The Last Remnant Of Democracy Is “Political Virtue” Has Disappeared Under The NPP Government

According to Montesquieu, when “Virtue” disappears in governance, democracy ceases to function because Virtue is the last Remnant of Democratic development of any Sovereign state. Therefore, he attests that “Political virtue” lays the bedrock of moral virtue since it requires “a continuous preference of the public interest over one's own parochial interest,” and this produces all the individual virtues, which “are only that preference” (SL 4.5) meaning it is the right and abundant duty for any government to uphold the principle of political virtue in the discharge of its political mandate.

So, in its classical context, “Political Virtue” thrives more on the larger interest of society over parochial interest of few individuals who lead. Thus, it upholds the tenet of social contract rooted in the social theory of need that requires Political Leadership to administer Good Governance to the people who elected them to lead them. In a functioning democracy, Political Virtue yields to the principles of Probity, Accountable governance, integrity, honesty, social justices and the ability of Political Leadership to formulate policies and implement programs that will have direct impact on the sustainable livelihood development of citizens. In a functioning democracy, Political Virtue leads the course for rule of Law and respect to civil rights and liberties of citizens. These attributes of Political Virtue Montesquieu described in the “Spirit of the laws” Doctrine has disappeared under Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia led NPP Government. With impunity, the NPP government has plundered the State justified by widespread institutional corruption among the political elite, political oppression, social repression, economic hardship and despotic leadership.

The 8 years of Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia government has been a horror movie. A government that promised Ghanaians to move the Economy from Taxation to Production has ended up piling more taxes on Ghanaians more than any other government since independence. Ghanaians are burdened with taxes that have led to high cost of living and economic hardship. The NPP government promised to stabilize the Cedi depreciation which was 4.40 per dollar in 2016. Today, the dollar is 17ghc. When the NPP government took over in 2017, they exited an IMF program with Ghana citing that the program is not prudent and that they will work to generate adequate revenue to address budget deficit and fiscal consolidation of government expenditure. The government then declared “Ghana beyond Aid” and begun working towards this adventure only for the Ghana beyond aid to crush when Ghana was declared bankrupt and had to return to the IMF for aid. This led to the debt restructuring and head cut that has destroyed many lives because citizen’s investment in bank bonds and treasury bills has been taken over by the government to pay national debts.

Prior to this reckless policy direction was the collapse of several banks and financial institutions by the NPP government that were struggling and needed only 9billion GHC to survive business. The NPP government used over 25billion GHC to solve a problem that needs only 9billion GHC to be resolved. During these periods, many Ghanaians in the Banking and Financing sectors lost their jobs and livelihoods and many Ghanaians in he banking sector have died as results of the trauma they suffered having lost their investments. Under the Stewardship of Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia, Ghana cannot go into the capital market to borrow again based on its indebtedness and the conditionality of the IMF Program. Our debt to GDP growth is on an upward trend. Our National Debt stock stands at GHC 767 billion from GHC 120 billion in 2016. Interest rates are on the rise with minimum around 36% from 23% in 2016. Food inflation is around 25% after dropping from 54%, the highest ever since independence. A gallon of fuel is around GHC 73 from GHC 14 in 2016. So, what has been the impact of the Gold for oil policy? It is worst off. A bag of cement is now GHC 105 from GHC 27. Ghanaians have been subjected to high public utility tariffs since 2017. Electricity and water tariffs are on the rise inflicting hardship on the people of Ghana.

Under the Stewardship of the NPP government since 2017, institutional corruption has been the bedrock of the government. The government that promised Ghanaians to protect the public purse has plundered the state and stolen the purse itself. They will be remembered for Scandals such as PDS, Ken. Ofori Atta Data Bank scandal, misappropriation of COVID 19 funds, $2M Sky Train Scandal, the $58m National Cathedral Scandal, the $12m Agyapa Scandal, $12m Pwualugu Dam scandal, the 500 missing excavators scandal, the Galamsey scandal involving government officials, the Public Procumbent Authority Scandal, Cecelia Dapaah cash under bed scandal, the $34m Ambulance spare parts scandal involving the daughter of the President. Many more scandals captured in the Auditor General Audit Reports from 2017 to 2024 stinks and the need to investigate these financial malpractices by the next government.

