Ghana’s Opposition MP Kennedy Agyepong Likely To Face Treason Charges

On Saturday I wrote an article about Mr Kennedy Agyepong against the backdrop of comments he made on his own radio station Oman fm. In the article I argued that such treasonable comments have the capability of endangering the peace and stability of Ghana, especially coming from an influential person of the biggest opposition party and an MP.

His subsequent  invitation by the CID and the likelihood that he would be charged of treason is a strong indication that no one is above the law no matter how rich, influential and powerful you maybe.

The police, CID etc, must ensure that they exercise their constitutional mandate to ensure peace and stability in the country by applying the same rules to everyone irrespective of their political, economic or religious status. The security service must be proactive and swiftly arrest and prosecute people who take the law into their own hands, especially as the campaigns heat up in the coming weeks and months.

However, any attempt to have people from the government side go free after making similar comments will taint the image and credibility of the security apparatus. Such acts,clearly, would be more dangerous than the comments made by the MP and other cohorts.

Politicians must note that in the face of instability and chaos, they can’t ”think big” and a “better Ghana Agenda” will be inconsequential. Therefore, their actions and inactions should be towards safeguarding the peace and tranquility of the nation.

We want from our politicians policies and ideas that will break the chains of poverty from our people; ideas that will create jobs and inspire the youth; and ideas that will give hope in the face of despair. Anything opposite this must be fiercely resisted by all.

For all Ghanaians, we must either be on the side of peace, tranquility and stability or choose the path of a total systematic collapse, a collapse that will have significant consequence on the countries forward march and prosperity. And for the youth, we must understand that Our destinies are not implanted in the hands of any politician, but our own. Our allegiances to politicians should not be fixed on the basis of  how powerful and loud they are in the media, but the sincerity and will to carry through progressive, innovative ideas..

God Bless Our homeland Ghana!

 

Social Media Is Playing A Role In Ghana’s Election 2012

I have no doubt that social media would play and is playing a significant role in Ghana’s Election 2012. As a keen follower of political debates and analysis on  various social media platforms, my conviction of the role of social media in this years election is deep-seated, positive and insurmountable.

I believe that social media has opened a new wave of opportunity for citiziens, politicians and civil society organisations to engage in an open, transparent and dialogical discussions that are relevant to the entrenchment of our democratic values and aspirations.

Particularly, I would like to share some insight about Facebook and how it is becoming an inevitable tool in our public debate and discourses in Ghana. Socialbaker, a social media analytic company estimates that Ghana’s Facebook user base is reaching 1,211,760 and grew by 92,300 in the last six months.This means that there is a slight increase of over 150,000 users each month with a penetration rate of about 5%. Recalling how election ’08 was close to call and the difference of 40,586 votes between the candidates, politicians should not underestimate the power of Facebook to galvanise, canvass and rake-in floating voters and keep their loyal supporters up-to-date with information and news. Perhaps it is also interesting  to share this point; 32% of the total number of Facebook users are between the ages of 25-35, but the largest group of 41% is between 18-24 years of age. The impact of Facebook cannot therefore be brushed away in this election year. News now flies like wild-fire, and I stay updated about political happenings in Ghana through Facebook. I know I am not alone.

Interestingly, no stone is being left unturned. Political parties and their representatives in Ghana are now very active on Facebook. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, the presidential candidate for the PPP( Progressive People’s Party) has more than 10,551 subscriptions on his Facebook page. He seems to have grabbed the real essence of this tool very well. On 7th April 2012 he requested his followers to participate in an online chat with him, an opportunity to relate to his supporters on a one-one basis while giving them the chance to ask questions and make comments. Who would have thought about this a decade ago?

Meanwhile, even before campaigning in Ghana kick-starts officially, the debate has long started on Facebook. Many of the youth in Ghana are using this medium to express support and opposing views about issues of national character and importance, though emotional, sentimental, naked insults and inconsequential at times. Nevertheless, this is somewhat a strong indication that there is a greater desire for greater political transparency and public inclusion. For example, the state of the nation address; the mob attack on a radio station by thugs of the opposition party; the wrangling within the ruling party;the Woyome judgement debt scandal where a financier of the ruling government is “purported” to have been paid an amount of 52 million dollars as judgement debt and recently issues arising from Ghana’s mundane biometric registration exercise gained lots of commentary. Just today, the topic dominating is the beating of ”loud-mouthed” Ursula Owusu of the opposition party who has gain notoriety for her insulting behaviour; not even the president is spared at times.

