HOW TO IMPROVE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IN GHANA

There was a discussion in a group on how to improve the political system in Ghana, OK NEWS was present  and one soldier from the CODE57 family said,

“In my Opinion, the youth forms the highest segment of the country’s population. According to 2010 population census estimates, the youth represents about 35 per cent of Ghana’s population and are seen by every stakeholder – from government officials and state institutions to civil society organizations and development partners – as an important human resource with the potential to contribute significantly to national development, and therefore must be accorded such recognitiomn and be involved in national development by government and other stakeholders…Again, The inherent value Ghana places in its youth population is also clearly exemplified in the government’s own efforts. For example, there is a national youth policy which provides the conceptual framework to direct major stakeholders (including the youth themselves) to work towards youth participation in national development. In addition, there are state institutions – like the EC – whose members and clients include youth; there are civil society organizations (CSOs) which provide interventions that directly target the youth and all major political parties in Ghana have ‘youth wings’ on most campuses but are the youth of Ghana aware of this opportunities? And does this opportunity’s exist as they say it?

2..Youth Participation in Politics and Elections
Youth participation in Ghana goes back as far as the precolonial era and has mostly consisted in being “forces”/“engines” of change that have made demands for regime alteration. Such driving forces have ensured respect for fundamental rights and safeguarding the very basic needs of its population. In Ghanaian politics, youth groups have been part of the forces that fought for the independence of the country. Protests organized by students against deteriorating conditions on university campuses and the poor state of the economy with its widespread corruption, contributed to the fall of government[4] in the 70’s so we can repeat history as CODE57 but finding the problems and protesting against it. The youth is currently witnessing a resurgence as most Ghanaians in the Occupy Ghana Movement (a self-described ´social political non-partisan pressure group with the vision of engaging Ghanaians in development process and ensuring good and responsible governance’ are themselves part of the youth.
In addition to serving as an impressive force of demand, Ghana’s youth is also associated in running State institutions. Did you know that? Because many young people are jobless and poor, politicians manipulate some of them, especially during elections. The latter is exemplified through the use of “foot soldiers” to commit electoral fraud. The youth are on some occasions also used as instruments to implement government policies across the country, the state controlled Young Pioneers or the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) in the 70s are prime examples. In very rare occasions the youth have been involved in the management of the country, as in working as parliamentarians, ministers, or members of local council. For instance, less than 9 per cent of the 275 MPs in Ghana are considered as part of the youth, meaning less than 35 years of age and over 21, the legal age to qualify as a Member of Parliament (MP).
In Ghana, young people play several important roles in relation to electoral processes and their managements. Firstly (and perhaps foremost), young people constitute the majority of the eligible voting population. In 2012, citizens aged between 18 and 35 made up approximately 58.45 per cent of all registered voters.This figure obviously increases if the age bracket is nudged just a few more years. In 2000, for instance, citizens between 18 and 39 comprised some 76 per cent of total registered voters.Secondly, Ghana’s youth serve as invaluable channels to transmit party messages, either within and/or for political parties. Some youth also serve as “agents” representing parties to monitor all the steps – registration, exhibition, polling and collation – in the electoral process, or as foot soldiers used to intimidate other parties’ members/candidates. Thirdly, Ghana’s youth are often the ones the EC looks to hire as polling staff or electoral and registration agents during election time. And lastly (albeit this role is quite rare), youth may be candidates for elections, especially for legislative and local government elections. But mostly these youths are bought with gifts and money and I think needs to be tackled
There are several major challenges that prevent effective youth participation in Ghana’s political and electoral spheres, which include:
* Inadequate legal framework for enhanced youth participation: As prescribed by Ghana’s Constitution, the voting age is 18 years. But to (legally) qualify as a member of Parliament (MP) one has to be at least 21 years old and 40 to run for state presidency. This excludes all the young people between 18 and 21 (40 for presidency) from potentially becoming MPs or President of the Republic. In addition, the electoral law does not provide for any quota nor for any other specific positive discrimination in favor of the youth. How do we change that?
* Inadequate timing and coordination of initiatives in favor of youth participation in electoral processes: According to the Constitution, several bodies are in charge of electoral education and the initiatives targeting youth do not extend across the whole electoral cycle. They tend to take place mostly during election period.
* Scarcity of (resource generating/job) opportunities: The resources beyond political positions are scarce. For instance, limited opportunities are available for parliamentarians who decide to retire and possibly join the private sector. For that reason, they prefer staying in office for as long as they can which in itself presents a barrier for the youth to be directly involved in the political life of their country.
* Lack of trust in the youth’s capacity to perform: There is widespread skepticism over the abilities of young people in Ghana, especially in political positions where in addition to technical skills and competence, some level of maturity and capacity to deal with delicate situations are required. We need to make them trust us, CODE 57 is building a team for that
* Manipulation of young people by politicians: A large proportion of young people are ignorant of their rights and of the electoral process which exposes them to the manipulations of politicians.
 CODE57, let’s find out if all these things they say set for the youth works and let’s occupy these positions and let’s not accept bribes. We would take over ❤’’

We have to rise up and change this corrupt government system.
Ohene Kay Reporting......
Information by Mathias HOUNKPE and Olivier BUCYANA
Source:CODE57 Soldiers⚔️❤️