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An Associate Professor at the Department of African Studies at Kent State University in the United States (US), Dr Felix Kumah-Abiwu, has called on Ghanaians to promote the culture of political accountability to consolidate the gains made in the country's democracy.
He explained that political accountability referred to when a politician made choices on behalf of the people and they can reward or sanction the politician.
Dr Kumah-Abiwu, therefore, pointed out that setting in motion the culture of political accountability could help address the country's current economic challenges and sustain its democracy.
He made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic following the launch of a book titled “Jerry John Rawlings Leadership and Legacy: A Pan-African Perspective”, in Accra.
The book is not the first published scholarly book that examines the leadership and legacy of Jerry John Rawlings, but it is unique in the sense that it has the Pan African and interdisciplinary perspective, with about 20 outstanding contributions from scholars who are mostly Ghanaians.
Dr Kumah-Abiwu is the lead Editor of the 352-page book.
He said, “Ghana’s unsustainable debt burden should also be a source of worry for many observers because high debt burden and severe economic difficulties can be problematic for Ghana’s democratic stability”.
Dr Kumah-Abiwu stated that while Ghana needs to be applauded for deepening its democratic culture, norms and governance practices within the last 30 years, the increasing levels of election-related acts of violence that had characterised the nation's general elections should be a concern for every Ghanaian.
The Associate Professor said going through the process of thinking about J.J. Rawlings and the question of how his leadership and legacy could be critically examined and the way he could best be remembered “gave birth to my idea to put this scholarly book together”.
He explained that just like any leader, J.J. Rawlings also had his limitations, but his role in changing the direction of Ghana from a near economic collapse and social decay in the 1980s to the dominant role he played in Ghana’s transition to democratic rule in the 1990s deserved to be recognised and remembered by the next generation.
“This is the main motivation for the book,” he noted.
An Associate Professor of Political Science at the Alabama State University and co-editor of the book, Dr Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, also said: “As scholars, we thought it was imperative to memorialise the role and place of Rawlings in the annals of African and global history.”
He intimated that despite what some consider to be Rawlings' flaws, history and future generations would “doff their hats in obeisance to a man and a leader who transformed Ghana and the African continent.”