Virtue is an ethical theory that encompasses a particular understanding of political practice [sciencedirect.com] It involves the willingness by individuals to find the good life together in an “association oriented” toward the common good. This common project is vulnerable; it is prone to being undermined by a set of factors mentioned above [Corrupt government of the NPP]. So, Political Virtue is behaviour of political leadership showing high moral standards to serve the people and never to oppress them as we witness in Ghana Today. In a functioning democracy, the people are sovereign. The principle of democracy is political virtue, by which Montesquieu means "the love of the laws and of our country" (SL 4.5), including its democratic constitution. The form of a democratic government that is grounded on rule of law and natural justice, building strong state institution to administer governance devoid of political interference and respect to the independence of these institutions to discharge their mandates without fear or favour. The need to protect its principle, however, imposes far more extensive requirements. On Montesquieu view, the virtue required by a functioning democracy is not natural. It requires "a constant preference of public to private interest" (SL 4.5), serving the people and not oppressing them; Virtue "limits ambition to the sole desire, to the sole happiness, of doing greater services to our country than the rest of our fellow citizens" (SL 5.3); and it "is a self-renunciation, which is ever arduous and painful" (SL 4.5).

The independence of State Institutions has been stifled under the Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia government. Ghanaians have witnessed for the first time the appointment of politically exposed persons to the Electoral Commission which is supposed to be the arbiter of general elections in Ghana. No amount of pleas to the Council of State could overturn these affront democratic appointments by the president and this reflects ‘Despotic Leadership” influenced by impunity. It is the same as the Judiciary where the President has appointed politically exposed persons of the NPP Party to the Bench more especially the Supreme Court for which reason, most rulings by the Apex Court are scandalous and inconsistent with natural justice. The Public and Civil Service a non political state institutions have been corrupted by political appointments which are alien to the scheme of service of the Public and civil service. Baron argues that, Democracies can be corrupted in two ways: by what Montesquieu calls "the spirit of inequality" and "the spirit of extreme equality" (SL 8.2). The spirit of inequality arises when citizens no longer identify their interests with the interests of their country [When few citizens takes decision for the Country against the Larger interest of the Country] and therefore seek both to advance their own private interests at the expense of their fellow citizens, and to acquire political power over them [Oppression]. The NPP government by extension have demonstrated by its 8 year stewardship that it never seeks to advance the interest of the state. They have been corrupted by spirit of inequality that they no longer seek the interest of citizens but their own parochial interest resulting in an unbridled corruption by state officials and institutions. The spirit of extreme equality arises when the people are no longer content to be equal as citizens, but want to be equal in every respect [When the Executive denies the people Social Contract] which the NPP government have failed to deliver.

The economy of Ghana is in its weakened state of disarray. Despotism has replaced democracy and impunity has replaced rule of law. From indications many Ghanaians are living in abject poverty with Afro barometer report citing that about 24.7% of Ghanaians have gone a day without food. There is social repression with many Ghanaians having difficulty in accessing water because almost all our water bodies have been polluted by Galamsey activities. The Cocoa sector is retrogressing as the COCOBOD has run at a loss about years out of the 8 NPP governments has stayed in power. The produce Buying Company has collapse, first time the history of Ghana. Incentives TO cocoa farmers have diminished with many farmers having difficulty in procuring fertilizers which was free under the NDC government to harvest their cocoa. Most cocoa roads are in its deteriorating state which has made transportation of cocoa extremely difficult. The media has been stifled over the years and many journalists in an attempt to put the government on its toes to deliver on its mandate are either abused or gagged or arrested in the guise of criminal libel which was outlawed by the president when he was the Attorney General. So, President Akuffo Addo is walking contradiction and his clamour calls to Ghanaians to vote for Dr. Bawumia and the NPP should be ignored. A vote for Bawumia is a vote for Nana Akuffo Addo 3^rd term to loot and plunder the state more. For which reason, Ghanaians must rise to the occasion to vote for change in the upcoming December general elections to reset the country to its former glory. A vote for NPP will enable corrupt officials of the NPP government to escape probity and accountability.

So, to wit, Despotism and lack of Political virtue to advance the course of citizens to better their lives and improve on their living conditions through policy frameworks that would impact the sustainable livelihood development of citizens is a standing danger for democratic development of any nation. The Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr. Bawumia government have plundered the state in their 8 year stewardship which has been a danger to Ghana’s democratic development. All sectors of the economy have crushed under their stewardship. The current energy crisis, water crisis, inflations, rapid depreciation of the cedi, high cost of living, highest unemployment rate of 14.8% from 8.8$ in 2016, fuel hikes and general economic hardship speaks volumes of a failed government under Nana Akuffo Addo and Dr, Bawumia that does not deserve another term in office. In the light of this I urge every Ghanaian of right conscience to vote for change in the upcoming general elections to end the despotic rule of the NPP government.

The GAME IS Sankofa
DR. MICHAEL RICHMOND SMART-ABBEY,[POLITICAL & PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST, GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY EXPERT, WRITER & AUTHOR, COLUMNIST: MODERN GHANA NEWS WEBSITE, EVENING TRIBUNE NEWS PAPER, INTERNATIONAL REPORTER, ICATV NEWS-FRANCOPHONE MEDIA WEB. smartabbeymichael2404@gmail.com 0504272091

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