Civic Responsibility and Rebirth of Government II
Anis Haffar
ANIS HAFFAR concludes his article on the rights and obligations of government and people under it in the task of nation-building, the first part of which was published last week.A dynamic is needed to change our consciousness and to look beneath the surface at the institutions we have trusted for so long. But the evils in big government are now becoming plain enough for all to see. We no longer have much choice but to re-examine our underlying attitudes and be prepared to change them.
The superficial relationships in the unexamined life which we find everywhere result from viewing the government as something separate from ourselves the aban edwuma syndrome: a governmental system where no one is individually responsible. Well, when no one is individually responsible, then not only the military, politicians and bureaucrats scramble after massive government funds or contracts for dubious projects, but the workers too regard the government's treasury as an endless pork barrel into which they can all dip.
This encourages an exploitative attitude which is self-destructive, affects our personal lives drastically and is totally out of tune with our real self-interest. True business and social reforms begin when there is trust between people engaged in cooperation. It is our duty to imagine the new form of government which places the social responsibility and decision making squarely in the hands of the Sovereign individual at the small community level. Without neglecting this virtue, we can boast in the future that we found a nation of brick and left one of marble.
By advocating a peaceful rebellion as the motivating method for change, I am not against limited government for legitimate needs: international representation, constitutional and legal enforcement, health, etc. But I am against the continued practice of wasteful government spending and the suppression of study and initiative.
Each community could be wiser and more efficient at choosing and spending its own money on local social needs than is currently, instead of using a mechanism housed in some plush carpeted offices in a far away capital. At the village pump, where the need may be chronic for wells for water supply, the needed cash required will be much less whenever it is not encumbered by all those government agencies which must 'approve' it.
Mind you, the voluntary self inspection of tasks does not work either, since a private citizen may not build or provide services to a set standard or to code rules unless the lawful standards are enforced by the actions of fellow citizens. A case in point: some road contractors in Ghana actually smeared coal tar on the nation's highway and declared the job finis. Another group of contractors shoved, scraped and scooped what was left of some Kumasi streets and left them in dust and dirt - kaput. In Nigeria, contractors once paid, disappear having paid ten per cent to the government official, the quality or completion of job notwithstanding.
RESPONSIBILITY
Hence, any voluntary change in traditional practices and in reforms will come when the responsibility is forced back upon the worker and the small community to plan, inspect and provide what they are now paying big government to do.People do not wish to think about a new society based on the self-governing community, or upon cooperatives which involved the individual. They do not care whether or not they enter the new age of evolved systems of government. But unfortunately, there is no longer a choice. At present our governments are so insecure that our national security as a whole is weak. We need new patterns of self-rule so that we can develop better social reforms while maintaining growth.
How can we accomplish this legally and peacefully? How can we prevent chaos and disaster to people across the nations? We will need a constitutional convention to answer these questions. But I will suggest some general guidelines: first of all, a fundamental or 'native' law of good society establishes the framework for government of a defined region, and assigns powers and duties of governmental agencies.
The law of the land at the same time confirms the rights of the people and their corresponding responsibilities as individuals in the society. Once the bond between the individual and the governing process secures the society as an honourable whole, then the government and the public live as one entity.
Much fundamental law is unwritten, and is in the form of custom and usage: common sense, that is. An example of this appeared in the 1979 Ghana Constitution: "every child, whether or not born in wedlock, shall be entitled to reasonable provision out of the estate of its parents." The intent was to protect the family as the unit of society. Such customs are numerous and can never be comprehensively gathered in one document and so many are not written. It is assumed that the community courts will use wisdom and justice in their applications.
