Let’s Pick Signals that Undermine Democracy - Speaker Bagbin to Commonwealth Nations
04-10-2023
The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has Called on parliaments in West Africa and on the continent in general to begin to understand the reasons for the loss of trust and confidence in the leadership of democratic countries.
He said that high levels of corruption, nepotism, neglect of the hopes and aspirations of the electorates in pursuit of personal and parochial interests, and policies that only deepen poverty and deprivation levels, whilst supporting ostentation among the political elite would only generate mistrust among the electorates.
“We should be able to pick the signals should there be any, and steer our democracies away from such incidents,” Rt Hon Bagbin said this as part of his address at the opening ceremony the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference in Accra, Ghana.
“That explains why in some of our countries, election into public offices has become highly transactional between candidates and voters, with instant personal gratification as the currency. This only serves to accentuate the cycle of mistrust that is fueling the dissatisfaction with political leadership and institutions in the sub-region,” he stated.
To this end, Mr. Bagbin encouraged lawmakers across the Commonwealth to endeavour to “restore dignity to elected offices and to rebuild trust and confidence in democratic processes and institutions.”
