GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS, EC!

THE basis of any credible election is an acceptable voters’ register, a register which all the players in that election will have trust and confidence in.
All over the world, elections have become crucial because they are the bases upon which politicians exercise political power and authority.
Significantly, elections are also the causes of nations being torn apart as a result of disputes that arise from their results, the latest case being Kenya, where the conflict that resulted from the disputed December elections has just been resolved.
That is why many peace-loving citizens of this country and even beyond must have expressed alarm at the bombshell first thrown into our body politic by some newspapers and social commentators and echoed by the flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Atta Mills, that the voters’ register in 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region was over-bloated.
Speaking at a rally in Cape Coast at the weekend, Prof. Mills said, “It is very ridiculous for the figures to change tremendously in that particular region two years after a general election. Are those living there manufacturing human beings or they are ghosts from somewhere?”
A casual glance at the figures being bandied around indicates that the increases are over 100 per cent, making them unusual.
But the DAILY GRAPHIC feels that this matter should have been put in the public domain only after the figures had been authenticated by those who, through whatever means, laid hands on them.
The refreshing thing, however, is that the Electoral Commission (EC) has decided to launch full-scale investigations into the over-bloated register circulating in the country now and find out who are behind it.
According to the commission, although it had not received any formal complaint from any quarters regarding an over-bloated register, it was shocked at the turn of events ahead of the display of the register in May.
The DAILY GRAPHIC understands the concerns being expressed over the over-bloated register, especially before an election which all the key players are keen on winning to make a very powerful statement on the political scene.
However, we are worried about the manner in which the information was made public, making it look as if it is one of the clandestine designs by one party to rig Election 2008.
We have said in these columns before and we say it again that Ghana cannot burn at anybody’s instance. The electoral process can only get better through concerted efforts on the part of all the players — political parties, voters and, indeed, the Ghanaian populace — to establish the culture of democracy and good governance in the country.
It is for this reason that we encourage the EC to attach great importance and urgency to the investigations and come out with the facts surrounding the claim of an over-bloated register in the 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on all making those claims to volunteer information to the EC to help to clear the air.
We need to go to Election 2008 on a clean slate, so that losers will not have any reason to cry foul, disturb the peace of the country and spoil the party for whoever emerges victorious on December 7, 2008.