‘Set up independent fund to finance elections’
The Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Georgina Opoku-Amankwaah, has suggested the establishment of an independent electoral fund to finance elections.
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She said such a suggestion had become imperative because of the irregular flow of funds from the central government.
With about a month to the conduct of the district level election, she said the EC was yet to receive the final installment of GH¢109 million meant for the election.
Already, the government has disbursed about GH¢300 million towards the conduct of the election.
At a workshop on improving the quality of information in the electoral process for media personnel in Koforidua in the Eastern Region last Thursday, Mrs Opoku-Amankwaah said in view of the irregular flow of funds from the central government, there was the need for the establishment of an electoral fund as pertained in some African countries.
"How can we become independent if our funding is irregular? As we sit here the monies left to be given to the EC towards the March 3, 2015 district level election are yet to be disbursed to us," she said.
Accurate report
Mrs Opoku-Amankwaah urged the media to whip up interest in the district level elections to assist in getting the public to fully participate in the exercise.
She, however, cautioned against the embellishment of stories, since that could change the substance because the media was there to report the truth and must, therefore, report accurately.
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On the mounting of platforms, Mrs Opoku-Amankwaah cautioned candidates against personal attacks since that could mar the whole exercise, adding that questions that bordered on personal attacks should not be tolerated by electoral officers.
The Eastern Regional Director of the EC, Mr Dogbe Aduko Selormey, gave an assurance that barring any unforseen circumstances, the commission was set to hold the elections on March 3, 2015.
He, therefore, appealed to the media to take keen interest and participate in the process.
For his part, a resource person and journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Kwamena Onumah, advised media practitioners in the Eastern Region to be very circumspect in their reports by giving equal publicity to all candidates