TORNADO- WHAT THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION’S DECISION REVEALS

Charlotte Osei Ghana's astute Electoral Commissioner

By Dora Addy

It is a not a grave error, but rather an interplay of boldness and a daring spirit seldom unfounded among public officials. It’s a pure patriotic act.

The disqualification of fourteen presidential aspirants in this year’s general elections was widely received with surprise from all spectrums. The debate is still on course, as to whether the presidential aspirants were aware of the conditions surrounding their disqualification from the race to the Jubilee House.

The general atmosphere surrounding this news has nonetheless created a lot of respect for the Electoral Commission; creating for it a new level of soundness and somewhat helped to remove the … that has beset it.

The EC has been vilified on many levels; the change of its logo to a more complex symbol, its stubborn choice to admit NHIS card holders into the EC register, among other things,  and is under the constant gaze of society, especially at the coming of this year’s general elections.

Although not spared from constant public lashing and checks, the EC has always come out with bold answers to some of its decisions, and assured Ghanaians to continue to uphold the trust placed upon it.

Now, considering its recent decision to disqualify fourteen presidential aspirants was another overwhelming decision; everyone is amazed at the sudden turn of events, and the affected parties must be more traumatized.

How the EC managed to nail fourteen presidential hopefuls of various irregularities during filing processes is a bit disturbing for many party followers, it is quite an impressive feat.

This news has brought mixed feelings, and thankfully there has not been any incidence of violence. History has been made. While a few contenders remain, we must come to realize the lessons this decision leaves.

THE RULE OF LAW

This is a case of victory. Once again, Ghanaians are allowing the law to work, instead of resorting to their own personal decisions and hitting the roads with some war chants and ravings, most of the disqualified presidential hopefuls have resorted to the courts to have their cases settled amicably.

APC Candidate Ayariga dropped from race

I am very sure this news of disqualifying presidential hopefuls would have brought about a lot of confusion elsewhere on the continent. It is very common to find political aspirants inciting violence when events do not turn out as planned. Especially in those countries where people feel the need for a change of government, political violence would have been the precursor to the general elections.

In Africa, many of its civil conflicts have been started through political misunderstandings. In Gabon presently, there is a scuffle as to who should become president, even after elections.

Despite a court’s ruling on Ali Bongo’s win, the opposition leader, Jean Ping, would not respect the decisions of the court, and has asked his supporters to ‘remain vigilant and mobilized’. The opposition leader has incited his supporters to believe that the court’s ruling was simply ‘unjust’.

Violent protests have followed after the court’s ruling.

The rule of law connotes the obedience of the law; and in this instance, to keep the peace and resort to peaceful settlement of all disputes.

CIVIL MATURITY

Some people simply refer to Ghanaians as ‘timid’ people, because of our love for peace and deep seated hospitality; but really, it is a huge sense of maturity that has kept us going and has separated us from the rest.

Ghanaians are not timid people; it is only a misinterpretation of what we have practiced over the years and has stuck with us; the true value of respect of each other’s views and non-violence approach to resolving differences.

SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION

Article 1 (2) of the 1992 Constitution states ‘ This Constitution shall be the supreme law of Ghana and any other law found to be inconsistent with any provision of this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.’

The highest law of the land, the constitution, has been upheld and exercised over the matter of disqualification of presidential aspirants.

Wherever a country’s constitution is subverted, there is said to be civil unrest, but thankfully such was not the case in the country.

Even during the 2012 elections which were contested in the courts after the decision of the Electoral Commission, the two parties still resorted to the Constitution, and the court’s decisions were adhered to after pronouncement of judgment.

THE POWER OF THE TWO PARTY POLITICAL SYSTEM

Although the country is a multi-party country, Ghana still practices the two- party political system, where only two parties are recognized as the focal point to choose from the whole lot.

You could easily find excitement on the faces many others in the country. Hear the comments of people who assert that, this action by the EC in no way undermines anything, because those fourteen political parties were just on the scene to fill the gaps, and there was no way they would win power!

PNC Presidential Candidate Dr Edward Mahama, also dropped 

This system has the ability to undermine democracy to some extent. Although the two parties are top choice of the people, there is also an assertion that the others cannot exist and have anything meaningful in the terrain of national development.

Who pays attention to these parties that were disqualified?

Refusing to have any dealings with other political parties is a confrontation on our ability to assess and choose correctly. We need not choose political parties in such a manner. Paying attention to other parties affords one to learn more. Listen to manifestoes they present, and you would discover that they may have the solutions that we all need.

The two-party system polarizes the country on the need to have a flourishing democracy where other parties can also have the chance to make decisions; refreshing presence is much needed too. But this system only allows for the same kinds of political characters and cadres.

It also creates division in through the creation of supporters. Whenever violence sparks during elections, it is supporters who are involved owing to the variances in ideologies.

Listen to comments being passed; people are over-joyed at the disqualification of these parties. Would any of the two main parties had been qualified if they had faulted too? The spirit of the two-party system reigns supreme in Ghana.

