Hold leaders accountable — Prez Mills

President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday prompted Ghanaians to hold their leaders to the principles of accountability and not limit their participation in the democratic process only to the periodic casting of the ballot.
That, he said, would ensure the judicious use of state resources, offer all Ghanaians the benefit of enjoying the national cake and prevent corrupt officials from stealing what belonged to the state.
President Mills stated this in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, at the opening of the Ninth Constitutional Week celebration in Accra.
The week-long programme, which is being organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), is on the theme, “Beyond elections: Citizens’ participation and government accountability”.
President Mills added that democracy, as a participatory process, demanded that all players, especially the governed and the government, play their active roles constantly, even after elections.
He said although oftentimes citizens had engaged the government of the day through the media, which was not a bad idea, they must also be educated to be conversant with the processes and workings of government ministries, departments and agencies and how they could demand accountability from them through the laid down procedures.
President Mills said it was to allow for more practical interface between the people and the government that his administration had indicated its readiness to undertake some constitutional review to make the law more responsive to the current needs and aspirations of Ghanaians.
He described as worrying the constant focus on politicians as the only public office holders who were susceptible to corrupt practices, while a lot more people, including civil servants at various levels, were milking the nation.
The Chairman for the occasion, the Wulugunaba, Naa Prof J. S. Nabila, said elections entailed a lot of stages which demanded that people should be tolerant, patriotic and persevere.
He said through the 2008 elections, Ghanaians had proved to the world that they were ready to entrench democracy and the rule of law.
The Chairman of the NCCE, Mr Laary Bimi, said although the country had chalked up success in its five general elections, coupled with two peaceful and democratic changes of governments, the 2008 elections alone must serve as a great reminder that “there is more to be done to consolidate constitutional rule”.
“We are not democratic yet. We only vote, abandon the governance to some few people and after that we go to sleep. Democracy is more than electing leaders,” he stated.
He expressed worry that past and present governments had shown very little interest in the affairs of the NCCE, especially its Constitutional Week, saying that had made it difficult for the commission to seek sponsorship to undertake its mandated programmes.
Mr Bimi decried the decreasing resource allocation to the commission, which he said had affected its ability to educate the people on their civic rights and responsibilities.