It is an established fact that free speech -- which encompasses the freedom to criticise the policies of government, is the bedrock of a vibrant democratic system. Free market democratic governance cannot effectively thrive where free speech and constructive dialogue among contending interest groups is not passionately encouraged by the governing administrators of a given society.  ÂÂ
This is partly born of the fact that institutional investors, who are often the driving engines of job-creation, tend to ascribe to the notion that when free speech or the freedom to criticise government by its citizenry is muffled by government officials, the disgruntled populace in time will begin to organise themselves into large protest groups which can become disruptive to the effective functioning of trade and commerce -- adversely undermining the bottom-line of their financial interests in the system.  ÂÂ
With this in mind, an opportunity to demonstrate the democratic vibrancy and maturity of Ghana, and the free market orientation of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration was missed with the rather unfortunate fiasco that evolved on July 17th 2014 -- over the tweet that appeared on the US Embassy of Ghana’s twitter account in response to President Mahama’s tweet to Ghanaians regarding the state of the Nation’s economy on his twitter page…@JD Mahama.ÂÂ
The tweet read, “As a people, we have had to make sacrifices. I wish to assure you that the results of these sacrifices will begin to show very soonâ€Â.
Soon after President Mahama’s tweet, a response to his tweet was posted on the Ghana US Embassy’s official twitter account which read, “And what sacrifices are you making? Don’t tell me that pay-cutâ€Â.ÂÂ
This was an apparent reference to President Mahama’s order of an across the board ten percent executive salary pay-cut to demonstrate the willingness of government’s Executive leadership to share in the sacrifices being imposed on the average citizenry in an effort to overcome economic challenges the country was facing. ÂÂ
On the face of it, the tweet from the US Embassy seems to be a benign invitation to dialogue with the domestic and international community on what steps the Mahama-led administration was taking to address the deteriorating economic situation in the country. However, instead of taking up the challenge, the Ghanaian government functionaries and its proxies went on the offensive -- fiercely rebuking the US Embassy for what they termed as an undue interference in the domestic affairs of the country, and disrespecting the President in the process of their unacceptable meddling.
And of course, to avoid a distractive diplomatic row, the US Embassy apologised for their errant tweet. But the real losers in this fiasco are the average Ghanaian citizens who were denied an opportunity for a vigorous national dialogue on the manner in which their nation’s economy was being managed by their elected representatives.
It would appear that the message being sent to the broader populace through the harsh tone of the rebuke of the US Embassy tweet was quite simply: ‘any attempt at criticism will not be tolerated by this administration’. ÂÂ
I imagine that the investor community around the world may have drawn conclusions from the manner in which the Ghanaian State officials handled the US Embassy’ rather benign-seeming remark that there may exist a conducive political atmosphere in Ghana for the free expression of opinion by dissenting groups in the country. It should be noteworthy to remember that investors tend to take a rather cautious approach to investing in markets where free speech is being stifled.   ÂÂ
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By Stanley Ukeni
 Stanley was born in Nigeria and spent much of his early adult years in the United States.  He served as the President of the Dallas United Nations Association in 1996 and equally served on the Board of Directors of several International organisations -- including the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/ Fort Worth from 1996 to 2000.  Stanley Ukeni is a political activist with keen interest in international affairs. He is the author of a novel and currently resides in Ghana. ÂÂ
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