Corruption and Mismanagement: Contrasting Ghana’s Democracy versus Dictatorship

Ghana, our beloved country, was technically, under dictatorship for two decades: the 1970s and the 1980s. Democracy was officially restored in 1992. The Busia and Limann governments were in office for just 24 and 27 months respectively and so it is fair to say that the 70s and 80s were dominated by military rule.

Since 1992, we have enjoyed the democracy that we fought dearly for throughout the 80s. Most of our current politicians berthed their careers during that era. The quest was for human rights and economic development. The hope was that democracy will deliver those goals.

Well, what is the verdict? My analysis is based on sentiments expressed especially on social media and news outlets. “Ka bi na me nka bi” (freedom of speech) is definitely in full swing and we have even taken it up a notch. There seem to be confusion though between what constitutes journalism and gossip on some of the news outlets. True journalism has become rare given the partisanship in our society. However, those of us who lived under military dictatorship will agree that the ‘culture of silence’ is long gone.

While our justice system is not perfect, cases are going through the courts nevertheless. It would be fair to say that democracy has restored human rights and freedom of speech. Goal one is successfully accomplished. How about goal number 2: Control of corruption?

I’m afraid but based on public sentiments, the verdict on corruption would not be kind to the democratic era. On the contrary, corruption has scaled to higher echelons because of the cost of winning power. Partisanship has also institutionalized nepotism where all appointments go to party men and women. Both of our major political parties (NPP &NDC) are to blame disappointing the electorate. The hopes of the citizens have been dashed. The parties are trying to out do each other to build war chests.

Did Dictatorship have a better record at curbing corruption? The perception is that in the hey days of the Rawlings revolution, it did. Some may argue that the AFRC and the PNDC cannot be tagged with corruption. It was only under democracy, when the revolution’s sympathizers became a political party- NDC, that the accusations of corruption emerged.

Does Ghanaian society deserve a false choice between human rights and corruption? If democracy is delivering freedom and human rights, why can’t it curb corruption?

Corruption robs society of the resources needed for development. While democracy creates a free environment for economic activity and development, corruption significantly affects the distribution of wealth. Wealth becomes concentrated in the hands of those who enjoy patronage - politicians and their allies.

So, a review of the last 50 years of our political history, leaves this author to think that regardless of the nomenclature of our political system - democracy or dictatorship - until the political actors eliminate corruption, our socioeconomic development will continue to be retarded. Sadly, we tend to celebrate mediocrity instead of demanding full accountability. Our democratic parties are failing us and they must realize that it is shameful that after all the toil and blood spilled to fight dictatorship, the so-called champions of democracy are back to the corrupt ways that resulted in the coups that we all detested. Bow down your head in shame if you’ve been part of government since the 4th republic and you didn’t or haven’t made any efforts to fight corruption at your level. Ultimately, the president has to be willing to put a little ‘fear of God’ in his appointees to bring about the change we all voted for.