Charlotte Osei, Chairperson, Electoral Commission
Anyone who has been following the conduct of some politicians and high public officials in recent times might conclude our beloved Ghana is taking a socio-political trend we would not be proud of anymore if something is not done quickly. A good reminder is the recent judicial scandal, the delta force drama and currently the mess going on at the Electoral Commission.
From the nasty ashes of colonisation; military dictatorships, tribal troubles, underdevelopment and economic mismanagement, we have thrived as a nation to build a beautiful political culture we have been proud of - thanks to who we are as a nation, and the resolve of our unique culture to preserve peace, decency fairness and justice.
This is not to say we are there, but we can all appreciate the respect Ghana earns at home and abroad due to the ever growing strength of our institutions, and the commitments we have shown to preserve and promote peace, unity and development as a nation. However, the recent dog-eat-dog mentality and reckless public outbursts by the very leaders we assume would preserve the successes achieved are eroding our gains, and unless something is done in time we would be shooting ourselves in the foot, both home and abroad.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and her deputies are behaving like Junior High School 3 seniors, who are not emotionally ready to take up bigger mantles and build peace.
If you truly believe the recent confusion in the Electoral Commission and the ways the high officers resort to naive and culturally unacceptable ways of addressing their grievances is normal and healthy for our country's future, I cannot help you. If you see this EC situation in the lenses of NDC and NPP, I cannot help you, neither will I engage with you personally.
I am not saying there are not a couple of genuine reasons a supporter of NPP or NDC may take positions on the current EC situation. Unfortunately, this impasse is about the image and soul of our motherland, what we have painfully built over the years, the examples we are setting for young people like me, our children and our children's children. I pray we all see this as a case beyond politics and personal idiosyncrasies.
That partisan thinker or parochial analyst is not whom I am talking about. I am addressing our seasoned diplomats like my former dean, Vladimir Antwi Danso, our traditional leaders, our religious leaders, our stakeholders, objective media, the Council of State and all who genuinely care about the health of our socio-political culture to intervene now! The EC’s image should not be allowed to be irreparably damaged by leaders currently going mad.
In any case, a petition has been sent to the president, who is by law required to forward it to the Chief Justice to make a determination on the matter. We should let the law rule, and exhaust the various institutions involved in delicate matters of this nature, rather than engaging in frequent and childish rants and attacks on one another.
We should not stay aloof and see this mess metastasize. The Chairperson and her deputies should realise the Electoral institution is not their personal creation, and that they are paid by the painful tax and sweat of the pepper and palm oil seller in the streets and markets. They should wake up “right quick”! They should stop acting overly emotional and respect the rule of law and our nobility as Democratic giants.
The EC chairperson and all those involved in the media outbursts should humble themselves and realise for a minute they are serving in a very high and sensitive public capacity - which is not a chess game at all. I believe we all want a safer Ghana. We all want strong democratic institutions. We all want to trust our processes of growth and change as a nation. We all want to be proud when we talk about Ghana and her Democratic success both home and abroad.
I pray well-meaning Ghanaians and stakeholders will call the “mad dogs” to order to preserve the little respect we have left to take off from. I also pray the Officers involved in the brouhaha would find a reason to calm the storm and realise tomorrow is bust another day. We all make mistakes, we all grow.
I rest my case.
