Ghanaians must demand accountability from EC – PPP Guru

General News of Monday, 16 March 2015

Source: Graphic Online

Richmond Lamptey PPP

Mr Richmond Lankwei Lamptey, a leading member of the Progressives People’s Party (PPP), has expressed worry that Ghanaians are not demanding accountability from the Electoral Commission (EC).

“Why are people not angry with the Electoral Commission for wasting GH¢317m? All Ghanaians should be very angry now, including the ruling NDC, and people who make things happen at the EC should have resigned by now,” he told the Daily Graphic.

In an interview, Mr Lamptey said the fact that commissioners at the EC were still at post showed how disrespectful they were and the lack of respect they had for Ghanaians.

He said losing GH¢317m in this way was simply an insult to all Ghanaians, stressing that “posterity should not deal leniently with those of us alive today if we let this go without a fight! We should protest until we get everyone who was part of the decision that led to this unnecessary and avoidable loss to pay for it somewhat.”

He recalled that the PPP wrote to the EC just after the 2012 elections and expressed its disappointment with what had happened and made very important suggestions about electoral reforms.

“They did not even care to show the courtesy of acknowledging receipt. This is exactly what they refused to do that landed them and the country where we are today in connection with the District Assembly Elections,” he stated.

In his view, many Ghanaians were living a lie because people were afraid to confront the status quo for fear of being labelled.

“We pay taxes to the government and sit back for the money to be misused and everyone is quiet? Why remain quiet? Because some personalities, including pastors, have been vilified? We do not want to pay any price for this country to be successful,” he wondered.

On what he expected the government to do, Mr Lamptey said “I expect very little from the President [Mr John Mahama] now that he has told Ghanaians that he is a dead goat.”

He, however, challenged Ghanaians to rise up and demand their pound of flesh from the government.

“We need our money back – from Subah Infosolutions to Woyome and each one in between and before,” he stated.

He said if Ghanaians had rallied behind the PPP call to separate the Minister of Justice’s position from that of the Attorney-General to make it a position without political influence, we would be on the road to getting it done to stop all these “chop chop”.

“Let us fight together as Ghanaians to save this ship. We are sinking and all of us know it. Let us arise and make a difference! If we are not ready to pay the price for speaking up, we should not care about anything, not even ‘dumsor’,” he concluded.