayed home because of the powers wielded by the chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More so, he said, the people feared that any\ndisobedience to the chief could result in expulsion from the community or\nsevere punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this regard, he called for the restoration\nof the powers of chiefs so that they could function effectively in modern\ndemocratic dispensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the challenges posed by the current\ndemocratic system, Dr Oduro-Osae said, it was far better than any military\ngovernment because it allowed the people to exercise their rights and freedoms,\nenhanced accountability and promoted grassroots participation in\ndecision-making, especially in selecting people who governed them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Responding to suggestions that with the high\nlevel of indiscipline in the society, it would be prudent to return to the\nmilitary rule; Dr Osae said that was not solution the shortfalls in the current\ndemocratic system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A military regime, he said, was characterised\nby wanton human rights abuses and atrocities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the military rule, he said, there would be\nno Parliament for the authorities to submit the annual national budget\nstatement to it for scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus\nthere was lack of accountability and transparency in the management of the\nnational resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commenting on the designation of January 7, as\na Constitutional Day, Dr Oduro-Osae said it was in order because it would raise\nawareness about the country\u2019s trajectory and challenges it had overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, he said, the Day should not be marked\nindoors but with national activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Day should be marked with national\nactivities that would involve the district, municipal and metropolitan\nassemblies, which would conscientise the people on patriotism and nationalism\nand re-orient the mind-set of the people to be more dedicated to national\ncause, Dr Oduro-Osae said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is too much indiscipline in the\nsociety, therefore, this is the time we need to imbue nationalism in the people\nand re-orient their minds towards achieving the vision and aspirations of the\nnation,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ghana\u2019s self-rule from 1957 has been interrupted by five coup GNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"