Feature By: Mary Ankrah
Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. Sydney J. Harris
Once again, the beauty of democracy manifested on December 7 and 8, 2012 when most Ghanaians, old, young, strong and weak, queued patiently to cast their vote, to elect their president and parliamentarians for the sixth time under the Fourth Republic.
The December 7 elections was the sixth consecutive Presidential and Parliamentary elections since Ghana returned to democratic rule in 1992.
Like the case of other election years, political parties defended their democratic gains by developing strategic interventions to promote free, credible and violent free elections.
Again, for the first time, the country used the Biometric Voter Registration and Verification System, which in spite of some challenges during the election days, helped in minimising the occurrence of election fraud, multiple registration and voting, a bloated voters’ registers and disputed polling station results, all triggering tension. But there is more room for improvement.
It is not surprising that Ghana is on the frontline of peace after the successful and peaceful elections. This has proved to the world that the country is a true African success story, whose best days are yet to come.
However, the election year was characterised by gargantuan disasters such as the death of the sitting late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills; the former late Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Melcom shopping centre collapse involving 81 victims and 14 deaths; the plane crash that killed ten people, and a series of road and fire accidents, claiming lives and property.
Although it had been tough for the country in this electioneering year, the people showed great concern in making the election a very peaceful, violence-free and successful one.
This has demonstrated that Ghanaians cherish the peace it’s enjoying and are committed in maintaining it as well.
They have also come to the realisation that whether election or no elections life goes on and there is no need to kill each other just because of an election.
It is on this note that the entire country dedicates the peaceful election to the memories of the late President Prof. John Evan Atta Mills and former late vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and all those who ensured that peace prevailed during the election.
As was captured by the former United Nations General Secretary, Kofi Annan at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon, August 1998, “No one is born a good citizen, no nation is born democratic. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a life time. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself from its youth severs its lifetime; and is condemned to bleed to death”.
Now more than ever the people who had been put in positions to lead must be responsible for the characters of their congress.
If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it would be that the people of Ghana tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption, which should not happen and so let us all forge ahead in unity to make a better Ghana and continue to make the country a beacon of hope for the world.
God bless us all!
No comments:
Post a Comment