Ace Ghanaian journalist Paul Adom-Otchere has launched a compelling new book that explores Ghana’s Fourth Republic, highlighting the pivotal stories that have shaped the nation’s governance since 1992.
The book launch, attended by prominent political figures including Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor-Botchway and Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah. Also in attendance was Managing Director for Citi FM and Channel One TV Samuel Attah-Mensah, amongst other esteemed guests.
The book Titled “Africa’s New Constitutional Leadership: 77 Stories that Defined Ghana’s 4th Republic”, addresses a critical question at the heart of Ghana’s political narrative: the evolution and significance of the country’s various republics.
By delving into 77 defining stories, Adom-Otchere seeks to provide readers with an overview of the constitutional transitions that have shaped Ghana’s modern political landscape. Titled to reflect its comprehensive scope, the book delves into 77 defining moments that have characterized Ghana’s modern political landscape. By meticulously documenting these stories, Adom-Otchere provides readers with an intimate look at the country’s constitutional transitions and democratic evolution.
A notable highlight from the book, presented by celebrated journalist Natalie Fort, focused on the groundbreaking Election 2000. Fort read an excerpt detailing the parallels between Ghanaian and American political dynamics, emphasizing how global media coverage, particularly from CNN, helped Ghanaians understand international electoral processes in Story 21 “Even though Ghanaians and Americans have traditionally voted in the same year; 1992 and 1996, it was only in Election 2000 that the real similarity in the Ghanaian and American election timetables became obvious to many Ghanaians. This realsiation was first ocasioned by the launch of American media network Cable News Network (CNN), that was some time in 1997.”
She went on to read “on the platform of Multichoisce, South African satellite broadcaster, since its launch, Ghanaians could watch live news from the United States. CNN gave significant coverage to the American campaign and election in the year 2000. Incidentally, the political matrix was also co-terminus. While the democratic parties’ incumbent President Bill Clinton was exiting on account of term limit, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of similar political philosophy as the Democrats’ incumbent President Jerry John Rawlings was exiting by same reason of term limit.”
“Vice-President Al Gore had become the Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party just as Vice-President Mills had become the Presidential Candidate of the ruling party. The similarities in the dynamics made CNN’s political broadcast exceptionally relevant to the Ghanaian political terrain during the campaign of 2000. Ghana had never in the history of the country organised or even seen a Presidential debate amongst competing presidential candidate with names like John Agyekum Kufuor, Edward Mahama, Attah George Hagan, Augustus Obuadom Tanoh, Dan Lartey and Charles Wereko-Brobbey…”
One of the book’s most significant assertions is Adom-Otchere’s evaluation of President Akufo-Addo as the most impactful president of the Fourth Republic. This claim is partly substantiated by Akufo-Addo’s graceful concession in the 2008 elections, where he lost by approximately 25,000 votes. “It was in the right place to make some verdicts of happenings. A verdict was made in the book that ruled that President Akufo-Addo was the most impactful president in the Fourth Republic,” Adom-Otchere submitted.
Speaking at the launch, Shirley-Ayorkor Botchway who represented President Akufo-Addo, noted “Books are not only a source of life lessons but serve as a vehicle that transports us through time and beyond, the coming into being of the Fourth Republic was in no way automatic and it is with the utmost sobberness that we must reflect on the knowledge that this democracy, with its widely-celebrated longetivity was not originally guaranteed.”
She added “our Fourth Republic did not come into being by way of external pressure either/or by the activism of well-intentioned foreigners. The Ghanaian people themselves through their institutions and political parties navigated the processes and parameters of democracy with great asidousness. They and we paid painstaking attention to detail, taking what we could and managing what was difficult to get to where we are.”
“This book tells a story of how this navigation occurred and details the specific role of particular individuals, political parties, the Supreme Court, the Electoral Commission and the Security Services The book also shows how we as Ghanaians have navigated our own political conflicts and how we eventually resolved them. We have been able to achieve an election outcome in 2008 who’s difference was 25,000 votes out of over 8 million valid votes cast and we did not go to war because the loser and his party were magnanimous in defeat. We have gone through election petitions from either side of the divide and we did not go to war.”
She ended “Ultimately, we have on two separate occasions achieved a peaceful handover of power from one government to the other. This book tells the entire story of Ghana’s Fourth Republican democracy The media in Ghana have been a significant support base for this Fourth Republican democracy and it is gratifying to observe that it is one of the prominent media actors who has documented everything that has made the Fourth Republic possible.”
