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EC can manage Election 2008 professionally - Nduom
Accra, March 25, Ghanadot/GNA – The Convention People’s
Party (CPP) on Tuesday affirmed its trust and confidence in
the ability of the Electoral Commission (EC) to manage
Elections 2008 professionally but tasked the EC to ensure
that its data base is accurate.
“If the credibility of the Commission is eroded, we will not
have any peace after the next elections as some political
parties appear to be preparing themselves for an unhealthy
contest.
“As a party, we believe in the professional abilities and
capabilities of the Commissioners, and their electoral
staff,” Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom CPP Flag bearer stated at a
press conference in Accra to expose the media to the party’s
Community Base Campaign strategy.
He called on EC to ensure that the political parties behave
in accordance to the tenets of the 1992 Constitution, the
Political Parties law Act 574, and other electoral
operational guidance.
He said electoral problems were caused by the political
parties and therefore charged the EC to take steps to ensure
that all political parties and their agents adhere to the
rules and regulations governing public elections.
The former Minister for Private Sector Reforms, also tasked
the government to release funds required by the EC on a
timely basis to remove all doubts about the capabilities of
the commission to conduct free and fair elections.
On the recent discovery of oil and gas in commercial
quantities, Dr Nduom urged the government to outline
immediate developmental strategies for these communities to
avoid Nigeria’s Niger Delta problem.
He said the government must prevent the situation where the
people of Niger Delta suffer in poverty while the oil
companies and their governments reap the benefit, from
happening in Ghana.
“I am calling for a plan of development and modernization
for the immediate communities where oil and gas have been
found.”
The government should also make sure that whatever decisions
are arrived at on how to invest the oil and gas benefits are
passed into law by Parliament to ensure that implementation
does not vary by political ideology or the personal desire
of any one leader.
Dr Kwaku Osafo Spokesman of Industry, Trade and Labour urged
the government to promulgate the necessary laws to prevent
the haemorrhage of revenue, which the nation would accrue
through thievery and corruption.
The nation should reach a consensus on the priorities for
the utilization of the stream of revenues for national
renaissance and development.
Dr Osafo who is also an International Development Economist
called on the sub-regional leaders and the African Union
(AU) to quickly fashion a new joint oil policy in terms of
production, distribution, marketing and partnership to
protect Africa’s interest.
He said the story for African countries such as Nigeria,
Gabon, Cameroon, Angola and Congo-Brazavile had been
harrowing and sad.
“Oil revenues in these sister countries sprouted greed, vile
ostentation, corruption, ineptness, arrogance and
insensitivity to the poor and needy. The dark lamentable
recesses of man’s inhumanity to man surfaced in the most
criminal manner.
“The oil resources were not substantially and substantively
used to build and improve the human resources base only
limited infrastructures in low cost housing, roads,
railways, hospital were undertaken,” he said.
He said Nigeria which is the 8th world largest oil producer
fared no better from the oil money revenue, throwing the
people of the Niger Delta into the abyss of poverty and
underdevelopment.
He therefore appealed to the government to put in place the
structures to ensure that Ghanaians benefit from the oil and
gas resources.
GNA
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