A maritime expert, Sheikh Labaran Barry, has observed that governments are tempted to take unilateral decisions because the nation has not developed a state craft to guide the actions of political leaders, hence their ability to take decisions the citizenry may realise as unpopular and improper.
“Perceived excesses of our political leadership can be well appreciated and contextualised if system of validity is evolved to guide their actions, it is wise to use criteria related validity, system of rules and systematic description of any step governments take,” he stressed.
Sheikh Barry, who is also the Director of Intelligence, Tema Port, made this known in relation to debate on findings of Justice Emile Short Commission of Inquiry on the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election related violence in the Greater Accra Region.
“Whatever decision you make, you must make sure you are following steps towards implementation of decision, the president cannot take decision without conforming to standards, reason why we have challenges with governance style because we don’t have state craft.
“We can rely on state craft to decide issues of national importance, our approach towards politics, economics, methodology, we don’t have laid-down standards governments should conform to, why do we blame the president if he takes unilateral decisions, we do not have any criteria to govern actions of governments after 62 years of nationhood.
“The guiding principles can determine who should chair commission, should chair come from ruling party or opposition, type of persons should constitute commission, how they should present report, to parliament or the president and should the president make it public or not.
“If there is criteria, only time we can say decision of the president to set aside report of commission bad, refused to conform to criteria, but we don’t have, everybody has belief about how the system should work to achieve peace, unity, stability, order of system, when leaders are elected and take power to exhibit leadership.
“The president can determine whether actions are calculated to protect public by withholding information deemed to create insecurity, instability, actions to set report aside depend on beliefs, assumptions and leadership style can take unilateral decisions, or must come to parliament for debate, the need to come out with criteria and will insist on what is to be done at all times,” Sheikh Barry pointed out. -GNA
