The journey to the election of new set of leadership has began but it always comes with surmountable and unsurmountable challenges which largely depends on the faith of the people in their political parties or the country .
This period comes with good people exposing their supreme faith and interest either for Ghana or their political parties. The institutions and persons whose interest has the tendencies of eroding our collective will for quality leadership includes;
1 .All traditional leadership who are dishonestly silent on the current happening in governance and the Electoral Commission.
2. The religious leadership who did very well to talk truth to powers of yesterday but today either keep quiet , justify or see hitherto abnormalities as normal .
3. The median which stood vehemently against the previous government and pointed out it’s wrongs but are now quiet and justifying what is same or even worse.
4. Former leaders of all classes who knew better but are pretending as if all is well, seeing and hearing no ills in the way currently our economy is being mismanaged.
The partisan interference in the state institutions and the influence in the discharge of their responsibilities is doing this country no better and as a country we rather stand to loose than gain.
Politicians are business minded entities and therefore practically endures anything that gives them power or retains them same regardless of the means and consequences. In this light, it becomes the responsibility of the citizen to hold these politicians in check by talking truth to POWER and not engaging in entrenched partisan tendencies.
There is an ample evidence that our process and journey to the forthcoming elections has fallen below the level Ghana has attained in democratic elections over the years but only the major opposition party is and few civil society are talking. Are we saying its only the opposition party which does not see right and that there is nothing good and right about their observations and the challenges ahead?
How can we keep quiet on issues which bothers on our collective wellbeing, peace and security yet decides only to pray for peaceful elections. If the opposition party’s observations are true and are in the supreme interest of Ghana’s democratic system of governance for free , fair and transparent elections which produces credible elections, then the rest of us are dishonest, hypocrites, enemies of Ghana and partisan bigots. We must learn to put Ghana ahead of whatever we do.
The EC was seen printing Voter ID Cards secretly without the knowledge of the key stakeholders and as Ghanaians and loyal citizens we did not put the EC to task but accepted it as normal. This is a serious breach of their mandate and is a direct recipe for elections to be disputed and to discredit the enviable electoral records Ghana has attained over the years.
The Electoral body EC, condemned the old register, its technology and the equipments. It did requested for an entirely new register , technology and new set of equipments. The nation provided the needed funding for a new register . There has been a lot of complaints and abnormalities which shouldn’t have been associated with the new register. If indeed we are happy and satisfied with the new register as true patriotic citizens then dishonesty and hypocrisy has assumed an unprecedented dimensions in our way of doing politics.
Whatever untold that befalls our elections should NOT be BLAMED squarely on the Electoral body which made mistakes either intentionally or otherwise because we dishonestly failed to point them out or supported the opposition party for crying out loud.
Sincerely, the opposition cannot be mischievous in all their observations in the compilation of the new register. The major opposition party has been in power over and over again and therefore has a fair knowledge and assessment of what a credible register should look like.
Unfortunately religious and traditional leadership, the media ,the elders and the larger Ghanaian society who cannot see beyond partisanship in everything they considers are pretending all is perfectly well.
The peace council must not preach peace but seek justice, fairness and transparency as a conduit to their task of ensuring sustainable peaceful nation and co existence for progress . Mediating peace in the mist of chaos ,violence and instability would be wasted mission. Our electoral journey should be pregnant with fairness, free engagements, transparency and justice to deliver the twins called credibility and peace.
The NON-ALIGNED VOTERS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA, NAVAG is passionately calling on all Ghanaians to begin as a matter of national interest stand up against entrenched affiliations and allegiances to political parties so that we can as a country muster the courage to talk truth to POWER and also demand nothing less than credible elections .
The peace council must immediately put up an investigative outfit within its body to look into grievances of Ghanaians at all times on all issues to enable them talk to power to ensure sustainable peace .Their mandate is enshrined in the 1992 constitution therefore they are also accountable and answerable to Ghanaians . If they fail to ensure sustainable peace through fairness ,transparency and justice , Ghanaians has the right to put them on constitutional breaches and therefore could be put before public condemnation in public court of law. They are not above the laws in the discharge of their mandates. Ensuring sustainable peace for Ghana is not preaching peace and mediating in crises, but acting with the utmost faith to ensure fairness, justice and transparency . Ghanaians would hold them accountable should the peace council fails to ensure Ghana remain peaceful and credible elections. They would loose their attention and respect in the mist of crises. The council should work tirelessly for justice .
The EC is not working for itself so its independence should not be misconstrued to self interest and above the laws of Ghana. It is set up to serve the interest of Ghana and must listen to other voices to subdue the apprehensions of mistrust and unfair electoral process. The eminent persons set up by EC should live up to their task because Ghana holds them in high esteem and therefore expects much from them.
To NAVAG, there is only one Ghana and credible elections is a conduit for PEACE AND PROGRESS which Ghana cannot sacrifice in the election 2020. We have an electoral record enviable among our peers in the continent to protect.
Signed
KWOFIE BENIBENGOR
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT.
NAVAG
0242750473.
