‘Winner-takes-all’ threatens our democracy - Crabbe
A former justice of the Supreme Court and consultant to the Ministry of Justice, Mr Justice V. C. R. A.C. Crabbe, has said that the ‘winner-takes-all’ phenomenon threatens the country’s democracy.
He has, therefore, called for inclusive governance, saying the opposite, the winner-takes-all policy, undermines democracy.
Speaking at the third annual sandwich conference on social behaviour and conflict management organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Cape Coast, Justice Crabbe said political parities must prioritise the well-being of the people they governed or seek to govern, instead of seeking to stay in power or clamouring for power.
He criticised political parties for focusing too much on maintaining their hold on power, instead of seeking the welfare and interest of the people.
Justice Crabbe said to maintain their hold on power, political parties resorted to propaganda, ignoring the real issues that affected the people.
He advised elected and appointed officials of the state to move from becoming tin gods and commit themselves to the service of the people.
Justice Crabbe said it was inappropriate that elected and appointed officials lorded it over the electorate, noting that as ministers, they were to serve the people and be accountable to them.
He said it behoved those officials to explain their actions and decisions to the people and not to ignore them.
He said officials must be answerable to the people to help reduce the incidence of corruption in the country.
On elections, Justice Crabbe said flawed elections could degenerate into conflicts and confusion.
He said Africa had experienced so many flawed elections that had resulted in conflicts and drawn the development of the continent backwards.
He said it was important for countries to put in place the right structures for credible elections and reduce the tendency for conflicts.
He said voters must be provided with the right information for them to choose the right leaders to govern and enhance their lives for the better.
The Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the university, Dr Henrietta Abane, said the conference was to examine societal issues that could affect the security of the state and discuss the way forward.
By Shirley Asiedu-Addo/Daily Graphic/Ghana