We Have Survived It

Ghana went to the polls yesterday from which important lessons were learnt.

It was generally smooth although a few isolated cases of misconduct were recorded.

It would appear that we have improved upon the previous polls in terms of security and general management of elections.

The Electoral Commission (EC) deserves a pat on the back for ensuring that materials required for the exercise were delivered on time.

The stories associated with the last elections have generally been confined to history and we pray that never again should we go to the polls with so much apprehension as we have this time round.

One of the challenges encountered in the management of elections in the country has always been security. Hoodlums use election time to make money.

They are available for the highest bidders who unfortunately are persons who promise to give us good governance in the country.

It is this crop of Ghanaians who cause the tension we see anytime elections are around the corner.

The young persons who have always allowed themselves to be used for dirty operations must realize that they are becoming extinct and the earlier they realized this, the better it would be for them.

With time they would discover that they would no longer be needed for the dirty missions politicians require them to do.

We feel sorry that politicians would continue to engage the youth they should be mentoring to become useful to their communities and themselves, for dirty missions.

The occasional arrest of some youth trying to snatch ballot boxes as they ignore the dangers such acts can attract to them, is a matter of concern.

Thankfully the practice would soon become a thing of the past.

Ghana did not collapse although it was appearing that we were getting to the brink, especially when players in the peace industry passed comments in the media to that effect.

Ghanaians have generally conducted themselves well and they too deserve commendation.

Many people prayed to God to see us through the testy times and these have been worth it.

Although we are not completely out of the woods, we can comfortably state that the worst is over.

Those who thought they could capitalize on the apprehensions of the people to create unnecessary trouble must be ashamed of themselves by now.

Ghana by the time the dust settles would become the winner.

Let us see elections as periods when we must consider the stewardship of our political leaders and not time to engage thugs to visit mayhem on our communities.

At this stage, those who sought to kill their compatriots who belong to different political parties should have realized how foolish they were.

Education has been helpful in all these and we must express gratitude to all those who took part in the exercise of educating the electorate on the proper ways of voting.

We have seen a marked reduction in the volume of spoilt ballot.

In previous elections, especially the 2012 one, the number of spoilt ballot was so high that it became a subject of discussion among election watchers.