However, the basic principles of limited government, the people's supremacy, separation of powers, checks and balances within the system have to be written in bold letters. The most important divisions can and fourfold:
One, the orderly selection and role of the head of state;
two, role of the courts at the national, local and community levels, primarily as guardians of the people's rights, and liaison between the government and the public;
three, the assembly as the people's forum to discuss and debate matters so as to reach a consensus on issues as they affect their lives; and the prime reason for all this is to separate powers and the accumulation of all power in one governmental branch, or from falling into the hands of any individual or group. In other words, we can prevent majority oppression as much as or individual tyranny while stressing the need for compromise and interdependence. By preventing the abuse of power diverse people spread over a large area can live together peacefully. As a nucleus for a positive growth, the system as defined in one, two, three and four (except the power to print currency in four) can be supplanted and used whenever new communities arise at the grassroots level.
PRINCIPLES
It is also important that the government in power does not assume the monetary function and currency. Given the chance any government will print more money because it is certainly, like anyone else, willing to spend more than it earns; thus we can prevent an inflationary exercise or funny money. The constitution must be reduced to its simplest terms and taught right from the elementary school up. The new nation can begin to grow and prosper.So far only a few have been willing to do the hard work of getting the facts together and letting them out. The rest have sold their souls to comfort and convenience. But someone has got to, and it will not be the 'status quo' press because the popular magazines and newspapers are afraid to rock a boat that is already sinking. Such press will only be printing the irresponsible so great?') handouts from the governments. So we will continue to hear the same old cheap stories about coups, I.M.F., Stabex handouts, devaluations, corruption, external debts, drought, etc. Only the dynamic press will become the medium for any positive change. The majority will continue to be paranoid, groping like very gently trying to mention the facts but still panicky, not wanting to offend somebody that doesn't even exist.
The easiest prophesy anyone can make today is that if the methods of managing our national affairs don't change pretty soon, we will all be sitting ducks wherever we are.
In order to change things for the better in any society, we need first begin with a program for educating the public. Because it is the public who is being duped by the selfish and the greedy. It is the public who year after year accepts the unkept promises and misinformation and the consequences.
If the public starts to put high priority on educating its children on the real practical and viable methods as embodied in a national constitution of self-government, even the children will automatically reject any mandatory seizure of state apparatus, and the imposition of one man decrees, ('What meat doth this Caesar eat that he grows
and the accumulation of all power in one governmental branch, or from falling into the hands of any individual or group. In other words, we can prevent majority oppression as much as minority or individual tyranny while stressing the need for compromise and interdependence. By preventing the abuse of power, diverse people spread over a large area can live together peacefully. As a nucleus for a positive growth, the system as defined in one, two, three and four (except the power to print currency in four) can be supplanted and used whenever new communities arise at the grassroots level.
PRINCIPLES
It is also important that the government in power does not assume the monetary function and currency. Given the chance any government will print more money because it is certainly, like anyone else, willing to spend more than it earns; thus we can prevent an inflationary exercise or funny money. The constitution must be reduced to its simplest terms and taught right from the elementary school up. The new nation can begin to grow and prosper.So far only a few have been willing to do the hard work of getting the facts together and letting them out. The rest have sold their souls to comfort and convenience. But someone has got to, and it will not be the 'status quo' press because the popular magazines and newspapers are afraid to rock a boat that is already sinking. Such press will only be printing the irresponsible so great?') handouts from the governments. So we will continue to hear the same old cheap stories about coups, I.M.F., Stabex handouts, devaluations, corruption, external debts, drought, etc. Only the dynamic press will become the medium for any positive change. The majority will continue to be paranoid, groping… like very gently trying to mention the facts but still panicky, not wanting to offend somebody that doesn't even exist.
The easiest prophesy anyone can make today is that if the methods of managing our national affairs don't change pretty soon, we will all be sitting ducks wherever we are.
In order to change things for the better in any society, we need first begin with a program for educating the public. Because it is the public who is being duped by the selfish and the greedy. It is the public who year after year accepts the unkept promises and misinformation and the consequences.
We can begin to transform not only the Ghanaian communities but throughout Africa. This is the challenge of the real independence that Ghana needs to herald today; to let Africans everywhere know what is possible to do in order to prevent our societies from an otherwise inevitable collapse.
