By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 11, GNA – Professor Aaron Michael
Oquaye, the Speaker of Parliament, has proposed the creation of West Africa
Electoral Commission to oversee the organization of elections within the
Sub-region under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States.
He said the Commission would help in the
registration and compilation of a common voters register throughout the
Sub-region, with names of voters appearing only once in the register in order
to curb electoral disputes and political upheavals that emerged out of
elections.
He said the Commission would assist in
providing training for well-qualified electoral personnel and ensure adequate
distribution of ballot boxes for all elections within the Sub-region.
This, he said, would deepen democracy and the
rule of law in the Sub-region.
“If we have been able to create the West
African Examinations Council, how come we can’t create West Africa Electoral
Commission,” he queried.
Prof Oquaye, who made recommendations at the
2018 University of Ghana Alumni Lecture in Accra, on Wednesday, said the move
would help the Commission to assist in creating rules and regulations for
elections in the Sub-region in compliance with global best practices.
“It will help in the establishment of
electoral courts which would ensure transparency and confidence in all
electoral processes in West Africa,” he observed.
The public lecture was held on the theme:
“Strengthening Democracy and Good Governance in Contemporary Ghana: Some
Challenges”.
It was jointly organised by the University of
Ghana and the University of Ghana Alumni Association (UGAA), which forms part
of activities marking the University’s 70th anniversary
celebrations.
The event provided a platform to discuss
pertinent governance and democratic issues affecting the country’s body
politics, which attracted the University’s Faculty and senior members, Council
and Executive members of the UGAA, former Chancellors, Pro-Vice Chancellors and
Registrars, as well as Members of Parliament, Traditional rulers and students.
The West African Sub-region over the years has
witnessed political conflicts resulting from disputed electoral processes. For
instance, in 2011, the disputed elections in La Cote d’Ivoire led to conflict,
with many people killed while thousands were displaced and sought political
asylum in Ghana and other countries.
There have been similar political conflicts in
neighbouring Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo and other African countries
due to disputed elections.
Prof Oquaye, who was the main speaker for the
lecturer, also identified some intrinsic weaknesses in some governance
institutions like the Presidency, the Council of State, the Legislature, the
Judiciary and the electoral process and made some recommendations to address
them.
He, for instance, recommended the passage of
the Affirmation Action Bill into law to enable more women representation in
Parliament and other decision-making bodies, review of some provisions in the
1992 Constitution in order to sustain the country’s democratic governance and
the need to examine the conduct and language of some Ghanaian politicians so as
avert any political upheaval.
Meanwhile, Prof Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the Vice
Chancellor of the University of Ghana, appealed to the leadership of Parliament
to fast track the approval of new fees for tertiary educational institutions in
order to mobilise financial resources for their administrative operations.
Currently, he said, the University of Ghana
(UG) was burdened with over GH¢30 million budget deficit, and believed the
approval of the fees would greatly improve its revenue generation and help
address some administrative and governance challenges.
The Fees and Charges Act 2009 (Act 793), which
was amended in 2016 seeks to safeguard the public against arbitrary charges and
levying of students by universities.
The Act requires all Vice Chancellors to seek
parliamentary approval for fees and levies they intend to charge before sending
them out to students.
GNA