A DEBACLE OF IRREGULARITIES

Until the cancellation of the documents of these fourteen aspirants, nobody really knew for sure if there have been previous cases in the history general elections, which have been overlooked.

PPP Candidate Kwesi Nduom, saved by the court, will contest

There were such irregularities as fraudulent signatures, absence of required number of signatures, improper filing of nomination forms, among other faults discovered by the EC.

This punishment would always serve as a deterrent for future elections; that if people have lost such a great opportunity to run for public office, others would be more careful the next time around.

The discovery and pinning of these irregularities undermine the quality of electioneering in Ghana, and so a strict correction and punishment of offenders is only one way of underscoring the importance of applying strict measures to document filling and presentation.

Wrongs have been corrected, but painfully for these hopefuls.

The presidential office is a lofty one, and should not be taken for granted.

LOOKING FORWARD WITH VERVE

Who said Ghanaians cannot move on? Life will go on as much as it used to. People will get over the trauma, and while majority opt for the two-party political system, most people do not care much about the fate of the other parties.

It is hoped that all will learn from this bitter experience, and grant excellence to document filling. While Ghanaians also learn some of these painful experiences, we would continue to embrace and respect democracy as we have always done.

We have remained matured over the years, and should continue on the journey.

CHARLOTTE OSEI SPEAKS OUT

Charlotte Osei, Electorial Commissioner of Ghana

The Electoral Commission, Ghana has rolled out major internal reforms aimed at strengthening the institution to better deliver on its constitutional mandate. 

The reforms include a new 5-year strategic plan, a redefined corporate vision and mission, new brand identity, new corporate values, and organizational structure.

These were revealed by the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs. Charlotte Osei on Tuesday April 26, 2016 at the launch of the Commission’s strategic plan in Accra.

According to Mrs. Osei, the process towards the development of the new strategic plan and the accompanying reforms began in September 2014 when the Commission, through its former Chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, requested the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist the EC in the conduct of a comprehensive needs assessment of the Commission towards the development of a new strategic plan.

She said since 2015, the consultants who worked on the needs assessment have consulted with the various stakeholders, including political parties, national governance institutions, CSOs, Development Partners, the EC Commissioners and staff, resulting in the submission of their final report on the exercise in October 2015.

She noted that the final assessment report of the Consultants called for strengthening the internal working machinery of the Commission to better support its mandate and vision for 2020.“This formed the basis for the preparation of the Strategic Plan”, she added.

Among the many structural changes being implemented by the EC are:

1.       The creation of a legal department to manage compliance, provide advisory support, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services and oversee relationships with strategic partners.

2.      Separation of Human Resources from administrative services. This is to strengthen the focus on HR, performance management, improve internal stakeholder engagement, training and career advancement.

3.      A new department for Administration and Internal Coordination, to improve administrative oversight and flow of work within the head office departments, and between regional offices and head office.

4.      A new structure for managing third party/fee for service elections and renewed focus on Internally Generated Funds - management, oversight, procedures.

5.      The office of Electoral Services has been expanded to include elections, regulation of political parties and voter registration services.

6.      A move away from Public Affairs to a restructured Communications Department to oversee expanded platforms for more efficient and proactive stakeholder engagement and voter education.

7.      Ghana’s selection as the permanent secretariat of AAEA also required a renewed focus on the role of the commission within the continental context and how we can leverage that responsibility into a key asset for the Commission.

8.     A more interactive, user-friendly and modern online presence through the Commission’s new website, with a better social media presence and engagement to serve the people of Ghana better.

Editorial

THE EMPLOYMENT PROBLEM

It has become increasing clear that the unwritten contract between school leavers and the government is no longer tenable.

For a long time, the understanding appeared to be that after successfully completing school, school leavers will be absorbed by the government or any of its agencies. In truth this assumption came under severe test when governments found it difficult to absorb the then officially recognized school leavers with the standard seven School leaving certificates.

Some went on to train as plumbers and crafts persons of various types, but secondary school education still appeared like the real deal as if offered successful leavers salaried government jobs with pension and other benefits.

This lasted for a while but was soon replaced by university education. Because this has been long sought after, parents continued to invest in it even when the signs were becoming clear that this too was not a permanent solution to the problem of unemployment.

Now the word appears to be skills and specialized training but here too, there are bottlenecks. There are reports of thousands of qualified nurses failing to land jobs, years after completing their education. Although nurses are still needed, it is obvious that Government is finding difficult to obtain the resources to employ them.

It should be obvious to all by now that we are aiming at a moveable target. Part of the difficulty is having a clear vision of the kind of country we want to build. This is not the same as saying we want to be middle income by such and such a date. That is not very meaningful.

As a people we will always need goods and services but matching these with our level of skills or developing the right skills to provide what is needed, is the hard part. This needs to be done also taking into account global developments while aiming for a society that strives to at least provide the minimum basics for dignified life for all its citizens.

