<<Print>>

President John Dramani Mahama has mocked opposition New Patriotic Party continuous reference to “Ghanaians say…, Ghanaians want…, Ghanaians are demanding… etc.,” insisting, it is a distraction by leaders of the biggest opposition party anytime they want to make demands intended to enhance their political fortunes.

Obviously disappointed by this conduct by the NPP, President Mahama could not fathom why functionaries of the main opposition party cannot make their own demands but always package it to seem as though that was the request of majority of Ghanaians.

Speaking in the Upper East region as part of his #Changing Lives and Transforming Ghana Campaign Tour, the president questioned the NPP’s customary cliché of “Ghanaians wants this…Ghanaians are demanding that, Ghanaians say…” describing it as disingenuous since in most cases, it does not represent the facts and views of Ghanaians on the ground.
“And they (NPP) have a penchant to speak on behalf of Ghanaians, you (NPP) lost the last election; how can you be saying Ghanaians want this? Which Ghanaians are you talking about? We (NDC) own the majority in this country. We can speak on behalf of Ghanaians, but anytime they (NPP) put a statement and the media panders to them…anytime they (NPP) put a statement they say it’s the majority…so they are interviewing the General Secretary… the say ooh why don’t you want a new voter register, Ghanaians want a new voter register. Who are Ghanaians? Ooh so NDC people are not Ghanaians! We won the majority in this country we can say that Ghanaians want this and so patapaa is not going to have their way,” he stated.

Reminding them that the ruling National Democratic Congress has the majority, at least going by results of the last elections, President Mahama said it cannot be true that NPP’s call for a new register for the 2016 election does represent the views of the generality of Ghanaians.

He said, the position taken by the NPP on the voter register could best be described as “Patapaa’’ which literally means the use of undue force to get what you want.

He noted “Ghanaians are discerning and it is not right for our democracy that you have a party that claims to be democratic but in everything claim that it is only my way or no way. That is not democracy. In twi democracy means kabimamenkabi amamuo; it means you say some I too say some. That is how democracy is built. It’s by saying some and saying some that we reach a consensus. But you say it is only my way or no way. If you don’t take my way then this country will burn; this country will never burn.

“In our local language that is what we call patapaa. Every family has the patapaa person but it comes to a time when you have to stand to the patapaa person and say hey my friend you won’t have your way and so it’s not their (NPP) way or no way. It is the duty of the Electoral Commission to decide on voter registers and we must have respect for the institutions of democracy,” the President stated.

He added: “If we don’t respect the institutions of democracy, then we have no democracy. And so we all wrote into the Constitution that we shall have an independent electoral commission. NDC is a democratic party, and we shall abide by the principles of democracy and respect anything the commission says and we will win the 2016 election (God willingly)”.

The opposition NPP and its rainbow pressure group, Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVC), have been at the forefront of the call for a new register claiming that the existing one is compromised and unfit for next year’s elections.

Among the allegations the NPP raised are the existence of minors on the register, over 76, 000 Togolese nationals on the register, use of scanned pictures on the register and edited photos among others.

In order to consolidate their demand for a new voter register, communicators and senior members of the NPP have persistently been quoted saying ‘Ghanaians’ have unanimously agreed to the replacement of the existing voter register and, have since been putting pressure on the Electoral Commission to acquiesce to their demands, sometimes, using violent demonstrations and intimidation.

However, President Mahama noted that the Electoral Commission as a body should be respected to discharge its mandate because ‘’It is the duty of the Electoral Commission to decide on voters registers, and we must have respect for the institution of democracy because If we don’t respect the institutions of democracy, then we have no democracy.

“…and so we all wrote into the constitution that we shall have an independent electoral commission. NDC is a democratic party and we shall abide by the principles of democracy and respect anything the commission says and we will win the 2016 election”.