IEA inaugurates 2016 presidential debate committee
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) yesterday inaugurated a 10–member committee to assist the institute to plan and organise the 2016 presidential debates.
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The committee, chaired by Professor Justice Akua Kuenyehia, a former First Vice-Chairperson of the International Criminal Court (ICC), includes the Most Rev. Joseph Osei Bonsu, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference; Alhaji Mama Gado Mohammed, a representative of the National Chief Imam, and Apostle Dr Opoku Onyina, the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost.
Others are Alhaji Maulvi Bin Salih, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission; Dr Rose Kutin, the Executive Director of Abantu for Development, and Mr Justice Emil Short, a former Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
The rest are Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana; Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, the Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, and Mrs Jean Mensa, the Executive Director of the IEA.
Debates
The institute will organise three presidential debates and a vice-presidential aspirants’ debate for political parties with representation in Parliament.
The first presidential candidates’ debate is slated for September.
According to the institute, alternate debate arrangements would later be made for political parties without representation in Parliament.
Operational guidelines
As part of the guidelines provided by the IEA to regulate the operations of the committee, it is supposed to meet at least eight times before the initial presidential debate slated for September 2016.
It is also expected to hold emergency meetings, when necessary, and set up a sub-committee to collaborate with the IEA to collate questions for the debate.
The sub-committee will also assist the institute to organise the presidential and vice-presidential debates, review collated questions from the public and select and approve questions for the debate.
Its other tasks include selecting moderators for each debate, reviewing and approving guidelines for the moderators and reviewing and approving the format and guidelines for the presidential debates.
The others are to review and approve the presidential debate brochure, issue press statements relating to the debates, as and when necessary, and undertake any other duties that the sub-committee would consider relevant to the 2016 debates.
Inaugural messages
Inaugurating the committee, an Adjunct Senior Fellow of the IEA, Prof. Atsu Ayee, said the presidential debates were going to be a test of the maturity and good health of Ghana’s democracy.
He said presidential debates had, since 2000, strengthened the political atmosphere.
The Presidential Debate Committee
“This is based on the fact that these debates introduced an issue-driven approach and dimension to the presidential campaign and enabled political campaigns to move away from personalities, acrimony, insults and attacks which have become the norm in African electoral campaigns,” he said.
IEA mechanisms
Mrs Mensa said the debates were part of the IEA’s mechanisms to promote the effective involvement of the electorate in the elections.
She said the debates would provide a platform for informing voters and giving them the opportunity to critically assess the suitability of the various presidential aspirants.
“The debates are also expected to promote peaceful and violence-free elections in the political process and achieve issues-based elections,” she said,
While commending the media for assisting the IEA in its operations, Mrs Mensa asked for greater collaboration with them.
She said without such collaboration, it was virtually impossible for the institute and its stakeholders to promote issues-based and free and fair elections.