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01.09.2011 Editorial

Oh No, EC!

By Daily Guide
Dr. kwadwo Afari Gyan, EC BossDr. kwadwo Afari Gyan, EC Boss
01.09.2011 LISTEN

A frosty relationship has developed between the political parties and the Electoral Commission (EC). We wish things did not turn out this way.

An important step in ensuring credible elections in any country, Ghana inclusive, depends, among other things, on the existence of a cordial relationship between the political parties and the EC.

The foregone including mutual trust between the two is critical in the management of elections in any democracy.

We pray that we are not losing this critical element which, when replaced by mistrust in the bond between the election umpire and the political parties, could spell doom for our fledgling democracy. Such a threat is too serious to be ignored and we call on all stakeholders to give the issue a thought with a view to nipping the burgeoning trouble in the bud before it becomes a behemoth.

Examples of the consequences of incredible elections due to eroded trust in election management are too many and therefore not far-fetched.

We must be guided by these and accordingly impress upon the EC to put its act together by avoiding untoward conduct in all that it does.

What transpired when the representatives of the political parties graced an invitation from the EC a few days ago provided a dangerous seed for the destruction of the bond of trust between the parties and the elections management body.

If what we have heard was true and that the representatives were required not to be probing and just behold the gadget for the biometric registration without questioning, then there is a problem.

We hear a certain undertaking of sorts was even required of them not to talk at the event. It is gladdening however to observe that the representatives declined the EC's gimmick and eventually walked out in protest.

If the EC was bent on shielding the procurement law, a breach it had committed through the acquisition of the gadget, then we ask that the law takes its course.

The EC should be the last organisation to conduct its affairs in the manner we have been told it did regarding the procurement of the gadget.

So far, we have not heard their version of the development and hope they do so as soon as possible. We, for instance, seek assurance from them regarding their ability to conduct the 2012 elections without a hitch.

The last district assembly elections were dogged with avoidable challenges. Juxtaposing that with the bad blood that now characterizes the relationship between them and the parties leaves much to be desired.

Many Ghanaians expressed disappointment when they heard about the issues raised by the parties against the EC, especially the demand that they keep quiet and abstain from asking questions. Are they mastering the skills of replacing transparency with opaqueness?

The signal which this transmits leaves many Ghanaians jittery as to whether the EC they trusted in the past years has undergone some changes.

We hope and pray that the EC proves us wrong and that there is really nothing amiss. Until it does that, we and many other Ghanaians will continue to be overwhelmed with questions of integrity regarding what is largely beginning to look like a new-face EC. At a time when the stakes are too high for a credible electoral process, things should not take this course. We are standing by to be convinced by the EC.

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