Include us in electoral reforms — PNC

Politics of Monday, 26 January 2015

Source: Graphic Online

Bernard Mornah Call

Some political parties in the country are unhappy about the Electoral Commission’s decision to exclude them from a 10-member committee set up to oversee the proposals for electoral reforms in the country.

The committee comprises the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Peter Mac Manu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anim Kofi Addo from the YES Party and James Kwabena Bomfeh from the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

The rest are Georgina Opoku Amankwa (Chairperson), Christian Owusu Parry (EC), Rebecca Kabuki, Kwesi Jonah (IDEG), Ransford Gyampoh (IEA) and Franklin Oduro (CDD).

Meanwhile, other political parties including the People’s National Convention (PNC), Paa Kwesi Nduom’s Progressive People’s Party (PPP) among others were not given representation on the committee.

Expressing his disappointment on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, the General Secretary of the PNC, Bernard Mornah, said: “We think it is unfair for us not to have representation on the committee.”

He said recommendations from the committee would not “represent the true picture” of all the political parties in Ghana.

“For instance the PNC does not share the view that we should go e-voting… but other political parties share the view that e-voting should be the way out in order to minimise electoral fraud, and because the PNC was not represented, we may not be able to persuade our counterparts from other political parties of the dangers that exist in this method,” he explained.

He further stated that should they be part of the committee, they would also ensure that journalists were given the opportunity to take part in the special voting organised for security personnel.

This, he said, was because most journalists were busy on the day of election, so they usually did not vote, stating: “That in itself is an affront to their franchise.”

Meanwhile, the CPP’s James Kwabena Bomfeh, speaking on the same programme said he was hopeful the committee would discharge their duties “diligently as expected of them.”