From Democracy to Idiocracy: How Ghana’s Politics Became a Playground for Corruption and Empty Promises

Every election year, millions of Ghanaians queue under the scorching sun, waiting for hours to cast their votes. They do so with hope, thus hoping that the leaders they elect will ease their burdens, deliver on promises, and secure a brighter future for the nation. Yet after more than three decades of the Fourth Republic, the story has been one of frustration, disappointment, and betrayal. What was meant to be democracy has slowly transformed into idiocracy, a system where incompetence and corruption rule, while the people pay the price.

The two dominant parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have mastered the art of promising paradise and delivering chaos. They speak eloquently on campaign platforms about jobs, education, industrialisation, healthcare, and economic revival. Above all, they posture as warriors against corruption. But once in office, their battle cries fade into whispers. Corruption not only survives; it thrives. Instead of fighting it, our leaders succumb to it, leaving office with more scandals than the ones they vowed to eradicate.

What is worse is the culture of political equalisation. Every time a scandal erupts, the guilty camp points fingers backwards: “The other party did worse when they were in power.” This lazy excuse-making has become the norm. Wrongdoing is no longer measured against the law or the public good, but against the failures of predecessors. By this warped logic, governance is not about serving citizens; it is about outdoing one’s rivals in looting while justifying it with history.

But perhaps the most tragic element of Ghana’s slide into idiocracy is the complicity of the youth. Instead of standing up against corruption and demanding accountability, too many young people choose blind loyalty to party colours. They flood the streets in “solidarity” with party bigwigs accused of wrongdoing. They defend indefensible actions on the radio and social media, and they insult anyone who dares to criticise their leaders. In doing so, they betray their own future, reducing themselves to pawns in a cynical political game.

Let us not deceive ourselves. Very few of our politicians act in the national interest. For most, politics has become a business, perhaps the most lucrative business in Ghana today. It is no accident that professionals from medicine, law, academia, and business abandon their careers to chase political office. Once they secure appointments, they enrich themselves, their families, and their cronies, while ordinary citizens sink deeper into poverty. Public service has become a euphemism for self-service.

And why not? They know nothing will happen to them. Accountability is a mirage. Even when leaders are exposed for corruption or incompetence, there are no real consequences. They leave office comfortably, only to resurface later as “elder statesmen” dispensing advice to the same citizens they failed. This culture of impunity emboldens the next crop of politicians to continue looting with confidence, knowing the cycle will protect them too.

The painful truth is that we are no longer living in a true democracy. Democracy is not just about holding elections; it is about accountability, justice, and service to the people. Today, what we have is a hollow shell, an empty performance every four years followed by misrule, corruption, and excuses. This is not a democracy. It is idiocracy: rule by leaders who squander opportunities, silence critics with propaganda, and reduce governance to a competition in failure.

Ghanaians deserve better. We deserve leaders who view politics as service, not as a jackpot. We deserve citizens who can see beyond party colours and defend the national interest. If we continue on this path, cheering corruption, excusing scandals, and tolerating impunity and we will not only destroy our democracy, but also mortgage our future.

The choice is ours. We either keep living under an idiocracy that serves politicians, or rise and reclaim a democracy that serves the people.

Ghanaians are watching!

FAB's Gist.