A former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has made a passionate appeal to Parliament to enact fresh laws on electoral offences, which will see offenders face a minimum prison sentence of five years.
His proposal to the law-making body comes on the heels of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) incessant call for a fresh electoral register, which is grounded on the fact that the 2012 biometric voters’ register had been compromised, bloated and incurably flawed.
According to Professor Oquaye, a former Member of Parliament for the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, the electoral law, which should be passed early enough so it could be applied in the 2016 general elections, would serve as a deterrent to unqualified voters who would have conceived the idea of taking part in the country’s elections.
“The law can be passed easily. Anybody who knows about the work of Parliament will tell you a law can be passed in a day,” he said.
The NPP, at a press conference in August this year, made shocking revelations to the effect that there were over 70,000 foreign voters from neighbouring Togo whose names could be traced on both the Togolese and Ghanaian electoral rolls. Their finding, thus, gave rise to the call on the Electoral Commission (EC) to compile a new register.
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), the following day, held a counter-press conference, where they objected to the idea of the compilation of a new register. They, rather called for an audit, because, in their view, the 2012 register was in order.
This debate compelled pressure group Let my Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) to march to the premises of the EC, against a court directive, to push for a new register. The demonstrators reportedly defied the orders of the police, culminating in a clash. Some of them were severely beaten, while others, including the leadership, were arrested.
The Electoral Commission afterwards invited proposals from the various political parties and individuals in the country. After the deadline, 30 of such proposals were received.
Yesterday, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) invited the two main political parties in the country—NDC and NPP—to a debate as to whether to compile a new register or maintain the old one. It was under the theme “Towards Credible and Peaceful 2016 Elections: A Review of the State of Ghana’s Voters Register and the Way Forward.”
The NDC failed to show up with the excuse that the IEA was challenging and interfering in the work of the Electoral Commission.
Professor Mike Oquaye’s insistence on the need for new register, while delivering his presentation at the programme, was grounded on his belief that “cleaning the register is not possible”, and cited the mixture of gari, sugar and sand, which were to be separated, as an analogy. The impossibility in getting the desired content in such a mixture for consumption informed his decision. “What you need to do is to throw the entire thing away,” he said, adding that the old register ought to be thrown away in the same manner.
The Political Science Professor was doubtful if there was any one in the country who could give an accurate figure regarding the total number of voters on the electoral roll. “How can we allow the same institution that did the stealing to continue?” he queried.
Likening the situation to an unexamined life which was not worth living, the former legislator, accordingly, proposed a solution to “the clear unexamined life” of the voters register — “we must call for a new register.”
Dr. Ranford Gyampo, a Senior Lecturer at the Political science Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, was at the opposing end. He wondered why the NPP’s claim of foreigners being on the electoral roll could only be traced to the strongholds of the NDC. “Where is the other compelling border town evidence?” he asked.
He advised the NPP to, instead of proposing a complete overhaul of the register, beseech the EC to prune out the names of persons who registered with National Health Insurance cards. “They should also identify areas where there are problems and correct them, instead of calling for an entirely new register,” he added.
Again, Dr. Gyampo expressed pessimism about the possibility of a new register resolving the uncertainties among the various political parties. Instead, he would want them to trace the cause of the problem, which he heaped on the parties themselves. “Will a fresh register prevent political parties from engaging in their corrupt practices, such as busing aliens and minors to polling centres? A perfect voters’ register may well be utopian,” he maintained.
He also cautioned them against sitting back while they looked on to be cheated by their opponents, only for them to complain later. “Political parties must act responsibly,” he charged. His reference to responsible acts was hinged on them taking advantage of the exhibition of the voters’ register by the EC, where they could pass their complaints, adding that “the way to go here will be pruning when anomalies are realised.”
Dr. Gyampo further encouraged the parties to take advantage of fora organised by the Electoral Commission for the sake of the peace of the country. He was hopeful the platform would give them the opportunity to dialogue.
On that score, the Political Scientist invited dialogue from the political parties, and urged them to eschew holding on to entrenched positions, especially, the impasse surrounding the voters’ register, saying the arguments required thorough investigations and proof.
Minors newLawyer Samuel Atta Akyea, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, described, as needless, the Electoral Commission’s invitation of proposals from political parties. “As a referee, the EC should be able to tell by now which of the parties has a genuine case. They should stop creating unnecessary platforms for debates and discussions. This is just an exercise in futility,” he said.
According to him, the NPP had overwhelming and compelling evidence to back its claims that the voters’ register had been compromised, bloated and flawed, and could not understand why the state institution was behaving that way. “Having a constitutional body that is toothless is a recipe for disaster,” he fumed.
The Institute of Economic Affairs debate drew personalities from the various political parties in the country, among which were the flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party in the 2012 elections, Dr. Abu Sakara, former Chairperson, Samia Nkrumah, Sam Okudzeto of the NPP, and Dominic Nitiwul of the NPP, among others.
<<Print>>