Elections 2012: The Ghana Police and Politicians

We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections. - John Adams the Second President of the United States of America

Ghana's elections in December 2012 will mark the sixth consecutive presidential and parliamentary elections since Ghana returned to democratic rule in 1992. Although the 2008 elections were generally acclaimed as free and fair, the reality is that some violent incidents did occur, a trend that seems to be characterizing elections in Ghana and Africa in general. Subsequent electoral violence in Akwatia and the by-elections in Atiwa and Chereponi suggest that there is a likelihood of similar occurrences in the coming elections in December. In fact, clashes between members of the two main political parties and the spates of violence that characterized the biometric registration exercise buttress this. In this context, this article seeks to call attention to the importance of promoting peace before, during and after the 2012 elections by increasing awareness among stakeholders of their role in maintaining peaceful elections as a prerequisite for development. This appeal is particularly directed to the Ghana Police, which as the law enforcement agency of the country has a vital role to play to ensure violence free elections come December 7, 2012.

The Ghana Police keep assuring Ghanaians that they are ready to ensure peaceful elections in December, yet in the view of the public, the police are perceived as not being very reliable in the manner they handle violence associated with electoral exercises.

According to a Daily Guide news article, on Sunday 14th October 2012, about twenty fully armed men mounted a roadblock and stopped one of the campaign vehicles of the officially elected parliamentary candidate for the NDC, Andrew Okaikoi, at the Okaikoi North constituency. Mr Okaikoi confirmed in a personal phone conversation that the driver of the vehicle was pulled out of the car and was beaten with blocks in broad day light. According to him not a single arrest has been made as at Thursday 18th October 2012.

Similarly in March this year, seven men riding motorbikes raided the Ahenboborano polling centre and seized the equipment of the Electoral Commission during the national biometric voter registration exercise. A news report by myjoyonline, informed that a police officer took action and actually intended to bring the perpetrators to justice, but, unfortunately, his actions were severely compromised by another officer saying the officer had no right to undertake that directive. In all these, the public are dismayed by the delayed reaction of the police to put the said lawbreakers to justice.

Examples from other West African elections give reasons for concern as well. The Nigerian Police Watch reported how in neighboring Nigeria, the police aided underage voting and other irregularities in Sokoto Governorship election. The Togolese Afriquejet reported how four police officers attacked the home of opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre of the National Alliance Change. With all these stories in mind, the Ghanaian public is becoming worried that some police officers could turn a blind eye to wrong doings in exchange for patronage from unscrupulous politicians.

I appeal to the police administration to make adequate security preparations for all the impending political rallies and particularly to not discriminate or be biased towards any political groupings. The Police service should do everything within its power and means to protect the people of Ghana by effectively and efficiently discharging its duties under the Constitution without fear or favour.

Having said this, the Ghana Police, while undertaking their duties before, during, and after the elections, should not subject suspected lawbreakers to excessive force.

While electoral violence is sometimes unforeseen, politicians can also purposefully incite violence or play up societal divisions thereby increasing the chances of conflict, if it serves their interests. For example, politicians might attempt to suppress voter turnout by employing or threatening violence, which has been shown to significantly prevent participation in elections. Consequently, greater attention must be paid to the mitigating role of political party leaders, who can discourage their followers from engaging in violence and instead promote peaceful elections. In the 2007 presidential runoff in Sierra Leone, for example, the leaders of the two major political parties signed a peace communiqué in the week prior to the elections in an effort to calm rising tensions ahead of the vote. The communiqué sent a clear message to both parties' members that they were committed to nonviolence, which is thought to have had a positive influence on the largely peaceful elections that followed.

In seeking peaceful elections, the use of hate speech or threatening language by politicians must be guarded against. Language is perhaps the most powerful political weapon for politicians. Politicians use all kinds of strategies, ranging from unbelievable promises to insulting, threatening, or demeaning their opponents, to get elected.

I call on politicians to propagate peace at their various campaigns by not resorting to hate speech or insults since this is likely to spark tension and lead to mayhem. If a tense situation arises, then the police may have to resort to use of force and civilians may be hurt. Whatever tactics are employed, the choice of language of our politicians has a substantial impact on the electoral process. It sets the tone for a peaceful or violent election.

Ghana is less than two months away from elections. There will be towering expectations within the country and from the outside world. I believe that it takes, and will take, all involved – the police, civil society, state institutions and politicians to ensure effective security and a peaceful electoral process. It is also hoped that members of the public will obey the electoral laws and not take the law into their hands. But it must be remembered that the primary duty rests with the government and politicians who set the larger tone, and the police as the front liner, to ensure the elections progress freely, fairly, and most importantly, without violence.

JOSEPH KINGHAM OCHILL
ADMINISTRATIVE AND ACCOUNTS OFFICER
COMMONWEALTH HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE, AFRICA OFFICE