Referee in crisis — Who will officiate the electoral contest in 2020?

The misunderstanding between top officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) is a great cause of worry for many Ghanaians. Per its constitutional mandate, the EC is not an institution to be taken for granted since it plays a crucial mediating role between different entities with high stakes in our democratic dispensation who wish to assume political leadership of the country.

From the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the EC has carved a niche for itself as one of the best Electoral Commission on the continent. This enviable record is there for all to see. These remarkable achievements have reflected positively on the image of the country. The current confusion between the chairperson and her two deputies has the potential to reverse all the gains made over the years. At the end,  it is the country’s reputation that will suffer.

No one can imagine the tension that would have  engulfed  the country had this development occurred at a time when general election was pending. Fortunately for us, we are witnessing it at a time when elections are far from due. This notwithstanding, it is imperative for the trust and confidence the EC has built over the years to stand at all times without wavering. It is a big responsibility to be given an authority that requires taking decisions that have a far reaching consequence either for better or for worse for the country. The institution mandated to carry out such responsibility should always safeguard the trust and confidence required for carrying out that responsibility.

The fact that elections are not pending any moment from now should not be an excuse to treat the problem unfolding before us with complacency. It needs swift and urgent resolution as it has the potential to escalate into other areas far more dangerous than we can imagine. At the moment, no one knows who is fabricating lies and who is being victimised. The accusations and counter accusations though not in the best interest of the commission, have their other side. They offer the opportunity to probe and investigate all the alleged malfeasance and professional misconduct being alleged from both sides of the divide. Definitely, all the parties involved cannot be right at the same time. One needs to be proven right to automatically prove the other or the others wrong and vice versa. Which opportunity can we get again to rid the commission of the bad lots who are only serving as a barnacle weighing down the ship of our democratic progress?

We have come a long way since elections started in this country. Right from the colonial times under the Town Council Ordinance in 1894 for the people of Cape Coast, Secondi – Takoradi and Accra. Never in the history of this country has election related issues generated into conflict as often happens in some countries within our region and beyond. If the people in charge of the commission have deemed it necessary to wash their dirty linen in public, it is also an opportunity for us to investigate and identify those who contaminate the linen with their corrupt conduct so that the necessary sanctions are applied.

As it stands now, no one knows how issues are going to be resolved. Dispute between the EC and other entities have happened on several occasions. This is the first time an issue of internal dispute of such magnitude is being witnessed within the commission. Few years ahead of completing the four-year cycle, Ghanaians will be expecting the main officer of the commission and her two deputies to officiate and act as a referee and linesmen for the coming general elections in 2020. What kind of contest would be unfolding before our eyes if the referee had a broken whistle and the flags of the linesmen were torn to pieces?

The foundation of our electoral process was strongly laid when it was first established in 1969 to see to the selection of our leaders for the Second Republic. Many decades down the line, the EC has proved itself as an indispensable institution in our democratic dispensation. This is re-enforced by several constitutional reviews that keep stressing the importance of the commission.  The institution, its commissioners and all other officials need to work together to build the trust and confidence that justify its existence.

Writer’s e-mail: lawmat2014@gmail.com
0241 995510