In Psalm 82:6, the Holy Bible, which some carnally minded persons, atheists and secularists refuse to peruse, understand and to practice by obeying the commandments, says:
“I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High”.
We are children-gods: it means that we constitute the membership of the Family of God Almighty JEHOVAH in this country. That is the reason He says we should love one another; love good and hate evil, we should not kill, steal, envy, cheat, offer bribe or take bribe; we must not worship any other thing as a god; it shall be a demotion and an insult to ourselves by lowering our high position as next to our Holy Father the Most High.
Before our Father God, we are all equal: no one is better than the other; educated or uneducated; strong or weak; seemingly rich or poor; known or unknown; in the city or in the village: we are all His invaluable children.
Anyone who thinks and claims to be better and more important is ignorant, immature and uncivilized.
Our individual occupations, professions and services render us mutually interdependent.
We have entered the year 2024 with the prospect of holding another presidential and parliamentary elections in the last quarter of the year.
From experience, every well-informed person agrees or concedes that to hold election on 7th December and quickly rush to handover on 7th January is not the best; there is the need for at least 60 days to sort out national issues, including, possible electoral irregularities before the newly elected persons are sworn into office.
We are emulating the founding fathers of democracy in the United States of America (USA); they hold their elections in November which enables them to do the sorting out before a swearing in is conducted. We must be wise by emulating rightly, and not otherwise.
Considering the 2020 general elections, the sorting out was nowhere when President Akufo Addo got sworn into office. It implied that might be the reason the NPP staunch member Electoral Commissioner Jean Mensah ignored to give account of her stewardship to the taxpayers.
In other words, in case her detailed account turned out to confirm suspicion that the President did not win the 2020 election, what would happen? So she kept mute. “Four more years for Nana” went through.
Independent EC
In all civilized jurisdictions where multi-party system of democracy thrives peacefully, the Electoral Commissioner is not merely said to be independent but more factually observed to be actively so in the execution of the duties entailed without any shred of personal interest.
Fortunately for us, we were blessed by God with Dr. Afari Gyan who served as independent Electoral Commissioner for many years; he selflessly and efficiently organized and supervised six (6) general elections regarding former presidents Rawlings, Kuffour, Mills, and Mahama.
And there was no extreme violence, bloodshed and death of priceless, innocent human life which might be closely or remotely attributable to any degree of partisanship of the Electoral Commission. Was that not good? Why should it not be continued?
When in 2012 electoral dispute triggered the filing of Election Petition at the Supreme Court, since his conscience did not judge and condemn him, once he had nothing to hide, Dr. Gyan was present daily at the Court during the proceedings which lasted for 8 solid months; he gave credible account of his stewardship.
The 8 months of protracted petition hearing eventually reduced the mandatory term of 4 years to 3 years and 4 months.
As a result, projects to execute within those 8 months were not carried out; it gave the opposition so much advantage to shout and to accuse the government on countless occasions of being “incompetent”, thus enhancing the electoral fortunes of the NPP.
When a lady Electoral Commissioner, Madam Charlotte Osei was appointed by ex-Prez John Mahama to take over from Dr. Afari Gyan who had gone on retirement, she showed her class and did very well by being herself, independent EC. She did not become an appendage of the NDC just because Prez Mahama appointed her.
Madam Charlotte Osei’s independent posture enabled the NPP in opposition to win the 2016 general elections convincingly; and it attracted congratulations all over the country and beyond.
However, when Prez Akufo Addo chose Madam Jean Mensah to head the Electoral Commission, and being a biased NPP stalwart, her resolve, sole aim and commitment was that NPP must always win every election either by hook or crook; an uncivilized and undemocratic position, hence the bloodshed, coupled with her attendant refusal to give account of her stewardship.
Let’s think about it. The NPP which formed the Government in power lost 32 seats, and won 137 seats. The NDC in opposition also had 137 seats.
An independent candidate who was sacked or rejected from the NPP had to be begged to agree to be counted to increase 137 to 138 NPP seats as the majority in parliament.
In one’s right senses, looking at the spate of violence generated and the lives lost during the event, who would agree that the 2020 general elections were free fair and faultless, and that Prez Akufo Addo had, in spirit and in truth, genuinely won? Why had the EC Boss kept mute?
Was she for Nana Akufo Addo or for the entire Family of God’s children?
Before the elections, Nana Akufo Addo was singing a song. “Four more years for Nana, four more years for Nana”! And immediately the questionable results were announced, he was quickly sworn in for the “four more years”.
Now President Akufo Addo has begun another song: “Break the 8, Breaking the 8”. The aim is that the flag bearer Vice Bawumiah could be hurriedly sworn into office as President in order to “Break the 8” and to cover the misdeeds committed within the 8 years.
Our Parliament of 276 Honourable members, not excluding the Rt. Hon. Speaker, shall be held accountable if, during the 2024 general elections an independent Electoral Commissioner is not put in place to guarantee a peaceful free and fair elections devoid of violence and death.
In short, Parliamentarians, representing over 30 million people of this nation, has absolute responsibility: NOW to find and to ensure that an INDEPENDENT EC Boss takes over from Madam Jean Mensah.
She has long forfeited her EC position because she is extremely biased and, therefore, unqualified as an Independent Electoral Commissioner in a multi-party democratic culture.
The presidency under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has woefully destroyed democracy; there is nothing democracy: it does not exist anymore.
What then is the reason for the President to be telling the security forces, the Military in particular, to maintain democracy? Democracy in Ghana? There is none!
Where excessive, unexamined love for money, nepotism, selfishness, tribalism, brute corruption, misuse of public revenues, “Property
Owning Democracy” (POD) and gross shameless incompetence, persists, democracy has been murdered long ago.
Parliament has to be honest enough to admit the reality of our precarious situation, and to inform Prez Akufo that Madam Jean Mensah and her deputies shall not oversee the 2024 General Elections, and that this need is not negotiable.
Dr. Afari Gyan should be contacted to see if his health and strength could enable him to take up a contract to see our nation through a peaceful general elections in this year 2024.
He could be assisted by former Electoral Commissioner Madam Charlotte Osei and Mr. Martin Amidu.
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when a wicked man rules, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2)
God bless us all. Amen!!
JUSTICE MAWULOLO
Dr. Afari Gyan should be contacted to see if his health and strength could enable him to take up a contract to see our nation through a peaceful general elections in this year 2024
BY JUSTICE MAWULOLO
