Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has written to the Interior Minister asking him to ensure an unbiased policing before, during and after the December 7 polls to obviate security breaches.
The party, for instance, pointed out that there were plans by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to use violent means to minimise votes in NPP strongholds especially in Ashanti, Eastern and Brong Ahafo Regions.
“There is a growing sense of alarm that the NDC is planning and preparing to execute measures to maximise their votes and minimise that of their opponents, especially the NPP through any means, foul means not excepted,” the letter stated.
In a 2,176-worded correspondence authored by the Chairman of the Security Committee of the party, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and largely focussing on security during the December 7 polls, the party noted “many Ghanaians are deeply concerned about the lack of clear cut transparent election security plans that will assure us of the peace we all so ardently desire.”
Most of the NDC’s diabolical plans that were rumoured to happen during the registration period in Ashanti and the Brong Ahafo regions, the correspondence observed, indeed happened, explaining “today, it is again rumoured that the Ashanti, the Eastern and the Brong Ahafo regions, perceived to be the traditional strongholds of the NPP, would be subjected to all kinds of violence, intimidation, harassment and electoral manipulations, including cutting off electricity supply, shortage of voting materials and supplies, late start of voting, and other administrative delays, all calculated to reduce voter turnout in these regions on election day.”
Judging by the accuracy of the rumours in respect of the voter registration, every peace loving Ghanaian, the NPP went on “must take these rumours seriously and demand of the Ministry of Interior that they do not happen.”
Given the Electoral Commission’s position that it would accept and tally results irrespective of how the numbers were procured, the NPP alerted “it is imperative that the Police hierarchy assures all Ghanaians that it is not only up to the task of providing a fear free election but that it is prepared to also clamp down hard on any acts aimed at marring the beauty of the democratic electoral process, no matter the source of the potential disturbance.”
There is a crescendo of voices from an assortment of interest groups demanding peace from political parties, the NPP pointed out, adding that “while the NPP’s commitment to a peaceful election is unshakeable and unambiguous it is worthy to note however, that primary responsibility for ensuring and sustaining the peace before, during and after the election is primarily an internal security matter within the constitutional mandate of the Ghana Police Service.”
The NPP noted that the EC’s reaction when it was provided with copious evidence of electoral violence consistent with, as it put it, an agenda to deprive NPP polling agents and monitor access to certain polling stations in a region declared virtually ‘no go’ for the NPP. The Electoral Commissioner, the party recalled, ruefully “maintained that vote validity from his perspective did not include an evaluation of potential criminal violence.”
The party construed the foregone to mean that getting the vote onto the Commission’s desk in any way possible did not really matter.
There have been a number of incidents which the NPP noted denied the Police confidence and respectability explaining that “whenever a Police Officer in the line of duty has acted impartially, the Police hierarchy have not always given clear backing and affirmed the authority of such officers. In Tafo-Pankrono, the District Police Commander was in turn commended and then publicly chastised and disowned by the Police hierarchy for taking a bold stance against motor cycle riding macho men whose sole object was the disruption of the registration exercise.
The danger of continued selective application of justice in a volatile political environment of heightened competition demanded that the Police Service rose above the fray, the NPP stated.
In the current situation the party suggested “a significant confidence booster ahead of the election would be a closed door briefing of all the participating political parties” adding “questions that need to be addressed include the role of the Special Forces, the leadership and authority of Regional and District Security Committees, REGSEC and DISEC respectively, the conduct of security personnel at polling stations and the integrity of the early ballot to be cast by Election Day workers.”
Continuing the letter, it noted that the situation whereby District Chief Executives and Metropolitan Chief Executives, who may be Parliamentary Candidates in this year’s elections also head the District Security Committee DISEC and the Regional Minister who heads REGSEC, should not be tolerated since these individuals have vested interests in the decisions made by these committees.
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