EC’s handling of disqualification... Edward Mahama blames institutional failure
The flag bearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr Edward Nasigri Mahama, has blamed institutional failure for the poor handling of the disqualification of some presidential aspirants from contesting this year’s presidential election.
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“I will not blame the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) but rather the weak system as the cause of the challenges which has led to the 2016 elections not being managed on even grounds,” he told the Daily Graphic in reaction to his near disqualification from contesting this year’s presidential election.
According to him, “as we go into elections, we develop precedence, conventions, practices. These help to strengthen institutions and if we just throw them away then we are hurting ourselves”.
Dr Mahama wondered why Ghana’s democracy was being touted globally as a success story but its institutions were not growing accordingly.
Given the opportunity to rule, he said, he was going to do all in his power to ensure that those institutions, including the EC, the security services, the ministries, the media, etc. were all strengthened to play their professional roles in society.
Watch a video of the interview here {youtube}ezUwrwtC2Yk{/youtube}
Background
It will be recalled that 12 presidential aspirants, including Dr Mahama, were disqualified by the EC as a result of some errors and discrepancies noticed on their nomination forms.
Following from that, some of the disqualified aspirants took the matter to court to challenge the decision of the EC.
On November 7, the Supreme Court gave its ruling on the matter and instructed the EC to allow all the 12 aspirants to correct the said errors on their forms and re-file same.
Three out of the 12 — Dr Mahama, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP) — were reinstated to contest the December presidential poll.
Aggrieved
“To be honest, I feel aggrieved at the EC because if it had talked with us, it wouldn’t have disqualified me. I have lost integrity, lost my reputation. I heard people arguing that Dr Mahama could not fill his forms and he wants to become President of Ghana,” Dr Mahama lamented.
Moreover, he said, while some presidential candidates were campaigning, his near disqualification did not only stop him from campaigning but also prevented him from raising the needed funds for an effective campaign.
“So the near disqualification has hurt me as a person. It seriously damaged my reputation and hurt my career as a whole,” he said.
How prepared
Asked about his preparation towards the December 7, 2016 polls, he said: “I must say that the grounds are not even.”
That notwithstanding, he said he still believed the PNC was the only party to usher Ghana into economic independence.
“Let us start afresh; since independence we are yet to get our economic independence and the Big Six have endorsed me with my sixth position on the ballot paper.
“Moreover, we had political independence on 6th March, 1957 and the sixth position on the ballot signifies the birth of our economic independence,” he argued.
Three political parties
Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Dr Mahama said, the PNC, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had consistently participated in all the six elections that had been conducted by the EC.
Out of the six, he indicated, the NDC had won four, while the NPP had won two, but Ghana’s economic fortunes were still not the best, hence his appeal to Ghanaians to vote for the PNC to salvage the economy.
First PNC commitment
If he won the presidential poll, he indicated, his first commitment would be to sign the Right to Information (RTI) Bill into law.
Dr Mahama also said the 2.5 per cent of the Value Added Tax (VAT) used to support the running of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) would be controlled and managed by a National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), unlike the current situation where the money was kept in the Consolidated Fund and managed by the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
“The MoF is going to serve as a conduit, with the 2.5 per cent VAT just going through the ministry to end up at the NHIA, because the authority is the management part of the scheme mandated to supervise the fund, not the MoF,” he explained.
He said some revenue from the oil sector would also be allotted to support the scheme for its financial viability.
Rice production
Speaking on agriculture, which forms part of the new deal of his policy, the PNC leader said he was going to revamp the sector to enhance rice production.
According to him, he was going to support rice farmers with US$400 million to boost production.
“Last year, the country spent about US$300 million to import rice. As President, I am going to support Ghana’s rice farmers with US$400 million to reduce the importation,” he intimated.
With the new force, he said, he was going to support the youth with seed capital to engage in entrepreneurship.
