ELS: MBN360 NEWS
Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance and Economic Adviser to the Vice-President, Professor Sharif Mahmud Khalid, has challenged claims that Ghana’s democracy is currently under siege, arguing that available international indicators do not support such a conclusion.
Speaking on JoyNews The Pulse on Saturday, August 8, during a discussion on the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Democracy Under Attack demonstration, Prof. Khalid said the state of Ghana’s democracy should be assessed using empirical evidence rather than isolated political incidents or partisan narratives.
He pointed to Ghana’s position in international press freedom assessments as one of the indicators that should inform the debate.
“Let’s look at the data, not even from the government side, but from international institutions that are seen as watchdogs of democracy,” he said.
Prof. Khalid cited Ghana’s ranking as 39th out of 180 countries globally and fourth in Africa on press freedom, arguing that the ranking raises questions about claims that the country’s democratic system is under siege.
“Where is our press freedom ranking today, as we speak? Because that is part of the process of democracy. It is part of the democratic dispensation. Ghana is ranking 39th out of 180 countries and fourth in Africa,” he stated.
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He said the data is particularly relevant because the assessments are produced by organisations that monitor democratic governance and freedoms rather than by the government itself.
“Is this a democracy that is under siege, or is this data reflective of a democracy under siege?” he asked.
Prof. Khalid also urged Ghanaians to consider other international governance indicators, including the Mo Ibrahim Index, when assessing the country’s democratic performance.
He acknowledged that Ghana has experienced incidents that have generated concerns about the exercise of democratic rights but cautioned against using individual cases alone to conclude that the entire democratic system is under attack.
His comments followed the NPP’s Democracy Under Attack demonstration, during which the party accused the government of arbitrary arrests, selective justice, intimidation of political opponents and attempts to undermine democratic institutions.
Prof. Khalid maintained that the debate should focus on measurable evidence and broader institutional performance.
“We probably want to look at the Mo Ibrahim Index on governance and where we are. Are these empirics emanating from the government machinery? No. They are coming from watchdogs — local watchdogs, but even international watchdogs,” he said.
