The Ghanaian Enterprise evolved fortuitously to be anchored presently on the Institution of Chieftaincy instead of the intentioned founding tenets of multiparty politics

1.           Indisputably, the relative peace in Ghana is attributable to the community binding groundings of the country’s unique Institution of Chieftaincy, and not the partisan-driven organizing prowess of the state. (If in doubt, take a look at neighboring countries which degenerated into chaos with the breakdown of respective states. All these countries have similar institution but the heritage-based community binding features were discarded and weakened with the forging of national identity in the name of state and country). Thus, attempts at undermining the Institution of Chieftaincy emanating from some elements of the axis of state power and authority could mainly signal the beginning of the end of the Ghanaian Enterprise and must be avoided at all cost.

2.           The nationhood of Ghana is pillared on the tenets of multiparty politics as the principal means by which the various communities within the territorial boundaries coexist, organize and make a living. Regardless of the disruptions, the tradition of multiparty politics prevails albeit with the burden of incessant individualism, divisive and acrimonious tendencies associated with the practice in the country which have strangulated families and communities to become wary and suspicious of each other on the basis of party affiliations.

3.           What has sustained the enterprise of Ghanaian nationhood the past three decades and more is the uniqueness of the country’s Institution of Chieftaincy regardless of its inherent flaws. This institution has remained the more cohesive governance and leadership structure particularly at the local level with symbiotic capability to communicate, mobilize and organize community members for collective development actions.

4.           In this context,  recent calls for “calm, peace, and unity” by the National House of Chiefs (NHoC) directed at the “escalating  tension” engendered by the “decision of the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new voters’ register” (Ghanaweb May 31, 2020) should be taken seriously by all stakeholders of the Ghanaian Enterprise.  Similarly, a note of demurring to the concern raised by the NHoC seems unnecessary, and a signal in the wrong direction (Ghanaweb June 04, 2020). It is important to take a cue from what state collapse without the community binding element of the Institution of Chieftaincy has done to neighboring countries.

 5.          To enable continuous flourishing of the Ghanaian Enterprise with transformative development dividends for all, the A&A Network and partners advocate the adoption of Blended Representation Principles (BRP) of Governance in Ghana. BRP is the fusion of leadership systems – modern and indigenous that ensures the sharing of political power between partisan based elected officials and traditional authorities. For details on BRP, visit (www.anani-afelenetwork.org).

June 05, 2020