2016 Election: My thoughts
As long as you keep your mind clearly focussed on the goal that you want to accomplish, you will achieve that goal. — Tracy Brian.
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The 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections are now part of our history. One thing has become clear, that the people of this country have chosen to live with two political parties for now. For the first time in the history of the Fourth Republic, all the seats were won by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC). There are no independent candidates as has been the case since 1993.
The NPP has become more representative of the whole country since it participated in the parliamentary polls in 1996. It has seats in all the regions. That did not happen under former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2001. Thus the sterile and puerile arguments canvassed in 2008, when Nana Akufo Addo led the first round, that it would not be fair for a president to win votes from only two regions, as if the regions are the basis of analysis, has not surfaced.
It was unfortunate that the Electoral Commission(EC) remained passive as the NPP and the NDC made counter claims as to who was winning and who was in the lead. What exercised many was the fact that at the time the EC claimed to have received only a single certified constituency results. By insisting that it had not flouted any rule in not announcing the results because the 72 hour-time frame had not been exhausted, the EC maintained its own definition of within as something happening after the agreed time rather than before the lapse of the time.
One thing was clear. Nana Akufo-Addo remained focussed and primed. He knew that he was winning and was not deterred when some of his critics sneered and jeered at him. He kept on emphasising that the battle was the Lord’s.
Ghanaians have been decisive in their endorsement of Nana Akufo-Addo. He has the clearest mandate with the widest margin since competitive partisan election started from 1996. With that clear mandate, it is not surprising that he has affirmed that he would be a president for all. It is thus unfortunate that it took the concession of President Mahama to defuse the needless tension that was brewing due to the passiveness of the EC. It was even more incredulous that the EC which said it had very little data to make a pronouncement of the elections within minutes of the concession had the full details, thoroughly and formally packaged to be presented to the people.
We all must appreciate why we should never tolerate injustice, bestialism and violence in the name of partisan politics. We have to speak with one voice against those who want to take control of national assets because their party has won, but we must not forget what might have triggered such dysfunctional tendencies. It must be nipped in the bud, but that is still the responsibility of the state and the government.
Whilst congratulating Nana Akufo-Addo, since there is no dispute about his victory, which was not the case in 2012, I want to submit that he takes between now and January 6, 2017 to compose his team of ministers of state and district chief executives such that there will be no vacuum. Parliament must be tasked as soon as it is inaugurated to begin the vetting of the full complement of ministerial appointees whilst the district assemblies begin approval of the district chief executives from January 8, 2017, such that by the end of the month, the government would hit the ground running.
In 2001, the first act of development undertaken by the Kufuor Administration was the expansion of the Nsawam Bridge over the River Densu which had become a bottleneck to traffic flow. I plead that Nana Akufo-Addo focuses on completing the Nsawam-Apedwa dual road and also ensure the reconstruction of the Kumasi Airport-Antoa Road, to let the people in that part of the country feel that they also matter.
On the issue of the transition process, it is imperative that the government provides the basic needs of the Administrator, for listening to Mr David Yaro, he does not have the means to carry out his mandate. If the institution is relevant for the orderly and smooth transfer of power then we must do what is required of us as a state and government.
As for those who have started sneering at Nana Akufo-Addo , we have to understand that we are still under the NDC Administration.
My advice to public servants is that we must learn to be loyal and serve our nation rather than individuals. When we do that there will be no fear of losing our jobs or positions when there is a change in government.