One Ghana Movement urges ‘No’ vote in December referendum

The One Ghana Movement has added its voice to calls for voters at the December 17 national referendum to vote ‘No’ and thus reject the proposal to introduce partisan politics into local level elections.

A statement issued by the thought leadership and social action organization, signed by its Executive Secretary, Emily Nyuur said “…given the toxic, divisive and acrimonious character of political party activities in national elections and governance”, it does not think partisanship is the antidote to the “manifest problems of apathy and coordination in local governance and elections”.

According to the Movement, the status quo should thus remain, reiterating “the wisdom for article 55(3) and the view held by many that the introduction and use of political parties will not only fail to address these problems, but introduce the political chaos and mayhem experienced at the national level into district level elections.”

Below is the full statement by the One Ghana Movement.

The announced referendum slated for the 17th day December 2019 will call on at least 40% of voting Ghanaians to turn out and 75% to vote to approve the introduction of political party participation in governance at the local level. The One Ghana Movement rejects the move and entire attempt to introduce partisanship at this level given the toxic, divisive and acrimonious character of political party activities in national elections and governance. The Movement is of the firm conviction that the original values informing the exclusion of party political activities in district assembly and lower local government unit elections have not changed nor has the goal of attaining reasonable consensus in national governance through the instrumentality of political parties been achieved.

While the Movement concedes that there remains manifest problems of apathy and coordination in local governance and elections, the Movement reiterates the wisdom for article 55(3) and the view held by many that the introduction and use of political parties will not only fail to address these problems, but introduce the political chaos and mayhem experienced at the national level into district level elections.

On the other hand, the Movement wishes to emphasize and urge Government to push the most important agenda of achieving the constitutional reform of electing the MMDCEs which agenda appears to have a substantial degree of consensus within the body politic of Ghanaians and which said position was endorsed in the findings of the CRC. The goal is achieved in Parliament without expense on a referendum. In this regard, the Movement asserts that the announced referendum is distractive of the important issues of constitutional reform that continue to engage the attention of Ghanaians.

The Movement accordingly urges a cancellation of referendum or a rejection of the
proposed reform by voting “NO” to the question put.