Professor Dzodzi Tsikata of the Department of Development Studies at SOAS, University of London, has criticised the state of liberal democracy in Ghana, arguing that it has failed to fulfil its promises to citizens.
According to her, the current political system restricts meaningful civic engagement to the act of voting, leaving citizens with little influence over broader democratic processes. This, she said, reveals deep flaws in the country’s democracy.
Speaking at the inaugural public lecture held in honour of the late Akoto Ampaw (also known as Sheey Sheey) at the University of Ghana on Wednesday, October 23, Prof. Tsikata remarked: “The crisis of citizenship has also exposed the false promise of liberal democracy.”
She further explained that neoliberal policies have significantly undermined the ability of Ghanaians to actively participate in the democratic process, eroding the core principles of civic engagement.
Prof. Tsikata also highlighted the alarming rise of authoritarianism and the growing influence of unaccountable non-state actors, which, she said, has exacerbated the difficulties faced by citizens in exercising their democratic rights.
“This together with the rampaging neo-liberalism has circumscribed civil citizenship into an eco-chamber where citizens are allowed to vent their frustration without redress and with the promise that in the next four years, they are going to be able to change a government. Even with this little space of frustration, is fast shrinking.
“We’ve seen the rise in the state of authoritarianism on the one hand but also the rise of conservative and unaccountable non-state actors on the other hand. We are in this complicated situation where citizen groups are under severe attack but also are perpetrators of bystanders.
“Take the media, for example, the attack on media personnel by party political operatives and cohesive arms of the state has become quite rampant and alarming and should be condemned and resisted,” he stated.
