Ghanaians are only asking for trouble-free elections
Ghana’s Electoral Commission has rejected the call by most opposition political parties and some civil society and religious bodies for a new voters register. The EC officially took this stand after a five-member committee appointed by the EC to look into the need or otherwise of a New Voters Register. The EC rather prefers to clean up the register when it opens up a small window In March for new registrations and other cosmetic dressing. We think the unyielding stance of the EC is unfortunate and even dangerous. Paradoxically, the EC itself has accepted the fact that the current voters register is bloated, albeit by an in- significant number. The EC must spell out the modal- ities for cleaning up the register. The onus is on the EC to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. The task of ensuring that anyone who votes is a bona fide Ghanaian falls on the EC and it is not for the political parties to see to that. The Commission was created to conduct and monitor elections. The opposition NPP claims it has unearthed over 75,000 registered names of Togolese nationals on Ghana’s Voters Register. The EC says it could not access the Voters Register of neighboring Togo and therefore could not authenticate the claim by the NPP. The EC’s reasoning is hollow. We would also want to know how the EC intends to wipe off from its register the over 241,000 Ghanaians in Foreign Service that her predecessor Dr Afari Gyan registered but could account for only 5000.
Ghana has reached a turning point and its future political stability rests squarely on a neutral, respectable, untainted, and confident EC that comes out with a credible voters register. The new EC head, Mrs. Charlotte Osei must attempt to salvage the scarred reputation of the EC. Unfortunately, thus far, she’s proven hardheaded and stubborn. No country goes to elections with a known bloated voter register, and especially as it was uncovered during the Supreme Court deliberations in 2013.
Let no one deceive themselves: the international community is keenly watching Ghana’s EC. If the country plunges into chaos after contentious elections, the EC would have itself to blame and by then the harm
might already have been done.
The mandate of the electoral commission flows from the people of Ghana but its current stance to satisfy only a section of the Ghanaian polity is not only arrogant but insidiously inappropriate. Many prominent Ghanaians, including the Christian Council of Ghana and former President John Rawlings, among others, have called for a new voters register if that could stall any violent uproar. UNICEF added its voice to the call and offered to provide any help the EC needs.
The country has so far been a haven for peace and stability in a volatile region over the years and let no
one, for personal gain or political reasons plunge Ghana into unnecessary civil strife.
… and Kwabena Donkor resigns
Power Minister Kwabena Donkor has thrown in the towel after realizing that he could not fix the dumsor after all.
It is baffling why he took the job in the first place knowing the truth of the matter does not lie with inadequate equipment but lack of cash. And President John Mahama accepted the resignation warning his ministers against promising and failing.
Donkor should have known the truth about Ghana’s energy situation being an energy expert of sorts himself. In some countries his resignation could sound his political death knell. When Donkor berated the opposition’s challenge
on the energy situation in Ghana immediately after assuming office as ‘childish and useless’ he created the impression that he had the wherewithal to deal with the situation. Next thing we heard was the power barge from Turkey where he took along a bunch of journalists to inspect the equipment already under construction. Until the barge arrived in November, Ghanaians were bombarded with the magic it was going to harness to end load shedding.by an Arab company Ameri – Africa Middle East Resources Investment – which generated a lot of disbelief among Ghanaians and which Donkor could not resist defending.
Only Dr. Kwabena Donkor knows why he could not execute the job he signed up for. Had he not arro- gantly provided a caveat for his continuous stay in office as a minister he would still be grappling with the unending situation but his mouth preceded his brains, unfortunately. We cannot sympathize with the ex-minister of power because he was too abrasive, hubristic and arrogant; and even insulting to anyone who dared inquiring how things were going. He
it was who once said “Ghanaians are too short-termish in our approach across government. We should move from short term orientation to long term, if we don’t we will keep on firefighting. What we are doing currently is pure fire- fighting.” Well, after doing his share of firefighting the fire is still raging. Need we say more?
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