After creating an uproar with the grading of Ghana’s Members of Parliament last year and subsequently being invited to the august House, Africawatch, an independent international news magazine, is set to release its second Political Performance Index (PPI) for Ghanaian politicians, on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
Indications are that the second PPI, which is an expansion over the report released in October last year, is set to generate even more ripples in Ghanaian political circles when it is released next Tuesday, if the furore created by the grading of some politicians ‘F’ last year is anything to go by.
According to a press release announcing the latest index, the 2011 PPI covers every major political figure in the country, and giving every single one of them a grade that answers the question: From A to F, how are Ghanaian politicians performing?
Besides the president and vice president, it will include all ministers of state, as well as deputy ministers and regional ministers. Also, the speaker and all members of Parliament receive a grade, and the index expansion now even covers executives of political parties that have representation in Parliament, as well as presidential candidates.
This year’s Political Performance Index assigns a total of 309 letter grades to Ghanaian politicians, according to the magazine.
It states that of that number, only one official received an ‘A’ rating while 18 received the lowest-possible grade of F.
Eight on the other hand, received an ‘A-’, nine officials earned a B+ ranking, while 32 were awarded a ‘B’ and 25 a ‘B-.’ Moving down the list, 60 earned a ‘C+’, while 59 merited a ‘C’ and 39 a ‘C-‘. Near the bottom of the list were 40 politicians who found themselves with a ‘D+’ and 18 with a ‘D’.
Explaining the rational of the exercise, Africawatch Editor, Steve Mallory, said “The PPI gives Ghanaians a dependable way of knowing which officials were working hard on their behalf – and which weren’t,” adding, “It is an important step in the development of Ghana’s fledgling democracy.”
“The index performs that monitoring duty. It ensures that Ghanaian politicians – entrusted with the destiny of the nation – are no longer allowed to rest on past laurels, mouthing platitudes. The index holds officials accountable to the people who elected them,” he added.
Stressing that “To have a strong and effective democracy in Ghana all aspects of governance in the country must be improved, the Africawatch Editor said “People must feel that their elected officials truly represent them – This index can be part of that, of making a stronger democracy.”
He opines that “The public scrutiny provided by the Political Performance Index can raise the bar for political officials,” make them listen more carefully, try that much harder, and may even lift their own personal and professional standards, which will then improve their political performance.”
If this Political Performance Index can invite fuller participation in national affairs, by informing and encouraging people to become more directly involved with their elected officials, then it is helping make democracy more meaningful in the nation of Ghana, the editor contends.
By Edmund Smith-Asante
PLS WHERE IS DE FULL LIST FOR 2011