For those who knew what the voters’ register was in 1992 up into 1996, till the 2000 reforms and the 2012 conspiracy that took Ghana to the brink of civil war and, finally, the posturing of Mahama’s government until its shameful exit in 2016, the new voters’ register is a redemptive bit.
In any case, what is it about the register that makes the opposition party, particularly Mahama, gripe endlessly? Is it because of the loopholes in the previous system which cadre cabals in strategic points within the Electoral Commission could take advantage of to help the National Democratic Congress fudge figures, using pens, pencils and erasers to snatch parliamentary seats and, sometimes, the presidential slot?
Credibility
Why is it taking too long a time for Mahama to understand that a credible voters’ register is a prerequisite for good governance and global recognition in which sustainable partnerships are crucial in developing and keeping abreast of the world?
Has Mahama ever bothered to find out why development grants and other forms of support from the international community were not forthcoming during the period of the 2012 Election Petition? Well, it was because the global community, which was monitoring the Supreme Court proceedings, saw through the reprehensible saga of obvious fraud that Mahama and Kwadwo Afari-Gyan were perpetrating on the nation.
Fast forward to 2017, we may also ask why the global community fell in love with the Akufo-Addo administration, if it wasn’t about his vision and commitment to applying good governance ethos in transforming Ghana, instead of the deliberately contrived disgusting informality under John Mahama, targeted at abusing Executive powers to keep power and rape our resources.
Greedy
It is even ridiculous why Mahama would ever think he could put aside policy and the rule of law to keep Ghana under his infested thumb and hope that he could sustain it by his Sledge Hammer intimidation tactics, while he built a “create, loot and share” financial empire to enable him recycle his political ambitions.
More outrageous is the manner in which Mahama and his goons ignored their responsibilities under the inclusive machinery of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and instead resorted to reckless, vigilante activity to smear the processes for the voters’ registration exercise, after citing COVID-19 protocols and threatening to scuttle the exercise.
As it is turning out, the hullaballoo about the register is only a ploy to cast a slur on the electoral process, all because independent observers have hailed the processes as tidy, at least, in arresting multiple names, by the security features, particularly with the finger print and the facial recognition systems added.
Mahama must respect his status
The temptation to let one’s hair down during campaign is overpowering, and we may excuse our politicians over slips and a moderate amount of mischief. However, it is appearing, increasingly, that Mahama is poised to get into excesses that might get him losing his privileges as a statesman.
It is the opinion of the Daily Statesman that he strives to hold his horses in spinning his top before he attracts flacks from ordinary citizens, who have the same rights as he has, in expressing their opinions in matters that affect the peace and stability of the nation.
Indeed, he should be told by his sponsors and patrons that he cannot be larger than Ghana nor his interests overshoot that of ordinary citizenry.
If, as President, he was told by the Supreme Court in 2012 that he could not put the nation to jeopardy by his self-centred application of the constitution and rule of law, he should remind himself that the same situation still holds today.
A sincere politician should be applauding the tidy work that the EC has executed, and not attempt to smear it for needless political profit.
Source: dailystatesman.com.gh
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