When politics divides a nation, it is the media, civil society, religious organizations, academia and independent constitutional bodies such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and academia; that must act to hold it together.
When these institutions take sides, but pretend to be neutral, objective or independent in the operation of their mandates, they promote unobtrusive but deeper divisions and exclusions that are more difficult to deal with than the obvious ones. In Rwandan, the conditions for genocide were “nurtured” for 40 years but it took only 90 days to claim close to a million lives.
While it is true that only two political parties have governed the country under the forth republican dispensation, it is unconstitutional for any group or individual to overtly or covertly, deliberately or inadvertently, be seen to be promoting in words and or deeds a two party state, when the constitution of the republic clearly prescribes a multi-party representative democracy.
Last Tuesday, October 10 2017, the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) called on the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson, Mrs. Charlotte Osei and her two deputies to resign to allow for investigations into criminal allegations and counter criminal allegations they had made against each other in the conduct of the 2016 general elections.
The PPP made the call at a press conference to mark what the party believes to be the darkest day in Ghana’s democracy. It is recalled that on October 10, 2016, the party’s Presidential candidate, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom was wrongfully disqualified by the EC in the run up to the elections.
The misguided conduct of the EC, which the PPP believes was premeditated and orchestrated to eliminate the party from the race to make it a two horse race between the NDC and NPP, forms part of a grand agenda to make Ghana a two party state.
It may be understandable for the two parties, NDC and NPP to desire a two party state, as they would be assured of governing the country at one point or the other. However, when the independent electoral body becomes part of the conspiracy to subvert the constitution to make the country a two party state, they must be confronted in no uncertain terms.
Although the courts were called upon to right the wrong, the three weeks that the PPP’s top ticket campaign was suspended disadvantaged it beyond measure. The damage was fatal, as those who created the disqualification condition managed to convince the electorate that the PPP was out of the race. Some traditional authorities, civil society organisations, policy think tanks, academics, clergy, media and so called political analysts unfortunately followed the EC blindly in in the misguided conduct. It was indeed the darkest day in Ghana’s democracy.
I am convinced beyond measure that the current leadership of the EC do not deserve to be where they are. They have lost the moral compass and cannot under any circumstances trusted to lead the independent electoral commission. They must do the needful. Resign to save our multi-party democracy!
<<Print>>