As a reporter for PeaceFM, one of the most common questions I get asked in Parliaments press gallery is Do you speak Akan? The truth is, understanding Ghanaian English is hard enough as I hear it in the countrys most sacred hall of legislature.
Here, with the invaluable help of my PeaceFM colleague Emmanuel Akorli, I have seen a completely different political process from what I am used to in the United States.
One of the first forms of Reality TV exists in the form of C-SPAN, an American TV station which shows government proceedings, often in real time. It is often joked about as being more boring than watching paint dry on a wall.
Ghanaian Parliament can rarely be called boring, and can often be quite entertaining. MPs regularly make grand statements, which prompt vocal response on the floor. The politicians stay active, moving around a lot to relay messages with their colleagues. The US Senate and Congress are more still, stale, and passive.
US politicians do not spend very much time squabbling on the floor with the opposition, preferring instead to attack their opponents in divisive campaign advertisements, where the opponent cannot directly defend him or herself.
July 21, 2011 was one of the most amusing days of my life as a political observer. The debate was In Parliament, several politicians weighed in on whether aircraft must be pluralized with an s or not. (The intense debate between Minority MPs and their Majority counterparts in Parliament was over governments intention to purchase five new aircraft at a cost of Euro 71 million and $105,370, 177.09).
The ordeal took 20 minutes to debate, and the MPs were the first to see the absurdity in the discussion. In American legislature, a dictionary would immediately be consulted for proper usage. Not very democratic!
I saw the members get most passionate and united about real issues facing African consciousnessthe introduction of South Sudans autonomy and the Panafest celebration in Ghana. American legislators seem to only get that worked up when tax rates must change.
Overall, I have a lot of admiration for Ghanaian Parliament. Politicians on the floor reflect the passion, awareness and sense of humor of their constituents. It would be a sad day for me to admit I am anything like an American politician!
Source: Caroline Stauss, University of Oregon Intern at PeaceFM
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