PARTIES CAN'T MANIPULATE ELECTION RESULTS (PAGE 14)

THE Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Safo Kantanka, has entreated political parties not to buy into rumours suggesting that any of the parties could manipulate the electoral process to alter the election results.
He noted that the EC had formulated strategies that made the processes so transparent and difficult to change stressing that “nobody should disturb you with rumours and strange stories about rigging the elections since they are all fantasies”.
Mr Kantanka stated this at a forum in Tamale on safeguarding the integrity of the ballot. The forum was aimed at, among other objectives, sensitising parliamentary candidates to the electoral process as part of preparations towards the December Polls.
The forum discussed issues such as inbuilt integrity of Ghana’s electoral process vis-à-vis the last lap of the 2008 election calendar as well as the importance of polling agents.
It was organised by the EC with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and KAB Governance Consult (KGC).
“It is not true that the results are tampered with in Accra; people who peddle such rumours do not understand the electoral processes and that is why we are encouraging all parties to engage the services of people who are knowledgeable in the electoral process”Mr Kantanka stressed.
He intimated that the EC did not “direct anybody to cheat as the commission is taking concrete steps to make the election very credible”.
The deputy chairman equally urged political parties to resist the temptation of giving money to some people to change the results.
“We know that even presiding members cannot manipulate the system because we have our own ways of checking the loyalty of presiding members” he further explained.
Mr Kantanka advised political parties to engage the services of good party agents who should have adequate knowledge about the electoral process.
“It is necessary that political parties do not allow their followers to vandalise any electoral materials such as ballot papers and boxes; such negative tendencies are a recipe for violence and can further cause delays in declaration of the results where such incidents occurred” he cautioned.
Touching on the issue of minors, Mr Kantanka reiterated the resolve of the EC to prosecute those who engaged in double registration before the elections.
The Regional Director of the EC, Mr. Sylvester Kanyi, noted that the issue of double registration and minors were perpetrated by some political parties who turned round to blame the EC for those negative tendencies.
Some of the parliamentarians suggested to the EC to make known to the public, people found to have engaged in multiple registrations during the recent limited registration exercise as a way of safeguarding the elections.

APRM OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES INAUGURATED (PAGE 16)

AFRICAN Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Oversight Committees for the Tamale, Tolon-Kumbungu and Savelugu-Nanton districts have been inaugurated in Tamale, with a call on district assemblies to be more proactive towards the implementation of the APRM to further deepen democracy at the grass roots.
The committees, with nine members each, have been tasked with the responsibility of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the APRM in the three districts to help address some of the shortfalls and weaknesses identified in the country’s self assessment reports.
So far, 88 of such committees have been inaugurated nationwide under the auspices of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC).
The Executive Secretary of the NAPRM-GC, Dr Francis Appiah, in an interview with newsmen, stressed the need for the members of the committee to sensitise people in their respective communities to the APRM.
Touching on the sustainability of the APRM in communities, Dr Appiah noted that the committees would be expected to administer questionnaires, collate them, analyse them and present them to their respective communities for validation every six months.
He further explained that the committees would also produce a progress report to be presented to the President for submission to the African Union (AU).
Dr Appiah intimated that “the committees would participate in regional and national validation processes depending on the extent of freedom enjoyed by the people at the grass roots vis-à-vis the extent to which the rule of law is working in the communities”.
“In other words the critical role of the committees is to give democracy full meaning in terms of its content and not just the rhetoric” he explained.
According to him, it would be unfair and improper for “us to sit in Accra and judge what is going on in the districts that have the committees”.
The Chairman of the NAPRM, Rev. Professor Samuel Adjepong, observed that the APRM was “a people centered process that is to promote a sense of ownership among the various communities”.
“Essentially, the committees would be involved in the education of the people in the district on the APRM as applied in Ghana”Rev Prof. Adjepong stressed.
The Public Affairs Officer of the NAPRM-GC, Mrs Cornelia Amoah, for her part stated that it was a policy that four out of the nine-member committee for each of the district should include women as a way of ensuring gender parity in the composition of the committees.