THOUGHTS OF A MYSTERIOUS MAN

Charlotte Osei, Electoral Commissioner of Ghana

With Ebow Duncan

POOR AUNTIE CHARLOTTE

Just put yourself in the place of Mrs Charlotte Osei, the chairperson of the National Electoral Commission and see how it feels.

Since this woman was appointed she has known no peace because some people for their own political purposes have decided that they will make her as uncomfortable as possible.

There is even a former First Lady who went to the extent of challenging her qualification for the job.

This former First Lady claims that Auntie Charlotte is not even a Ghanaian and that her true nationality is Nigerian.

The sad part of the story is that Charlotte Osei is not being attacked because she has done something wrong or that there is any real evidence of her bias for any political party.

One of the main reasons for all the attacks on her is that some personalities and political parties are manufacturing excuses for their defeat in the 2016 elections even before the elections are held.

In their warped minds, they think that , if they can keep the propaganda against Auntie Charlotte going then at the end of the elections, it becomes easier to blame their loss on imagined bias of the chair of the Electoral Commission.

The other reason is that they believe that the sustained attacks on Charlotte Osei would make her jittery and compel her to make mistakes which they can then capitalize upon in their demonization crusade.

Now they have even come to the point when all decisions of the Electoral Commission are deliberately attributed to her in spite of the fact that she is only one of seven Commissioners.

As for the propaganda on the voters’ register, it is laughable.

The main argument of the anti-Charlotte crusaders is that the voters’ register is bloated and therefore we need a new one for credible elections in November.

Fine, everybody agrees that the register is bloated and there is no debate on that score. We can all also agree on the fact that since the register was compiled many people whose names remain on the register have died.

The problem however is how do we remove these names from the register?

All the new registers we have compiled since 1992 have been bloated and it is possible that if we compile a new one today it will also be bloated.

Some experts have come up with a process for cleaning the new register called “validation” and everybody seems to agree that it is the way to go.

But the issue which has come up is when do we do the validation? Should it be after the limited registration exercise or before then?

If the validation is done now what will happen after the limited registration exercise, especially if that also leads to a bloating of the register?

In any case, Ghana is now doing biometric voting, which means that names on a bloated register are useless because they cannot be used to cast ballots without corresponding biometric features.

Poor Auntie Charlotte, it is obvious that her detractors will continue to pounce on her whether she does good or bad.

It is hoped that she will have the fortitude to hang on to the job and serve her nation in spite of these empty noises from very destructive throats.

YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK; Claims Three Lives

A yellow fever patient

At least three people have been killed in the latest outbreak of yellow fever in the West Gonja District in the Northern Region.

Twelve more people are said to be suffering from the disease in the area.

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It can kill up to 50 percent of victims if adequate treatment is not administered.

The Health Ministry has said in a statement that the public must be wary when travelling to the Northern Regional District.

The ministry says the disease comes with fever, jaundice, muscle pain with prominent backache, and headache.

There may also be bleeding tendencies.

Symptoms appear after an incubation period of 3 to 6 days following the bite of the mosquito.

The Health Ministry has advised that people showing symptoms must report to the nearest health facility.

Public Relations Manager of the Health Ministry, Tony Goodman, says efforts to contain the disease are on course.

“We have officers there [West Gonja] trying to do public education. We are also making sure that the needed resources are supplied,” he said.

Meanwhile, a meningitis outbreak in the Tain district of the Brong Ahafo Region has also so far killed nine people with 30 cases reported.

According to Mr. Goodman the disease in the Tain district is also under control.

“For about two weeks now for the meningitis we have not recorded any new cases,” Mr Goodman said.

Editorial

We can’t continue like that

The comment by head of the Ghana Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei in an interview on Star FM, that she sometimes wishes she had not taken the EC jobs is understandable given that barrage of accusations and allegations that have been made against her.

But it is also a comment that should make all of us reflect on how we are building the nation.  We are creating a situation where it becomes difficult to find top officials who only want to serve the public in a non-partisan manner.

It was not too long ago that Mr Kwadwo Afari-Djan, Mrs Osei’s predecessor, was subjected to myriad accusations and allegations, none of which was backed by any verifiable evidence.

When Mr Afari Djan decided to bow out after reaching the statutory retirement age for his position, many thought his successor would be spared the wicked attacks, at least, before she gets the chance to supervise a general election.

But that was no to be.

Soon after her appointment had been announced, the rumour mill went into full gear conjecturing up special reasons for her appointment as the EC boss.

Things got worse when the country’s major opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claimed that the country’s voter register was faulty.

Somehow Mrs Osei’s expected duty was to accept the NPP’s allegations and order for a new voters’ register.

Asking for respecting personalities to investigate the allegations, as she did, has earned her the wrath of some who claim she is biased.

In such an atmosphere when taking reasonable steps to resolve issues becomes contentious, it becomes easy to understand why the EC boss will occasionally have doubts on whether she was wrong in accepting the job.

Thankfully, she says she will soldier on because she sees the need to rise up to the task.

The question for those who delight in making the atmosphere difficult for public servants with various unproven allegations is how impossible they are making it for anyone to function for the good of the nation without partisan considerations.