Demystify elections to reduce electoral violence - Prof. Jinadu

Accra, May 12, GNA - Professor L. Adele Jinadu, a Political Scientist from Lagos State University, Nigeria, on Wednesday called for the demystification of elections to reduce violence and acrimonious campaigning. "Elections should be portrayed as routine procedure for changing political power and not a do or die affair.use electoral rules and procedure to heal and not to fester old wounds; to bring us together and not means to divide us",

Prof. Jinadu was delivering the Second Ghana Speaks Public Lectures in Accra under the theme: "Managing Competitive Politics: The Winner Takes All Rule, Democracy and Development."

The lecture aimed at critically assessing the theory and practice of the winner-takes-all rule and its relevance to the strengthening of national cohesion and accelerated development of the country. Prof. Jinadu, a former member of National Electoral Commission of Nigeria,

called for electoral and political reforms as well as consideration of power sharing mechanisms to reduce electoral malpractices. He explained that the power sharing concept should be based on party-to-party instead of the personality-to-party system, which created a resemblance of an all inclusive government but in reality it is a personality inclusion.

Prof. Jinadu called for consideration of proportional electoral system to the winner-takes-all system which must often create problems for the African political system. However, he maintained that African politics was an unfinished business.

In his contribution to the discussion, Mr. Kwame Pianim, an Economist and a politician noted that Prof. Jinadu failed to appreciate the role of political parties and the importance of men and women of courage in the presentation.

He said Ghana had not adjudicated the 1992 Constitution but it took men and women of courage to stand up against the political system."if somebody goes to the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice and wins a case for re-instatement, leaders who have sworn to uphold the rule of law must enforce the ruling".

"If you fail to enforce the ruling, you lose the moral grounds to direct the citizens to abide by the laws of the country", he added. Mr. Pianim noted that mere constitutional and legal independence would not promote democracy.

The lecture which was chaired by Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, Member of Council of State, was attended by political party representatives, Parliamentarians, Ministers of State, Council of State, media practitioners, Public Servants, diplomatic community, traditional authorities, academia, media, civil society, private sector and other interested publics. 12 May 10