TAMA TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARDS (PAGE 29)

THE Waste Management Department of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) is to erect community signboards on which event organisers would post their programmes for a fee, at vantage points in the metropolis
The measure is to help check the indiscriminate posting of bills on street lights, road signs and buildings located in the central business district (CBD) of the metropolis, particularly during the electioneering period.
The head of the department, Mr Abubakari Zakari, explained to the Daily Graphic in Tamale that the indiscriminate posting of bills marred the beauty of the city.
Mr Zakari also said but for the commitment of the department and other stakeholders to the maintenance of a clean environment in the metropolis, the city would have been unsightly as a result of the posting of bills by some unscrupulous individuals.
“Event organisers are mostly culpable of that offence, which creates a lot of nuisance in the metropolis. When they commit such acts we don’t see them so they go scot-free”, he stressed.
Mr Zakari also expressed regret that those who posted the bills did not remove them after they had served their intended purposes and that created a lot of problems for sanitary inspectors and sweepers of the city.
The waste management official, however, indicated that the department would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the right thing was done.
The Tamale Metropolitan Works Engineer, Mr Stephen Tecku, for his part, said that some political parties had also engaged in such negative acts.
He alleged that some of the parties posted bills on their political activities on road signs.
“When they do these things it looks so ugly that my heart bleeds any time I see such things; but unfortunately we are unable to trace and arrest the perpetrators,” the engineer added.
He, therefore, suggested to the TAMA to take the initiative to ensure that event organisers did not take things for granted.
Some residents have also condemned the act and urged event organisers to stop posting bills on houses of individuals to help keep the metropolis clean.

WORSHIP ON EVE OF ELECTION DAY (PAGE 13)

THE Northern Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has directed its members to put in place the necessary arrangements that will ensure that they conduct their worship on the eve of the Election Day or close their services before 10:00 a.m. on voting day.
The directive was part of measures by the leadership of the church to ensure that all eligible members within their fold voted.
“All preachers in our local congregations should make it a point to preach peace and pray for peace whenever they come before the face of the Lord” it further indicated.
The Chairman of the Northern Presbytery of the Church, Rev. Dr Martin Bugri Nabor, gave the directive at a press conference in Tamale.
The conference formed part of the church’s programme to promote interaction between it and the media in the north.
Rev. Dr Nabor entreated the members to “leave the polling stations immediately after casting their votes and continue to pray for their preferred candidates and for peace”.
He stressed the need for members to “avoid grouping around the polling stations for discussion, which may result in arguments that have the potential for violence”.
The Chairman equally called on churches in the country to be “vanguards of peace” and also appealed to the Electoral Commission to conduct the elections in such a way that both losers and winners would be happy with the results.

NPP CANDIDATE RALLIES FOR SUPPORT (PAGE 16)

• At Tamale Central

Story: Vincent Adedze, Tamale

THE vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the NPP government would “never renege on its promises to the electorate when it is returned to power”.
He has, therefore, assured the electorate that a vote for the NPP would ensure a brighter future for the country and reflect in all sectors of the economy.
Dr Bawumia said this when he addressed supporters of the party at the Jubilee Park in Tamale shortly after he arrived in the metropolis to embark on a two-week campaign and familiarisation tour of the Northern Region. A significant number of NPP activists in the metropolis lined up the streets to welcome him.
Dr Bawumiah said “this year’s election is about the future of our dear nation, which is bright and so you need a party with a future to

NDC CANDIDATES RALLY FOR SUPPORT (PAGE 16)

Story: Vincent Adedze, Tamale

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Mr Inusah Fuseini, has advised supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to be complacent but to translate their unflinching support for the NDC into votes to ensure the victory of the party in the December polls.
He noted that over the years, NDC activists had rallied behind the party's leadership but stated that such support would be meaningless unless the activists exhibit their love for the party by voting massively for it during the elections.
Mr Fuseini stated this at a rally to inaugurate an Action Youth Group for the Tamale Central Constituency of the party. Members of the group would, among other things, serve as traffic wardens to ensure safety during the political campaigns to help reduce accidents in the area.
Similar rallies were held in the Tamale South and North constituencies of the NDC. A good number of party sympathisers, most of whom were draped in NDC colours, thronged the three constituencies to take part in the events.

ELECT ASSEMBLY MEMBERS, DCEs ...Along partisan lines — Candidates (LEAD STORY)