Mr Adom-Otchere also recounted a moment he had with President Akufo-Addo in 2000, where he asked him he who he thought was the best lawyer in Ghana; “In those days, president Akufo-Addo had conducted many Supreme Court cases for the New Patriotic Party, for demonstrations, for independent media and he had regularly been confronted by Dr. Obed Asamoah who was the Attorney-Generla in Court. So, when I asked this question, I thought that he was going to jokingly point to himself. But I was surprised, the presidint took the question quite seriously and he started thinking.”
“For about half a minute he didn’t say anything, he was still thinking. I began to throw names at him, I said JK Agyeman, he nodded, I said CBK Zwennes, he nodded again, then I wanted to get his attention and get the question answered so I said what about Obed Asamoah, then he smiled and said Obed is an able man, and that all the names I had mentioned are very distinguished but these were his words ” Because of 31st, he thinks for his generation the best lawyer was Peter Alan Adjetey.”
Portions of the Book
The book also explores critical moments in Ghana’s political history, including the launch of the Free Senior High School policy and the intricate political dynamics preceding various elections.
A significant portion of the text celebrates the role of independent media in shaping Ghana’s democratic narrative. Adom-Otchere chronicles how media institutions like Radio Eye, Peace FM, and Citi FM have been instrumental in fostering transparency and public discourse.
By weaving together personal anecdotes, political analysis, and historical documentation, “77 Stories, One Republic” offers readers an unprecedented insights into Ghana’s democratic evolution.
Tuesday, 12th September, 2017—Akufo-Addo Redeems a Campaign Promise by Launching Free SHS Policy (p457, 458)
Fast-forward a good few years to the 2016 election of Akufo-Addo into presidential office, and the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy was launched on the 12th day September 2017, at the West Africa Senior High School – Adenta.
It was the culmination of almost a decade of activism, campaigning and imploring—and for just about as long, it had been a campaign promise which many detractors and sceptics had disparaged; they professed the FSHS policy to thoroughly be a far-fetched and impracticable vote-winning ploy, devised by a politician who had already lost one presidential election (using that same ‘one trick’ policy), and by his second election defeat, was increasingly faced with the apparent bleakness of a political career close to its ‘Best Before’ date.
And so, perhaps, it was a season of great vindication when the policy was launched by President Akufo-Addo, through Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Education Minister as he then was but later Minister for Energy, and later still, running mate of NPP Presidential candidate Dr Bawumia).
The Political, Social and Legal Drama Preceding Election 1996 (p119, 120)
Obed Asamoah himself reports that in spite of awareness of Mills’ erstwhile alleged criticism of and opposition to the NDC Government, he Obed regardless supported Mills’ candidature on account of the ‘desperation’ with which the NDC leadership had been in search of a running mate of good standing in society, and with venerable professional credentials. But the fact remains, there was quite a bit of grumbling over the selection of Mills.
Now this is where things get quite interesting because having a grasp of the graveness of the issue as it occurred, one is inclined to ponder this burning question:
What would have happened had Owusu-Acheampong and the other discontented members of NDC leadership, refused to relent in their opposition to Mills’ selection as running mate?
Imagining a world in which the Owusu-Acheampong camp had pushed unrelentingly harder for a running mate from among the cadre ranks, means imagining a Ghana wildly different from the one we know today, for the following reasons:
Independent Media, the Fourth Republic, and the Dangers Of ‘Fake News’ (p534, 535)
The inception of the Fourth Republic saw the fledgling democracy of Ghana witness a new lease on many aspects of its life, and Ghanaian living across the board. Granted, there were bumps along the way of entrenching democratic propriety and the rule of law into the fibre of the nation-but by the contributions of a vibrant political opposition, the patriotism of key national security agents, the fidelity to constitutionalism shown by many Justices of the revered Supreme Court, and last but not least, the expansion of a vibrant new broadcast and print media paradigm, Ghana has managed to carve out a democratic and developmental status worthy of the hallowed 238,537 square kilometres of her territory.
Now, in truth it would be a cardinal sin to take for granted the role of the media, as regards influencing the direction of the nation’s progress-as has occurred over the 32 years of this Fourth Republic.
The early Radio Eye (however short-lived it was) and its successors, helped pave the way for the Peace FMs, the Citi FMs, the Starr FMs, and the Original FMs of the nation today.
Print media cannot be discounted either. In summary, mainstream media as a bloc has come to be a key part of shaping the path of the nation, via its information dissemination role and with placing spotlights on various events of interest and/or importance.
The book is available for purchase in bookshops and online.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
