Award-winning Investigative Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has cautioned the two main political parties in the country; NDC and NPP to ensure that they do not allow their differences to set the country ablaze as we approach election 2020.
In an article published under ‘The Africa We Want’ project which is Mobilizing Civil Society Support for Implementation of the African Governance Architecture and is being implemented with funding support from the European Commission, the renowned Journalist summarized the mood of the Country as we head for the polls in December.
The Investigative Journalist made some thought-provoking observations in the write-up as follows:
“I have said that Ghana’s democracy is growing but not maturing because we have not strengthened our democratic institutions. Our governance is anything but transparent. It took two decades of active civil society campaign to get the Right to Information Act passed. A year after its passage, however, some state institutions are using disingenuous reasons to deny those who invoke the law to get public information.
Transparency and trust are important ingredients lacking in Ghana’s democratic soup. Going into this election, the main opposition party does not trust that the Electoral Commission will be a fair referee. This has always been the case in the history of Ghana but recent developments at the election body have heightened suspicions and mistrust.
In the 2016 election, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission was appointed by then-incumbent President John Mahama, who was contesting that election. The long-serving Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan had retired and as the constitution required, the President had to get his replacement. This did not sit well with the opposition parties at the time.
When the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won that election, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission was removed from office on the basis of procurement infractions.
