The worst form of democracy is better than the best form of dictatorship – Dr Belley
Dr Harrison Kofi Belley, the Head of Governance Studies at the Evangelical Presbyterian University College, has called on all Ghanaians to help ensure the Fourth Republic survived the times. He also said the worst form of democracy is better than the best form of dictatorship.
He said the Republic and its Constitution – the nation’s longest surviving, continued to prove its worth as the working document for the realisation of the democratic ideals, and should be safeguarded.
Speaking at the Volta Regional Police Headquarters in Ho during an event to mark the Annual Constitution Week Celebration of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Dr Belley said Ghanaians should consider the role of the revered document to ensure a stable democracy.
Ghana’s Fourth Republican Constitution is 30 years old and all should join in celebrating the unbroken decades and the deepening of decentralisation, he said.
He said it was important for all to consider the Constitution as second to religious texts, and to seek to familiarise with it to be able to better consolidate the prospects and the gains.
Dr. Belley told security forces at the event that their knowledge of the Constitution was crucial as they bore significant responsibility for its protection and understanding of the governance architecture.
“Thirty years of uninterrupted democracy” – we all have played a role in consolidating the gains and that is why we are celebrating the role of us all this week celebration.
“The worst form of democracy is better than the best form of dictatorship. Our constitution is only 30 years old while others are more than 200 years. We need to make it travel more than that,” he said.
The NCCE, which is leading the celebration, has chosen to focus on the security services this year, to whip up enthusiasm to support the Constitution.
He said unity and national cohesion, which are preambles for the Constitution would help ensure the needed development.
Dr Belley said as the Republic advanced, all must work together to eschew ethnicity, secessionism, extremism, violence, which threatened the future of the country, and forge ahead on a single vision – national development.
He said the Constitution continued to undergo the needed reforms over the years to enhance its sustainability adding that the review process should be revisited to better position the nation for a glorious eternity.
Mr Kenneth Kponor, the Volta Regional Director of the NCCE, said the celebration hoped to raise the conversation among the security agencies as society grew more sophisticated amidst rising tendencies of violent extremism among the youth.
He expressed the hope that it would help to promote more collaboration to ensure the nation’s interest reigned supreme.
DSP Felix Danku, Regional Staff Officer, said the present police administration was committed to reviving the whistle blower regime, which was evident in the successes against crime throughout the country. The engagement offered the officers the opportunity to interact on the Constitution and deepen knowledge on the nation’s governance and political regimes.
Oral Robert Amenyo, the Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, said at the opening of the engagement that other security agencies would be engaged as part of the programme, which sought to sustain collaboration to make Ghana a haven for all.
Source: GNA