ESTABLISHING VALUES FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE

THE third in the series of the Daily Graphic Governance Dialogue, an initiative instituted by the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), opened in Accra yesterday on the theme, “Effective Democratic Governance: The Role of Stakeholders”.
The objectives of the dialogue include learning about the multi-dimensional aspects involved in the governance of a nation and making civil society aware of their roles in shaping the destiny of their countries by influencing and strengthening the legislative process.
The timing of the dialogue is very appropriate, essentially because four months from now Ghana will go to the polls to elect a new President to succeed President John Agyekum Kufuor, who will be completing his eight-year tenure.
It is very refreshing to note that the annual Daily Graphic Governance Dialogue has the overall objective to provide a platform to highlight governance issues in Africa to help improve the quality of life of its peoples.
It is an undeniable fact that most conflicts on the continent and elsewhere in the world were the result of disputed or flawed electoral processes and, therefore, it is obligatory for all stakeholders to contribute to efforts to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, was brutally frank with the participants and invited guests who thronged the Accra International Conference Centre for the opening session of the Dialogue when he said “since we are all stakeholders in this enterprise called Ghana, we need to secure it for our collective good and prosperity; we all should play our role in ensuring that the integrity of the election is without a shadow of doubt”.
It is also profound that the Attorney-General was optimistic about the future by reminding us that “as we stand at the threshold of a new Ghana, ruled by a better man or the best man, we should all be committed to moving forward”.
These admonitions are wake-up calls to Ghanaians of all persuasions and creed to protect the peace and tranquillity being enjoyed in Ghana for which we have been recognised as the haven for good governance on a continent troubled by turbulence and failed states.
We are encouraged by the quality of participation in the Dialogue by the cream of society eager to trade ideas with the view to prescribing measures to safeguard the democracy that we have nurtured since the return to constitutional rule in 1992.
By this singular effort, the Graphic Communications Group Limited is contributing tremendously towards the entrenchment of democratic values in Ghana, the sub-region and the rest of Africa.
The lessons from Ghana and Nigeria clearly show that elections can be a key element either in conflict resolution or escalation. Free, fair and transparent elections are essential for the consolidation of democracy and the prevention of conflict.
It is the cherished hope of the DAILY GRAPHIC that the interactive discourse would provide some answers to the governance challenges on the continent to guarantee accountability, transparency and equity in the allocation and management of public resources.
We call on all Ghanaians to make a pledge to play it fair during the run-up to Election 2008 so that the outcome of the polls on December 7 will represent the wishes of the electorate. When we abide by the rules, there will be no “Stolen Verdict” or “Bought Verdict” and Ghana would have established itself as a strong democratic state.