General News of Saturday, 8 December 2018
Source: citinewsroom.com
2018-12-08
Sydney Casely Hayford, Member of Occupy Ghana
Sydney Casely Hayford, a member of pressure group, Occupy Ghana has applauded Jean Mensa for restoring the original logo of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC).
According to Mr Casely-Hayford, a logo is supposed to reflect what an institution stands for, which, according to him, the previous one unveiled for the Commission by former Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, didn’t.
“I think Jean Mensa has done the right thing. A logo is supposed to identify what your organization does as easily as possible,” he said.
The EC’s Head of Communications, Eric Dzakpasu explained that the original logo “actually reflects and communicates well the public mandate of the Commission and also reflects the Ghanaian context in which the Commission operates.”
The values underpinning this mandate are transparency, fairness and accountability, he noted.
Controversy over Chalotte Osei’s new logo
Prior to the 2016 general elections, then EC boss, Charlotte Osei, changed the age-old logo due to what she said was part of a five-year strategic plan to re-brand the Commission.
When she officially unveiled the logo, it generated a lot of debate among the public with some suggesting that altering a logo which was not a priority for the EC ahead of the polls.
While some people criticized the logo as not being original, others said it was of poor quality and did not communicate the functions of the Commission.
The then President John Mahama, waded into the debate and suggested that the controversy over the logo was needless.
We like our new logo; it makes us happy – Charlotte Osei
At the time, Charlotte Osei said the controversial new logo reminded the Commission of the values needed for its work.
She said the new identity embodied the vision of the EC.
“This is our new logo. We like it. We picked it. It makes us happy and it reminds us of all the values that we want to bring into our work and where we are going as a commission.”
Madam Osei further explained that the decision to move away from the old logo which featured the Coat of Arms and a ballot box, was to separate them from the authority of the state.
She also stated that the mandate of the EC spanned beyond the ballot box.
“Why did we remove the Coat of Arms? It’s because we do not represent the authority of the state. We are more than the ballot box. Our mandate is beyond just the ballot box as we’ve explained and we believe that the Coat of Arms does not speak to the independence, legal and functional independence of the commission.”
Akufo-Addo removes Charlotte Osei, two deputies from office
President Akufo-Addo in June 2018, removed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa from office.
This was after a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian citizens, recommended their removal from office.
The Committee recommended their removal on the basis of stated misbehavior and incompetence, pursuant to Article 146 (1) of the Constitution.
Mrs. Osei was eventually replaced by Jean Mensa