Abstract
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the balance of freedom and security in Ghana’s democracy during the Covid-19 pandemic via the precautionary measures announced by the government. Ghana is considered as one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Considering the Covid-19 health crisis, via the periodic briefings of the President, this research seeks to find out if and how the President tried to strike a balance between keeping Ghanaians safe and maintaining basic freedoms. Content analysis is used to analyze the 20 speeches given by the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo, from March 2020 to March 2021 to assess the President’s choice of words regarding freedom and security. The findings indicate that, in times of the heightened security threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the President’s speeches included plentiful words of securitization. However, with the help of a detailed analysis and contextualization of the words used, the paper concludes that the President’s initiatives and directives were geared towards striking a balance between keeping Ghanaians safe and maintaining basic freedoms.
Highlights
Balance of Freedom and Security in Ghana's...Freedom and security are two concepts that live side by side
This paper explores whether Ghana falls within the category of democracies curtailing freedoms in times of extraordinary crises or whether they attempt to balance freedom and security
Another aspect of the findings, and relevant to democracy and governance, is the President’s use of religious related words, in some cases more often than words in the categories of “freedom” and “security.” One such case is the frequent usage of the word ‘God’ (44 times), in each case to invoke God’s blessings on the nation, as shown in the table below
Summary
Balance of Freedom and Security in Ghana's. Freedom and security are two concepts that live side by side. The availability of security provides the atmosphere in which freedom flourishes. An ideal situation is where balance is achieved regarding freedom and security. Philosophical and social concepts that suits this explanation is the response communitarianism, which basically draws its prime tenet on the thought that a good society is the one that carefully balances freedom and security (social order). This is achieved when pluralistic societal interests are prioritized. Freedom and security are being put to use concurrently, which is how it is often harnessed within a given society
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