So rightly, yesterday Sunday the 1st of July was the country?s 52nd anniversary of this political event in the annals of our history as a nation state.
The question I dare wish to ask is: What is a REPUBLIC or put in another more positive way; What has been REPUBLIC about Ghana?s REPUBLIC?
Without necessarily wanting to sound academic, a republic, according to the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, 3rd edition, 2010, edited by Charlotte Livingstone, first published by Oxford University Press in 2003, a republic, ? is a country in which the supreme power is held by the people?s representatives, not by a monarch.?
On 6th march, 1957 the country became independent of its colonial authority otherwise referred to as ?colonial master -the British (? and I wonder why not colonial mistress), and as our historians recorded, barely three years thereafter became or declared itself republic.
The ruling class had declared Ghana, the then Gold Coast, at independence capable of managing its own affairs -political, economic, social etcetera and Ghana, as it became renamed had its own political ruling class, the ?representatives of the people,? as members of Parliament.
Whether these members of Parliament were truly representatives of Ghanaians at the time is beyond the scope of these discussions, as this writer cannot vouch for the credibility and fairness of the elections that ushered in the political season.
Nevertheless, this position does not in any shape or form, take away the reader?s inalienable right to explore the historical records or archives to inform themselves about the character of the then elections of the ?representatives? of the people.
By declaring a republican status, the absolute, supreme power and authority of Ghanaians became vested in the presidency, who was seen and accorded the value of a representation of the total will of the citizenry as enshrined in the then republican constitution. Indeed, the president epitomizes the sovereignty of the country.
So much water may have since passed under the bridge of national life, inasmuch as to say enough ink has been poured on so much paper, in recording the historical accounts that has since characterised our body politics to date
Much has been written about the then 7-year-development plan of the republic, which brought with it what some social commentators and political observers described as an accelerated national development ? the Tema Harbour, Tema Motorway, Akosombo Dam, massive industrialisation, fee-free education, particularly as implemented in the then northern territories with the enviable purpose of bridging the rather yawning socio-economic gulf that marked a north-south divide, so as to achieve a national development, worthy of a republic.
Our national history is rich with accounts of the country?s journey from this epoch of history to date. An epoch perhaps of national consciousness, self-determination and awareness, national pride and commitment to national cohesion and oneness and as was to be captured may be rightly so by the political leadership of the early seventies in its political ideology ?ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE ONE DESTINY,? with the characteristic; Operation-feed-yourself slogan or was it a political catch phrase?
The presidency at the birth of the republic was a symbolic epitome of the people?s will and aspirations and was accorded such honour and privileges, which hitherto had been the prerogative of the British monarchy. The rather fast sailing ship of self determination, national development, self awareness, national consciousness unity and pride has since gradually been grounding to a slow halt
The republic became a victim of inefficiency, corruption, greed, ignorance, arrogance ineptitude, ethnocentrism, self-seeking and aggrandisement of most of the ruling political class and their cohorts, who with the tacit support of the hard-pressed under class, desirous of self survival, have colluded to appropriate the wealth of the nation state
Civil and, social unrests and agitations, political nepotism, political dishonesty, dubious contractual agreements with their attendant judgement debts, economic mismanagements, nurturing tribal hatred, open affront to the rule of law, undermining law and order have become characteristic features of the republic, inasmuch as of importation of goods and services, unemployment, massive loans, non-industrialisation of the economy, a clumsy educational system, a failing health delivery system, an inadequate and inefficient criminal justice system, that has limited or no capacity to appropriately respond to the changing needs of a penal system of which a reform has been long overdue, culminating into overcrowded prison estates, make-shift justice for all programme that is not worthy of the republic, given its failure to professionally address the challenges of the overpopulation of the prison phenomenon
The dream and the desire of being masters of our own destiny, the war cry of self-determination, the rhetorics of one nation, one people one destiny have all appeared to become a mirage
In the midst of this, it may be worth asking if we could have been better without a republic, remaining under the caprices of the British monarchy to give credence to any clamour and agitations for ?milk and honey.?
Your guess may just be as right as mine.
Our republic is not the cause of our hydra-headed socio-economic problems per se, rather it is the attitude, mentality and predisposition of the political elite, the ruling class and their betrayals of the voice of the people, deemed to be the voice of God that has rendered the true meaning of republic meaningless to Ghana?s body polity.
Unfortunately, any Armageddon that may await the republic will equally sweep away all the social classes into the dustbin of history including the classless citizenry for their failure to organise themselves into a force worthy of lifting the red, gold and green with a black star embossed on the yellow flag, higher above colluding with their ?masters of destruction?-the ruling class, at any elections of representatives of the people, for real and absolute supreme power reside in the individual ? the people.
For once let us really reflect on this REPUBLIC phenomenon.
The author is an Offender Management & Rehabilitation Consultant
