EC MUST NOT FAIL

PRESIDENT J. A. Kufuor took the salute at yesterday’s national parade of the security agencies and schoolchildren at the Independence Square to mark Ghana’s 51st independence anniversary, with a call on the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct the December general election so credibly that the outcome would be acceptable to all contesting parties and the electorate.
Stressing his resolve to hand over a united and peaceful country to his successor, the President said, “I call on the commission to referee the electoral proceedings, including registration, voting, counting and declaration of results, with impartiality, neutrality and transparent honesty to make the contesting parties and the electorate feel proud of the outcome, win or lose.”
This, coming from the Father of the Nation, must bring the best out of the EC and that alone should assure everybody that the commission cannot afford to dither.
We at the DAILY GRAPHIC are happy that all the stakeholders in Election 2008 are raising concerns and expressing their opinion on how to get the EC to do a credible job in December.
The President’s call on the EC, coming on the heels of the cacophony of noises that greeted the alleged bloated voters register in the Ashanti Region and the assurance by the EC to get to the bottom of the matter, should reassure all that the integrity of the 2008 elections will be protected.
But we will be the first to admit that the rhetoric alone will not be enough. All the interested parties must walk the talk, for it is said that example is better than precept.
The EC has already given notice of replacing lost voter ID cards of registered voters and registering those who have turned 18. The register itself will be put on display some time before the elections for everybody to scrutinise it and raise concerns over it.
As the DAILY GRAPHIC has said time and again, the performance of the EC since 1992 makes it a very credible institution. No doubt it is the reference point for elections on the continent and even beyond.
But the commission alone cannot protect the integrity of its elections. That is why we believe that the electorate should make it its bounden duty to police the system and processes to guarantee credible elections and their outcome.
In that vein, we counsel all to support the EC in its endeavours, instead of crying wolf at the least sign of an infraction. After all, the only way to economic progress in any society is through unity, stability and peaceful co-existence based on respect for rules and regulations.
What should be obvious to all by now is that if those who want power in order to better the lives of the people incite the same people to violence, leading to anarchy, loss of lives and property, there will be no united country to rule if they get that power.
Many examples of politicians inciting people to violence, as a result of disputed election results, abound in Africa and particularly the sub-region. That is why those who raise concerns over election matters should be circumspect, lest they create havoc in the country.
We all know how crucial the December elections are, meaning that tension will heighten in the run up to the polls, since power to rule the country is at stake. But we believe that this should not lead to the spillage of even a drop of blood.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, like all well-meaning Ghanaians, is hopeful that the EC will rise to the occasion and that Ghana will make history once again by holding a successful fifth election in succession to position the country well for it to make the giant strides towards attaining a middle-income status in the next decade.