Protect Polls Integrity
VICE PRESIDENT Alhaji Aliu Mahama has reminded Ghanaians that as they prepare towards electing a better or best man to lead the country, they should do everything to ensure that the integrity of the December elections is without a shadow of doubt.
He said government had confidence in the electoral system to deliver fair results.
“Government is committed to this. As we stand at the threshold of a new and better Ghana, ruled by a better man or best man, we should all be committed to moving forward,” he said when he opened the 3rd Daily Graphic Dialogue at the Accra International Conference Centre yesterday.
The Dialogue, an initiative of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), was instituted in 2006 to provide a platform to highlight governance issues in Africa to help improve the quality of lives of its people.
Themed 'Effective Democratic Governance; The Role of Stakeholders,' the 2-day Dialogue is being sponsored by Finatrade, Stanbic Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank. The theme was chosen to enable the public to benefit from the thoughts of critical minds on the subject of good governance in an election year.
The Vice President, whose speech was delivered by Joe Ghartey, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, declared that come December 7, Ghana would make history with the conduct of the 5th general elections under the 4th Republic.
According to him, the independence, efficiency and integrity of Ghana's EC were not in doubt, saying that should give the populace confidence in the EC to deliver in the forthcoming elections.
He also expressed confidence in the law enforcement institutions in the country to oversee free, fair and peaceful elections.
“We have confidence in the security agencies who have demonstrated their high sense of professionalism in Ghana and abroad; we have confidence in the Judiciary who have shown that they have the capacity to resolve election disputes fairly and impartially.”
Alhaji Aliu Mahama reminded Ghanaians to recognise that, though “we may differ in views, we are all each other's keeper and for that we should be one in our commitment to free and fair elections, devoid of bitterness and acrimony”.
He said both the governed and government were equal stakeholders in ensuring good governance, adding that it was the responsibility of all to ensure that high handedness, brutality and arbitrariness were not part of the governance system.
He warned that “we may not reach perfection in our effort to ensure good governance, but we must continue to strive until our good becomes better and our better, best.”
Mr. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Information and National Orientation, noted that good governance could only succeed in an all-inclusive society, where the principles of openness, fairness and accountability prevailed.
“Government should understand that it holds power in trust of the people and therefore owe it to the people to run an open governance system.
“The deliberate hiding of information from the masses must stop,” he noted, and called on the media to adhere to the principles of good governance, especially during the forthcoming elections to ensure that the voting exercise was devoid of acrimonies.
Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Managing Director of GCGL said the Dialogue was part of Graphic's contribution to ensure democratic gains in the West African sub-region.
He said a stable democratic governance was not the sole responsibility of political parties but all and sundry.
Mr. Muhammed Musiliu, who headed a Nigerian delegation to the Dialogue, noted that Ghana and Nigeria needed to play a leading role in ensuring stability and good governance in the West African sub-region.
Ms. Margaret Mwanakatwe, Managing Director of Barclays Bank, who chaired the well-attended ceremony, stressed the need for all to play a role in ensuring good governance, saying that good governance was a national issue that should engage all and not just those at the helm of affairs.
She said Ghanaians needed to be guided by the principles of shared understanding, transparency in information flow as well as convergence and uniformity of approach in governance, bearing in mind that there was more than one good approach to governance.
Speakers at the two-day programme include Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of Electoral Commission (EC); Professor Maurice Iwu, Chairman of the Nigerian EC; Prof Vladimir Antwi Danso, Senior Research Fellow, Legon Center for International Affairs (LECIA); Emmanuel Bombandi, Executive Director, West Africa Network for Peace Building; among others.
By Sheilla Sackey