Nduom disagrees with IEA on presidential debates
The leader of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has accused the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) of trying to undermine democracy with its upcoming presidential debate.
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“We have been told that the IEA has announced a series of debates for the 2016 election and those debates, they claim, are aimed at strengthening our democracy. Well I think not. I don’t agree with what the IEA intends to do.
"In this country, we have a political parties law. It is the political parties law that determines which political parties are in good standing.
"It is the one that also gives authorisation to the Electoral Commission to determine who is a legitimate presidential or parliamentary candidate and so if the IEA wants to do something to strengthen our democracy it should rather work with the Electoral Commission, help it to truly determine what parties are legitimate and which candidate should be certified to contest the presidential election in 2016,” he argued.
IEA debate
The IEA last Wednesday announced that it intended to organise a presidential debate for political parties with representation in Parliament.
At the launch of its presidential debates and evening interactions in Accra, the IEA disclosed that it was considering organising a presidential debate for the flag bearers of the two main political parties, President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
However, this decision by the think tank did not sit well with some of the political parties, including the Convention People’s Party and the People’s National Convention (PNC), and they have expressed surprise and accused the institute of discrimination and lack of consultation.
The NDC has also decried the non-involvement of the political parties in planning the IEA's debate.
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The party’s National Organiser, Mr Kofi Adams, said the think tank should not expect to hold a successful programme when it had not engaged the political parties.
Nduom reacts
But the founder member of the PPP, addressing a forum at the Accra Polytechnic last Wednesday, expressed his dissatisfaction with the selective presidential debate proposed by the IEA.
Dr Nduom said that decision by the IEA flew in the face of the political parties law as it kicked against all forms of discriminatory treatment of presidential candidates.
“There is no such thing as parties with representation in Parliament,” he said, and added that anything done must favour all Ghanaians.
He argued that an equal opportunity should be given to all the presidential candidates to market their messages to the good people of Ghana.
Dr Nduom threatened to boycott the IEA debate if it went ahead with its decision to square up flag bearers of the NDC and the NPP exclusively ahead of the November polls.
”I am making my stand clear. I will use all of the influence I have within the Progressive People’s Party to ensure that our party does not take part in any debate programme that discriminates against non-NDC and NPP candidates. After all, we are all called to “…resist oppressor’s rule,” Dr Ndoum said.