NPP undermining Ghana’s democracy – Social Worker
Dr Isaac Amo-Antwi, a Takoradi based Social Worker on Tuesday said the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) action since the declaration of Election 2012 Presidential results is undermining the democratic structures of the country.
“NPP’s legal suit is part of their aim to discredit the Presidency of Mr John Dramani Mahama, undermine the Electoral Commission’s high profile and scorn the Ghanaian electorates who rejected the party’s Presidential Candidate.
“Since the elections, they have changed the position of the goal post several times just to suit their agenda….the electoral votes shot-up from 100,00 votes to 1.7 million votes,” Dr Amo-Antwi told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview in Accra.
He said NPP Members of Parliament decision to boycott vetting of Ministers nominated by President Mahama is unfortunate and “huge set-back on the credentials of a party which claimed to be democrats.
“NPP is currently playing back events after the 1992 Election where the party wrote the stolen verdict which year later was described as lack of understanding of the electoral process at the time.
He said a critical look at the allegations by the NPP since the last election and the action by its MPs indicate a lack of understanding and some level of ignorance of the democratic process.
Dr Amo-Antwi said most of the issues being raised by the NPP can be addressed through the platform of the inter-party dialogue whilst their petition at the Courts goes on.
He said through the platform of IPAC there have been incremental changes in the electoral process through the use of transparent ballot boxes and photographic voter identification cards, the presence of party/candidate’s agents at all polling stations, and the use of numbered seals for ballot boxes during voting.
He said the NPP MPs action also has the tendency of undermining the cooperation among the political parties especially in parliament.
Dr Amo-Antwi appealed democratic stakeholders to begin processes of creating a platform dialogue and cooperation between political parties; “it is a sine qua non for the sustainability of peace”.
He also appealed to the National Peace Council, Eminent Citizens Platform and high profile personalities to bring all political parties to discussion table to reduce the antagonism.
He said: “Whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court action, a section of the public is likely to be peeved, no one can predict their reaction, we therefore need as a nation to start a psychologically therapy and our religious leaders must also come onboard to heal the wounds of the people hurt by the results of the elections”.
Source: GNA