Afari-Gyan bemoans politicization of issues

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday bemoaned the situation where views on important issues were almost always masked in political colours.

He said people were hardly candid in their discussions, basing their contributions on made-up political interests.

Dr. Afari-Gyan was interacting with participants at a day’s Consultative Forum on Public Elections Regulations (CI 75) in Ho.

He observed that the politicization of all issues was a big problem devaluing discussions of very serious issues.

Dr. Afari-Gyan, who is also the Commissioner responsible for the Volta Region, said a suggestion by Mr. Andrews Dodzi Adugu, Representing the Ghana Bar Association (GBA)-Volta Chapter that National Service Personnel should be trained and given positions during polls was feasible but could be viewed with suspicion by certain political parties.

He said indeed Nigeria had used National Service Persons for election duties.

Dr. Afari-Gyan said the case of a political party sounding amenable to state funding of political parties while in opposition, but coming out strongly against it while in government was a good example of the over politicization of issues.

The EC Chairman said state funding of political parties was one subject matter which needs to be discussed with the national interest being paramount, adding that, there was the need for unfettered discussions on important issues to bring progress to Ghana.

The consultative forum, facilitated by KAB Governance Consult, a good governance promoting group, was to seek views towards the reviewing of the Elections Regulations CI 75, which governs all public elections in Ghana.

Representatives of Political Parties, Faith Groups, Civil Society Organizations, Media, and Tertiary Institutions attended the forum. The forum is being organized across all the regions of the country.