THE Ghana Mine Worker’s Union (GMWU) has called on the Electoral Commission to ensure a free, transparent and fair election so the outcome will be accepted by the stakeholders involved.
As the “umpire and lead actor” in the electoral process, the GWMU asked EC be professional and impartial, and work within the mandate allowed it by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
The General Secretary of the GWMU, Mr Abdul- Moomin Gbana, who stated this in Accra yesterday said the EC should desist from all acts including public pronouncements that had the tendency to mar the credibility of the elections and its eventual outcome.
He was speaking at the GMWU of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) National Executive Council second half-year meeting.
The forum considered issues on the labour front, development in the country and election 2024.
Mr Gbana said since Ghana chose the path of democracy with the ushering in of its Fourth Republican Constitution in 1992, Ghana had witnessed eight different democratic elections and the 9th edition was just 10 days away from today.
“The trajectory of these eight elections have been imperfect reminiscent of typical elections in all democracies. The imperfections in our case, have played out in the form of loopholes in the electoral system, use of intemperate language by political actors, stoking tribal, ethnic and religious divisions in the political discourse, violence in electioneering campaigns, snatching of ballot boxes during elections just to mention but a few,” he stated.
This notwithstanding, the Secretary General of GWMU said six different Presidents had been successfully elected and all had contributed in diverse ways to move “our beloved country forward to its current middle-income status.”
He said although, the electoral system had undergone massive reforms and kept improving at every election, same could not be said of the human factor, particularly the conduct of the actors in the electoral process.
The General Secretary of GMWU entreated the security agencies to be reminded of the oath to the State and the Constitution and your inherent duty to protect life and property.
“You must remember that you are expected to provide security to all Ghanaians and not a select few. You are expected to be an agent of peace and an enabler of democracy and not to intimidate, bully and scare innocent citizens away from exercising their franchise.
Above all, you are expected to defend the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and not to dance to the whims and caprices of any individuals or groups. Ghanaians therefore expect you to be professional as always, for this is the surest way to guarantee a free, fair and transparent election,” Mr Gbana stated.
He urged the media to be circumspect in their reportage of the electoral process, particularly during the elections as any misinformation and needless sensationalism could plunge the nation into chaos and confusion.
“It will be most preferred at this critical stage for our vibrant media space to exhibit fearless journalistic posturing by naming and shaming political actors who might want to use their platforms to foment trouble. We also urge the media to be each other’s keeper and crosscheck their facts before they put out their stories,” he stated.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