THE four leading presidential candidates in the December 7 polls were yesterday unanimous in the need to elect district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives (DMMCEs) as well as assembly members, along partisan lines.
They said the present arrangement where district elections were conducted along non-partisan lines was a mockery because political parties influence the election of assembly members and the confirmation of DMMCEs.
They also identified corruption as a major national issue against which they would wage a relentless war if elected into office.
Pitting their strengths against one another in the second edition of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) live television debate in Tamale yesterday, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Prof John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama of the People’s National Convention (PNC) also outlined measures to deal with the canker.
The debate, which was attended by dignitaries from the country’s political spectrum, lived up to its billing as an exercise involving guts and wits as the four candidates sold out their policies and programmes in a bid to win the minds and hearts of the electorate as they approach the home stretch in the race to the Golden Jubilee House.
The Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Studies (GILLBT) Hall in Tamale where the event was held came alive on many occasions as some of the candidates, particularly Dr Mahama, Dr Nduom and Prof Mills, made hilarious comments that made the audience break their ribs with laughter.
The questions posed by the two moderators, Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and Israel Laryea, a broadcast journalist with Joy FM, covered a wide range of issues, including constitutional reforms, the deepening of the decentralisation process, the election of district assembly members, measures to deal with corruption, asset declaration, rural transformation, waste disposal and management and addressing poverty in the three northern regions.
Responding to the issue of corruption, Prof Mills said there was the need to first admit that corruption was rife, adding that when elected President, he would lead the fight against corruption and let the law take its course.
He said he would also strengthen institutions that dealt with corruption, adding that he would lead the crusade against corruption because it had a very harmful effect on national development.
“You must be seen to be biting and not just barking,” he added.
Prof Mills said corruption was breaking the society because people were getting away with it.
“We are not showing the right signals; when people are fronting with corruption, leadership must crack the whip,” he stated.
For his part, Dr Mahama said he would offer leadership by example and separate the Attorney-General’s Office from that of the Ministry of Justice.
He said corruption could be controlled and that there was the need to put in place conflict of interest laws to help check the menace. Additionally, he said under his presidency he would he would ensure that the Whistleblower Law was passed.
Nana Akufo-Addo intimated that fighting corruption required more than just rhetoric, noting that it required strong leadership.
He said he did not have any difficulty prosecuting corrupt Ministers of State and made reference to the fact that when he was the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, he had the occasion to prosecute a colleague minister on corruption charges.
He, however, admitted that much more needed to be done for the institutions mandated to deal with corruption, such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
In all of that, he noted that “leaders of government must show example”.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Nduom largely agreed with the sentiments raised by his colleagues but pointed out that there was the need to deal with the perception associated with corruption.
He said there was the need to introduce efficiency in fighting corruption by utilising technology, as well as strengthening institutions, including the Police Service, to deal with the issue.
On asset declaration, Dr Mahama said he would declare his assets publicly at the beginning and the end of his term in office as President and also require his ministers to do likewise.
He said Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Hilla Limann in the First and Third Republics, respectively, “did not own hotels and they went about governance demonstrating leadership by example”.
“This is what I will do if elected President,” he stated.
For his part, Nana Akufo-Addo said he did not have any difficulty in declaring his assets publicly.
He, however, said the assets declaration system Ghana was currently operating had a lot of problems and that he would ensure a legislative framework that allowed that a law for fighting corruption was passed.
Dr Nduom said the situation was not acceptable and wondered why assets declaration remained a secret.
“It should not remain a secret at the AG’s Office”, he stated, stressing that the Right to Information Bill must be passed.
He said it was a constitutional anomaly that the President did not pay tax and said under his Presidency he would reverse the trend, saying, “Leaders must be honest and let seriousness prevail.”
Prof Mills said asset declaration must be verifiable, saying that at the end of everything it should be declared and verified.
He pointed out that the exercise must be extended to surrogates and not just spouses.
On constitutional reforms, Nana Akufo-Addo said he would initiate the processes for amending the Constitution, considering the various concerns expressed on the subject.
Dr Nduom said he would also initiate a process for a constitutional amendment in the first 100 days of taking office, adding that he would pursue the separation of the Attorney-General’s Office from that of the Ministry of Justice.
Prof Mills agreed that there were areas in the Constitution that needed amendment and that there was the need to collate views so that at end of the day we would learn from our mistakes.
Dr Mahama, for his part, noted that the Constitution was not the problem but that the issue had to do with good governance.
“Tampering with the Constitution is not the problem; what matters is the effective strengthening of institutions to work effectively,” he stated.
On the deepening of decentralisation, Dr Nduom stressed the need to put power in the hands of the people and ensure the devolution of power.
By so doing, he said, we must ensure that more revenue and resources went to the local level for its rapid development.
Prof Mills said appointing DCEs had some inherent challenges. However, he agreed that there was the need to ensure that district assemblies were accountable to the people.
Dr Mahama said there was too much concentration of power in the hands of central institutions and also agreed that all DCEs must be elected.
Nana Akufo-Addo stressed the need to put in place structures to begin the process of transferring power from the centre to the districts.