Governance can be defined “as the system by which entities are directed and controlled”. It is concerned with structure and processes for decision making, accountability, control and behaviour at the top of an entity. Governance influences how an organisation’s objectives are set and achieved, how risk is monitored and addressed and how performance is optimised.
In summary, governance encompasses the processes by which organisations are directed, controlled and held to account. It includes the authority, accountability, leadership, direction and control exercised in an organisation.
FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
The primary functions of government are to protect the basic human rights which include right to life, liberty and to possess property. The idea of natural rights is because every person deserves to enjoy these rights. It is assumed that people are born with these rights and that they should not be taken away from them without their agreement. If the government takes any of these rights, you have the liberty to take your complaints to court.
The modern government has a duty to fight poverty and improve the quality of life of its citizens. To achieve this, the government must create a conducive environment for material prosperity and economic growth. Therefore, the primary function of government is to redistribute resources from the young to disabled, under-privileged, socially challenged and the aged. It subsidises food, housing, healthcare and pension to the poor, also.
EXPERIENCE FROM MAJOR ADVANCED COUNTRIES
Though the rules and responsibilities vary greatly through time and place, governments must create them. They must provide the parameters for every day behaviour of every citizen, protect them from outside interference and often provide their well-being and happiness.
Most countries, especially the most advanced economies such as the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Canada, Germany, China, South Korea, among others which have managed to practise good governance through major reforms in their infrastructural development, social, economic and political advancements, have transformed their economies and provided reliefs to their peoples.
They have structured their economies in such a manner that allows their respective governments to continue with projects initiated by their predecessors without abandoning them for fresh ones to begin and that is the secret behind their significant progress. They did not allow politics and petty squabbles to distract their way of thinking thereby affecting economic progress of their various countries.
Some of these major advanced countries do have their individual problems and shortcomings. Their governments and other appointees have some forms of corrupt practices hanging on their necks to deal with. However, they do not blow their shortcomings in the open and out of proportion. They handle them internally without exposing them through the media to the outside world. That is the beauty of politics and democracy.
AFRICA’S EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNANCE
In Africa, our various governments and political leaders have allowed politics to cloud their judgements to the extent that they become selfish, petty and selective in the way they govern their countries and these often create problems to the extent of creating political upheavals and agitations from their peoples.
Leadership problems on the African continent are unique and cut across the spectrum of the various countries because most of their political leaders are only interested in themselves, immediate families and cronies and, therefore, their actions undermine that of the larger societies.
POLITICS IN GHANA
Over here in Ghana, we have allowed politics to affect our way of thinking and life in general. We have politicised our economy to the extent that everything that goes on in our country is tainted with politics. Our political leaders are not helping us as a nation and, therefore, we are witnessing retrogression in our economy instead of progress.
The two main political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) which for some time now under the Fourth Republican Constitution, rotating power and for that matter the leadership of this country have not been able to share ideas and collate views in the governance of our country. Their intransigent posture keeps creating a lot of problems for the country and affecting the citizens in general. Their major problem is always to find fault with each other and use that as a weapon to attack each other. The least opportunity they get has been to use the media some of which are owned by themselves to attack each other, thereby washing their dirty linen in public. Their shortcomings are often picked and highlighted by the social media to their own detriment.
DISAGREEMENT IN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT ABONDONMENT
It is perfectly true that our country needs a perfect and vibrant opposition to always put a check on the ruling government to bring it in line with the statutory laws and the country’s constitution. However, it appears that in almost all the changes in leadership of this country, both the party in governments and the oppositions, did not agree among themselves. There has always been tension between the two political groupings.
The reason most of the infrastructural projects have either been abandoned at the mercy of the weather or left to rot in the bush for many years, has been the lack of will power by subsequent governments to continue with those projects. These projects after some time, deteriorate to the extent that they become waste to the economy, thereby causing financial loss to the state. Almost all new administrations in this country prefer starting new projects instead of tackling and completing old ones initiated by their predecessors. This is the bane of this country which needs to be addressed as a nation.
If for the sake of political differences, projects such as school blocks and health facilities that had been completed and commissioned some years back are yet to be occupied while the people are in dire need of those facilities, then we have a huge problem on our hands as a nation. Our politicians are, indeed, not helping this country.
We complain of lack of funds or inadequate resources to carry out or initiate projects in the various sectors of the economy, yet we have the gut to spend our hard earned foreign money to carry out fresh projects at the expense of old ones.
COMPARISONS AND EQUALISATIONS IN GOVERNANCE
These comparisons and equalisations of projects and other issues related to governance are, indeed, not helping us in this country. You hear opposition issuing threats that the government in power is engaged in acts that affect their members and that when power changes hands they will do same. What kind of veiled threat is this? This country has come of age and people we place at the helm of affairs need to grow and know how to talk to the citizens.
It appears that our leaders keep flouting the laws and the provisions under the 1992 Constitution which we have crafted to govern our country. Ministers of State and some public officials are let off the hook when it comes to applying sanctions under the laws of this country. This kind of attitude gives room for the citizens to always make noise and also all kinds of speculations. The party in power must be seen to be vigilant and ready to apply and enforce the laws rigidly irrespective of the person involved or political party affiliations.
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By Charles Neequaye