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General News of Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
2019-03-13
Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, National President of PPP
The Progressive People's Party (PPP), in a statement signed by its national president Nii Allotey Brew Hammond, describes the 26-year reign of the two main political parties, namely the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). ), as lost years. .
"We want to make it known that, in the case of the PPP and the silent majority of Ghanaians, the 26 years of NDC and NPP rule in our politics have proven to be years lost and votes lost to give them the mandate to to govern Ghana. We sincerely believe with all our heart that the Ghanaians, patient and long-suffering, would wake up and get up again and show the duopoly: "NO GO GO DOWN, MAKE US A CHEW-CAT".
This statement followed the back and forth between the two parties who were fighting over the president's call to bring them together to dissolve their self-defense groups.
"The constitution and maintenance of political party militias in order to win elections or maintain power?
– Chronic underperformance of the economy under successive governments produced by both parties?
– poor infrastructure and socio-economic development? or
– The "create loot and sharing" of the nation's resources among the political elite? "
The statement concluded by urging the police to take serious organized crimes committed by political self-defense groups and to punish all the guilty parties involved.
"We urge the police to take criminal investigations of organized political violence seriously to get all the culprits to go through the criminal justice system. No competent criminal justice system in the world allows the parties to a crime to meet and settle the case on their own. The PPP and the silent majority are watching. "
Read the full statement below:
POPULAR PARTY PROGRESSIVE (PPP)
PRESS STATEMENT ON ORGANIZED POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND THREATS AGAINST DEMOCRACY IN GHANA
In the recent exchange of open letters between the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the President of the National Democratic Congress (CDN), Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, about a draft meeting between their two parties to settle the crimes of organized political violence, the PPP has noted with disappointment the valiant position of the NDC and the NPP vis-à-vis our fragile democracy.
In the exchanges, the president insists that:
"… The two parties that dominated and continue to dominate the politics of the Fourth Republic, which garnered at least 95% of the votes in each of the seven general elections of the Fourth Republic, which provided the seven governments of the Fourth Republic, who are the only parties currently represented in the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic, … ", should meet to settle the crimes of political violence themselves.
And the NDC president, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo, agrees that "… the NDC and the NPP have indeed been the most successful parties of the 4th Republic …"
The question that every reasonable Ghanaian asks himself is to know for what purpose. when the two-party domination of 26 years has not translated into the economic well-being of Ghanaian citizens. What to brag about?
– the constitution and maintenance of political party militias in order to win elections or maintain power?
– Chronic underperformance of the economy under successive governments produced by both parties?
– poor infrastructure and socio-economic development? or
– "Create loot and share" of the nation's resources among the political elite?
We would like to point out that, with regard to the PPP and the silent majority of Ghanaians, the 26 years of NDC and NPP rule in our politics have proven to be years lost and votes lost to give them the mandate to govern Ghana. We sincerely believe with all our heart that the Ghanaians, patient and long-suffering, would wake up and get up again and show the duopoly: "NO GO GO DOWN, MAKE US A CHEW-CAT".
The winner takes everything:
We have always known that Ghana's multi-party electoral democracy, as provided for in the 1992 constitution, called for "taking everyone", ensuring that the stakes are high at every election and "must-haves" for the voters. parties and individuals in the running.
In the byelection of the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon held on January 31, 2019, the NDC and the NPP wanted to win the election by all possible means, that Whether they are founded or not. The will to win by all means settled and the by-election degenerated into violence on polling day, killing at least 16 people. We all know the testimony of the witnesses who appeared before the inquiry commission.
Electoral Offenses:
Abuses of power by successive governments have led to electoral infractions such as abusive influence and vote buying. Unfortunately, the integrity of our electoral process has deteriorated over the years, to the point that the purchase of votes is no longer imputed to us, even though it is one of the electoral offenses in our laws.
Under Section 20 (1) of the Representation of the People Act 1992 (PNDCL 284), the election of a candidate is declared void on an election petition if a high court is convinced:
(a) "Generalized bribery, general treatment, general intimidation or any other misconduct or circumstance similar or not to that specified by law have prevailed so widely that they can reasonably be expected to have affected the outcome of the ballot. "
Violence and Intimidation:
For those who sincerely hope to find a lasting solution to the electoral violence in Ghana, that we are ready to blame for self-defense groups within political parties, our advocacy must now aim to ensure that the leaders of political parties who sponsor the perpetrator are held responsible for any violence. their mercenaries unleash their fellow citizens.
We are absolutely convinced that it is the desire to win shovel elections that leads to the formation and / or recruitment of advocacy services to perpetuate electoral violence, which we continue to see in Ghana.
We must not allow political leaders who win violent elections to escape unpunished. The results of these elections should be canceled and the beneficiaries prevented from running in the next election to act as a deterrent.
Appointment of IGP:
Arguments have been made within and outside the police circles that the appointment of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) by the President would always lead to police control by the incumbent and mistrust to the police. with regard to the entire service of non-governmental stakeholders at each election. .
To this end, we wish to reiterate the PPP recommendation that the President, instead of appointing him, should appoint the PGI for approval by a two-thirds majority by Parliament. In this way, he or she becomes the IGP of all. And not the president's IGP.
It is also recommended that the staff of the Police and Allied Services of Immigration, Prisons and Fire Services remains the only category of security personnel involved in the management of election security in Ghana . Ultimate responsibility should, however, rest with the European Commission, which works in collaboration with the Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), and the police professionally.
Appointment of the President and Commissioners of the EC:
The PPP insists that the excessive and discretionary powers of the executive to appoint almost all Ghanaian officials must be mitigated. The PPP believes that having two full-time ministers of state and a national security coordinator at the helm of the national security apparatus is a waste of state resources .
With regard to the appointment of the President of the EC and the Commissioners, we should learn from Kenya. Following a protracted electoral conflict in 2008, Kenya introduced a new formula for appointing members of its electoral council. In their case:
– Ads are placed on the media inviting applications for the post.
– Candidates are subject to an interview process with a panel composed of representatives of political parties such as IPAC, civil society organizations, the judiciary and the legislature of Ghana, etc.
– The interview process is televised live to make it open and transparent.
– In the final badysis, 11 names (two for the president and nine for the members) are submitted to the president for appointment.
– Next, the president (designates one out of two and six out of nine members) for consideration and approval by Parliament before the appointment.
As we consider Kenya's nomination process for the future, the EC, as an election management body, should strive to break the perception that some stakeholders maintain or are developing in the interest of the ruling party.
Voluntary Negligence
When politics divides us as a nation, it is civil society, religious institutions, and civically mandated civic education institutions, such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), which should serve as a conscience to our society.
At the West Ayawaso by-election, the CNCE stopped and watched the contending parties use the means themselves to communicate with the electorate through the # 39; education. During the process, many election offenses occurred. We find it rather strange that the CNCE was unable to organize a debate or a public meeting for the by-election.
Conclusion:
We urge the police to take seriously the criminal investigations into organized political violence to get all the culprits to go through the criminal justice system. No competent criminal justice system in the world allows the parties to a crime to meet and settle the case on their own. The PPP and the silent majority are watching.
Sign:
Nii Allotey Brew-Hammond
(National President)
Cc: All press houses.
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