International Relations expert and lecturer, Prof. Agyenim Boateng, has indicated the lack of understanding of democracy in Africa, and especially Ghana is making it difficult for leaders to resign when they fail the people they lead.
Prof. Boateng says although leaders in Europe and other countries resign from office when needed, Ghanaian leaders wait till they are sacked when they could just leave honourably.
He was responding to the resignation of the UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation from the position as Tory leader but said he would continue to serve until the party chooses his successor.
The politician who came under fire and asked to resign said until his replacement is found, the public’s interests will be served.
“Being prime minister is an education in itself – I’ve travelled to every part of UK and I’ve found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways.
“Even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden,” Johnson said.
Prof. Boateng described the resignation of Boris Johnson, adding that the people wanted him out for some scandals under his watch. He obliged the calls and resigned honourably.
He said if you are a leader and do not speak the truth and peddle lies, the people will call for your head.
”The issues that led to his fall had piled up. He was accused of an illegal lockdown, and yet he breached the lockdown and organised a party,” he said.
Linking the issue to the Ghana political space, he said leaders find it difficult to resign because they lack the understanding of democracy and governance.
He said, ”when you count the number of scandals that have hit the Nana Addo-led government, you will marvel, and yet, those behind these scandals are cleared. The parliament of Ghana, where the issues are investigated doesn’t finish their work, but the President will clear these people. I will encourage parliament to take the step to show that no one is above the law, including the President”.
We need leaders with a conscience who will resign in the face of scandal and wrongdoing. If we want to deepen our democracy, we have to learn when to resign when there are scandals against us,” he concluded.
