A take on DEMOCRACY as a system of government in Ghana

The system of government called Democracy is actually far from the definition we were taught to accept—a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The assumption of democracy is that the People rule themselves through a select group of people. But that ultimately has created problems where decisions are rather made by a few selected powerful individuals instead of the people. Democracy has therefore become a government led by the Elite, and for the elite. The idea of democracy and what we will now call Decentralization, means every single piece of legislation should be from the People. That means for every law passed, the people should have agreed through some form, whether through the Ballot or another means, to have that rule. However, because that has not been logistically practicable, the idea became that since elected officials represented Chunks of Constituencies, once these people vote to accept or reject a law, policy or rule, we assume the people have accepted or rejected it. However, this innocent ideology would become the means by which the elite capture the state, and use it to their own and those around them”s benefit. Even if it became practical to cast ballots on every policy, rule or piece of legislation, the elite will almost always continue to have their way because they have cemented their grip and control over the system and their artificial creation of hardship will give them an easy upper hand through monetary exchange and the powerful lobbyist networks they have created to sustain this system. At the end of the day, there is really nothing you can do. There are deeper things we will never ever fully get to know. But at least, it is good to understand that the idea of “equality before the law” is just a saying. We are all not equal before the law. The law favors some people, and rightly so. That is how the world has always been. Knowing your place in society is the first step to protecting yourself, making meaningful decisions and living a life you believe serves your interest. As the saying goes, if you are walking to the funeral of a man who died by hitting his leg on a stone, you will walk very carefully.