The continent of Africa may not yet be the kind of home that it’s sons and daughters may be particularly proud of in terms of security, development and governance yet it continues to make strides towards shaking off the notorious “third world” tag. One African country that has significantly made some consistent progress over the years is a country located right above the very centre of the globe; Ghana. While even some of the most developed nations of the world struggle to come to terms with true democratic governance, the small western African country continues to demonstrate to the world that men can actually agree to disagree and that society can actually have peace even when war rages right beneath it’s sole. Despite having three (3) different “unsuccessful” tastes at democracy since the country’s independence from the British in March 1957, the country never gave up the hopes of returning to a governance “of the people, by the people and for the people” as Abraham Lincoln would put it. Ghana’s return to democratic rule in 1992 and the country’s maintenance of the form of government since then, goes a long way to tell the world that the “black man is willing and ready to manage his own affairs” just as Kwame Nkrumah stated.
In investigating why Ghana’s fourth republic survived this long when the previous three only lasted brief moments, I stumbled on a truth hidden in plain sight; Free Speech. Past Ghanaian governments who faced revolutions may constitute different kinds of officials yet they all had one thing in common; they all failed to acknowledge that one very important yet highly underrated feature of democracy is free speech. While Kwame Nkrumah’s woes began with his “quashing” of what he termed “suspicious” conversations, the Busias and Akufos among others, seemed to have learnt nothing from the rise and fall of the “greatest African.” Ghana’s fourth republic is therefore very successful due to the widespread and unprecedented tolerance of free speech that the country enjoys.
In one of his numerous speeches, Ghana’s current president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo reemphasized the country’s position on free speech when he proclaimed that he would rather have a loud media if the other option is a timid one.
Unfortunately, some individuals within Ghana’s society today, often take advantage of the country’s position on free speech to inflate emotions, a move that can go a long way to undermine the country’s democracy. In safeguarding Ghana’s democracy therefore, it is important for every citizen to be watchful of who has the podium as leaders of the country to avoid having unmeasured statements from individuals who are supposed to be leaders.
As Ghana’s ruling political party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares to elect it’s flag bearer for the December 2024 Ghanaian general elections, it has therefore become necessary for the Ghanaian people to take a critical look at the names that have so far declared interest so as to determine who is best suited for the job. As at today, the race has three main contestants namely, Honorable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who is also the current vice president of Ghana and Honorable Alan Kyeremanteng. I have therefore taken the pains to place all these individuals under the microscope with regards to their use of free speech.
1) Honorable Kennedy Agyapong.
The member of parliament of the Ashanti Region’s Assin Central constituency and a business magnate who owns a barrage of businesses across the country, can not be described as the most professional user of free speech. Honorable Kennedy Agyapong has on several occasions demonstrated his lack of restraint towards foul words when publicly commenting on social issues. Despite being heralded as an honest and a transparent individual by a section of the public, others are also of the view that honorable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong may have made too many unprofessional statements to be a flag bearer and a president for that matter. In my opinion, honorable Kennedy Agyapong may be generous and kindhearted yet his at times are just politically unacceptable.
2) His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Some people say that the president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is a direct beneficiary of Dr. Bawumia’s misrepresentation of facts about the John Mahama led administration. Well I can not argue that. Prior to the 2016 Ghanaian presidential elections, Dr. Bawumia who was then the running mate of the NPP’s candidate Nana Akufo Addo, made assertions that looked irrevocably true at the time. He for instance asserted that the erstwhile John Mahama administration’s resort to loans for road infrastructure projects was incompetent because the later could have just concentrated on tolls collected on the roads for those projects. At the time, this assertion sounded true just like a lot more of his assertions yet they fail to sound anything close to truth at the present moment. If one is to critically analyse the speeches and actions from before the 2016 Ghanaian general elections and the ones since then, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia during his time as a running mate, has demonstrated that he could do or say anything if that is what will make him win political power. In my opinion, the vice president burnt a few too much bridges with some of his and therefore, has not earned a shot at the presidency.
3) Honorable Alan Kyeremanteng.
Prior to the 2008 general elections, president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo faced tough competition form honorable Alan Kyeremanteng or perhaps, Alan Cash as he is affectionately called. One very popular campaign song from those days had the lyrics:“Alan for Ghana, jobs for the people, cash for the people.”
Unfortunately, Alan Kyeremanteng lost by just a slight margin, a margin that according to the NPP’s constitution, should result in a runoff between him and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. However, Alan Kyeremanteng humbly stepped down and joined Nana Addo’s campaign. He lost again to the same man prior to the 2016 general elections. The important thing however is Alan Kyeremanteng’s composure and how he made sure to not be caught between the lines of the ugly body politicking and the “pretty faced gangster-ism” of the Ghanaian political scene. Alan has demonstrated that he is a true statesman who could be trusted to keep Ghana’s democracy together even in the darkest of hours.
When asked by a friend a while ago about who I would go for between Honorable Kennedy Agyapong and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, I responded by echoing the old saying; “in a vote between two evils, I chose not to vote at all.” With regards to the proper use of free speech and respect for our laws, I will always chose honorable Alan Kyeremanteng as the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party and even as the president of Ghana if need be. This is because as he may not be an angel, he definitely is not the lesser evil in this setup.
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