Probe background of political office seekers - NCCE

Accra, May 2, GNA - The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Friday called on the electorate to probe the background of all political office seekers in order to keep away people with dubious characters from the nation's governance. "In a democratic arrangement, elections provide the vehicle for the periodic 'mortgage' of the sovereign will of the people into the hands of government," Mr Kwame Opoku-Afriyie, a Commission Member of the NCCE, said in Accra. "It is also our duty, in this regard, to study the manifestos and policies that may be put before us by the various political parties to ensure that the party with humane policies for accelerated development wins the elections."

Mr. Opoku-Afriyie said this at a civic education lecture organized by NCCE for the Ghana Police Service as part of activities marking the 8th National Constitution Week celebration. He said the objectives and principles underlying the political parties' manifestos and policies must be known in good time, so that the electorate will equitably and fairly scrutinize it at all times to provide the right atmosphere for critical decisions such as choosing national political leaders. He said a vibrant and meaningful democracy would ensure that the right structures existed and the political parties functioned effectively to facilitate both vertical and horizontal relationship, flow of information, ideas and opinions growth and expansion of structural and human capacity potentials. He explained that candidates seeking political office would give promises that were, most times, not honoured or fulfilled.

"Most promises are either beyond and/or outside their capabilities and capacities completely. Once elected most of these Members of Parliament find it difficult to consult with their constituents before they go to the house to contribute in making laws or taking decisions that affect the people they represent. "They equally find it difficult to carry the decisions back to them, as a feedback mechanism. A gap, therefore, seems to exist between the rulers and the ruled, a situation that does not help in the growth of a vibrant democracy," Mr Opoku-Afriyie stated. It is this gap that the theme for this year's Constitution Week, "The Sovereign Will of the People and Election 2008," attempts to address in the face of elections whose aim is to afford the citizens the opportunity to elect their political leaders.

"Election is considered by many people, especially the contesting political parties, as crucial and critical. Indeed while it may be crucial for the political parties as they fight for power to enable them to rule, it is critical for the nation as the outcome would determine the momentum of the country's democratic agenda," he noted. He therefore called on the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to complement the effort of the NCCE and other democratic institutions to protect constitutional provisions that place the sovereignty of Ghana in the hands of the people.

Mama Adokuwa Asigble IV, Queen mother of Tefle Traditional Area and also a Member of the Commission, said the efforts of the NCCE and many other bodies in the area of civic or citizenship education had helped to nurture, deepen and develop constitutional democracy. She said, in spite of that there still existed certain deficiencies called democracy gaps. These are lapses and shortcomings in the behaviour of citizens or institutions of state. "Democracy gaps also include weaknesses in the socio-political system that tend to undermine the development of democracy in a country," she said and called for a concerted effort of democratic institutions to remove the gap.

Mama Asigble called on all stakeholders to follow the process of election with the vigilance it deserved. "But in so doing, we should also exercise restraint and avoid any actions and omissions that can lead to any form of disturbance." She said election disputes may emerge, but they should not be allowed to degenerate into threats to peace. "We have had instances of disputed election results and the institutions in place in this country have been able to resolve them peacefully. "We should also have every confidence in the Electoral Commission to manage the election process to a peaceful end. The EC has done it before, four times in the past. It has been possible because the people of Ghana believed in the EC and the other agencies involved in the election process."