Some parliamentary candidates are also communicating and disseminating information to heterogeneous audiences using Facebook. Ras Mubarak, one of the youngest Parliamentary candidate in this years election is an ardent user of Facebook. He connects with the over 2,000 public subscriptions on his Facebook page and constantly updates this with his campaign activities.This young politician is definitely pushing the frontiers and is reaching out to lots of people, affording them the opportunity to make informed decision, like his ideas, and express their views by way of commenting. It will be fair to say that there are many other Parliamentary candidates doing same.

This trend is not only limited to politicians, other concerned civil groups such as Ghana Decides and Ghana elections are sensitising and educating people about the biometric registration  and other related election issues. You may want to visit their websites here http://ghanadecides.com/ and http://www.africanelections.org/.

With an increase in internet penetration and 3G, the expectation is that many people would turn to social media to be informed, share and disclose their affiliation to political parties. luckily enough, internet is readily available on  mobile phones thanks to the numerous telecommunication companies avaliable.This is a greater height for our democracy and very potent omen.

Using Facebook to connect with otherwise inaccessible groups and capture new members  by distributing  public information would probably influence the outcome of this years election. Perhaps there are politicians who are adamant to use this new development. Well, this could only be to their own peril. For them I say, this is a bandwagon you should roll along with.

 

”They Have To Come Back Home and Register”?

The Electoral Commission of Ghana for the first time is compiling a biometric register to be used for the 2012 december polls. The exercise which begun on Saturday, March 24, 2012 will see people registering in 7,000 polling stations. The EC has so far deployed 45,000 officers to undertake this exercise.

Fundamentally, this biometric registration exercise is being undertaken to curb multiple registration and voting, as well as compile a credible voters register to replace the old one which many have argued was over-bloated.

One would have thought that the Electoral Commission will ensure that each Ghanaian get registered so that they can participate in making electoral decisions in Ghana.But obviously, the Commission has decided to disenfranchise well-meaning Ghanaians living abroad to partake in the democratic processes in Ghana.

The acting director of the Electoral Commission,Christian Owusu Parry has said that Ghanaians living abroad can only get themselves registered by travelling down to Ghana.This means they have to also go back to vote. It is most unfortunate and utterly shocking, that the Electoral Commission did not take into considering Ghanaians abroad while budgeting for this exercise. In fact, the world Bank estimates that there are 900,000 Ghanaians abroad; meanwhile data from Ghanaian embassies even put the figure around 1.5 million. This is astronomical a number to ignore at a time the country is consolidating its democratic credentials, and therefore need the human capital to push the developmental agenda of the country forward.The economic and political gains Ghana has achieved is partly due to the contribution and participation of her children abroad, why should they be disenfranchised?. This action would only serve to demoralise people.

I am not sure the electoral Commission expect Ghanaian students and professionals who are on government scholarships just for short periods of time to come back and register; they can barely survive, they have just enough to survive. How do these people pay plane tickets to come only for registration? Isn’t this matured absurdity?

The Constitutional Review Commission recognised the views and inputs of Ghanaians in the diaspora, why can’t the Electoral Commission do same?

Passport holding Ghanaians Abroad could easily get themselves registered at the various embassies and consulates across the globe. When the provision had being made and people fail to register, it would have been clear that efforts were made to get Diaspora Ghanaians registered. Otherwise, as it stands now, the Electoral Commission and Government have failed to live up to their mandate of ensuring all Ghanaians 18 years and above cast their votes come december 2012 no matter where you live or reside.

It is not too late, If it is the matter of not being able to provide the machines and logistics at the same time to register Ghanaians abroad. There is a way out!. The Electoral Commission should set a new date and transfer for registration to be carried out abroad after the 30 days deadline in Ghana. The equipments being used in Ghana can be used again to register people!!!

As it stands now, the rights of Ghanaian citizens abroad to vote and take part in our electoral democracy has being sidelined and intentionally ignored.