Beyond Good Governance
"Through donor conditionalities, the term "
Fighting Corruption
Corruption in high and low places and the lack of political will to fight it has undermined public confidence in government and cost the nation billions of Ghana cedis through fraudulent practices in government procurement and government projects. Long before "development partners" made the fight against corruption a condition for foreign aid, the CPP, on its own, began to fight corruption in the 1960s, forcing some government officials to hand over to the state properties that were deemed to have been improperly acquired. Today, public officials and their relatives acquire properties far in excess of
their known income; key sections of the bureaucracy, such as CEPS, the police, and the judiciary have repeatedly been shown in surveys to be mired in corruption. This further undermines governance and impedes development. The CPP will fight corruption by adequately resourcing public institutions, such as CHRAJ and the Serious Fraud office. We shall also implement the Whistle Blower law, which encourages the public to report corrupt practices, as well as pass the Freedom of Information Bill as part of a broad legislative agenda to improve governance and fight corruption. Decentralisation and Popular Participation
We believe that "no decentralisation" means "no development". After nearly 16 years of democracy at the national level, it is time to bring democracy to the doorsteps of the people, too. People must have a direct say about who collects their garbage in their local communities; the quality of the roads they use; or the schools their children attend. At the moment, decisions on these issues are made by a few bureaucrats in Accra for distance communities around the country. All local officials must be elected by the people they govern so that they can answer to these people the same way national leaders respond to their national constituents. "Self-determination" must be taken to the grassroots. We propose to amend the 1992 Constitution to allow all local government officials to be elected. This will have, among others, the following benefits:
- Force district chief executives and other local officials to address the needs of the people they serve instead of working to please the appointing authorities in Accra
- Make it possible to insist that all district assemblies should publish on a monthly basis the taxes they collect from lorry parks, markets, households and businesses in their districts and how they spend those taxes
Role of Traditional Leaders The CPP shall adhere to the provisions of the Constitution pertaining to the institution
of chieftaincy by ensuring that it becomes a vital part of the new democratic culture of the country as well as play its part in national development. A CPP government will encourage the review of outmoded chieftaincy practices which inhibit democratic expression and impede socio-economic development. Public Sector Reforms and Innovation
Public sector reforms and innovation will be our counter-part to private sector development. We shall go beyond "reforms" and ensure that the public sector keeps pace with the latest technologies and practices to enable it respond effectively, efficiently and speedily to the needs of the public. To address the problems of the public sector, the CPP will do the following:
- Immediately launch a public sector census to determine the exact size of the government in order to resolve the age-old problem of "ghost names" and annual budget over-runs
- Incorporate "innovation" into public sector management to ensure that the sector applies the latest scientific and technological innovations in the management of public resources
- Improve the sector’s capacity for policy analysis, budgeting, and management to make it effective and efficient in the discharge of its duties.
National Security Our defence policy is first and foremost to secure Ghana’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity in all areas - land, sea and air. Recent lapses in national security, such as the sudden appearance in Accra of refugees from the Sudan and the influx of alien herdsmen on the nation’s streets, are evidence of the vulnerability of our national security and the need to take decisive action. To do this and expand the role of the security forces in national development, the CPP will pursue the following:
- Resource the Ghana Immigration Service to perform its functions well
- Maintain a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-motivated Army
- Provide a national framework to formally engage the Armed Forces in the provision and maintenance of infrastructure of all kinds for public use – at home and abroad.
- Enhance the capabilities of specialist units in the Armed Forces to support industry and research.
- Work with the armed forces to secure their participation in disaster prevention and management and in combating threats such as terrorism and narco-trafficking
- Consider a compulsory national military service that will both help in creating a disciplined citizenry and facilitating the mobilization of every capable adult in national emergencies.
- Work with ECOWAS and the AU to ensure peace and stability in Africa
Civil Defence and Public Safety For more than half a century, Ghana has been spared the trauma of natural disasters like earthquakes or tragedies like large scale industrial or transportation accidents. Despite this providence, it is important that we remain alert and prepared at all times to deal with any misfortune, man-made or otherwise. In this regard, we shall do the following in the area of civil defence:
Reconstitute the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) as the National Disaster Prevention and Management Agency (NDPMA) to emphasise the importance of preventing natural and man-made disasters
- Set up a National Emergency Fund (NEF), separate from the annual budgets of NDPMA, to ensure that the nation maintains the financial and material capacity to deal with disasters at all times.
- Enhance the technical and managerial capacity of the NDPMA by, among other things, appointing professional managers, through competitive hiring practices, to manage its affairs; the era of making a national disaster organisation an avenue for political rewards will be over under the CPP
- Under the supervision of NDPMA, ensure that relevant ministries, such as Aviation, Ports and Harbours as well as district assemblies conduct periodic drills of all types for potential disasters, including fire, plane crash, floods, and earthquakes.
- First aid skills will be introduced in all basic schools and propagated to the general public through appropriate public education programmes.
In the area of public safety, there is little doubt that crimes of all kinds have been on the increase in recent times. According to the Ghana Police Service, robberies alone increased by 224.0% between 2000 and 2005. Motor accidents are claiming lives on an unprecedented scale due to lack of law enforcement. Lawlessness also finds expression in the illegal erection of structures in cities and towns across the country. The following are among the initiatives we shall consider in dealing with these problems:
- Equip the police, improve the quality of their training, and pass appropriate laws to make them efficient and responsive at the national and local levels
- Hold anyone, including police officers and port officials, criminally liable for auto accidents, such as overloading, that result from their negligence
- Introduce computerised ticketing system for traffic violation to facilitate efficient enforcement of the law. The current practice where police officers take away keys, driver’s licence, deflate tyres, or even enter the vehicles of offenders under the pretext of arresting them is outmoded and inappropriate in a constitutional era where human rights are sacred.
- Intensify community policing by the police
Judicial Reforms
Democracy thrives on freedom and justice. Freedom releases the natural energy of citizens to engage in enterprise and productive activities. It makes them more able to respect the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Justice is what underpins law and order. Justice makes it possible for a system of government to thrive; but it is absolutely necessary that those given the responsibility for ensuring freedom and justice understand that they do so for the protection of all and that no one is above the law.
We also understand that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. We will therefore:
• ensure effective resource allocation into the judicial system to enhance efficiency and speed in its administration.
• ensure the total independence of the Judiciary
• uphold the rule of law.
• ensure transparency in the administration of justice
• encourage alternative dispute settlement (ADS) to ensure swift and equitable administration of justice.
• commit to the establishment of the Office of the Independent Prosecutor.
• promote education among the population on the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Legislative Agenda
To achieve this objective, we shall review existing laws and expedite passage of others to facilitate the implementation of our development agenda. Among laws whose passage is to be expedited are:
• Election of all local officials
• Amend constitution to prevent parliamentarians from serving as ministers (this would reduce executive influence over the legislature)
• Forbid the executive from appointing parliamentarians to public boards
• Amend the constitution to compel the president to pay taxes like the rest of Ghanaians (leadership by example)
• Freedom of Information Law to fight corruption
• Seek legislation to separate the Minister of Justice from the Attorney General
• Enhance the capacity of government to perform its functions
• Enact any other laws that will enhance the quality of governance |
Well Done but...
