Editorial
Kudos to Electoral Commission
The performance of the Electoral Commission (EC) during the December 7, 2020, presidential and parliamentary elections shows that the election management body performed creditably well not only to the admiration of Ghanaians but the world as a whole.
The impressive performance of the Commission started long before the elections in December 2020.
During the registration of voters, the Commission provided regular updates to the electorate to make them aware of what was going on. These updates provided useful information to everyone in this country.
Under what was known as “Let the citizens know”, the Commission provided regular information on the registration, pointing out the number of people registered in various parts of the country. In fact, by the end of the exercise people had an idea as to what the total number of registered voters would be.
During the voting, in December, the EC provided more service points at the polling stations to reduce such time. This also helped to reduce the frustrations of people during voting exercises. Indeed, many voters expressed their joy at the 2020 general elections claiming that the experience encountered, was the best compared with previous ones.
Additionally, there was continuous engagement of the EC with political parties. This was prior to the election itself. The openness on the part of the Commission provided a high degree of transparency for the exercise.
Again, the voting machines worked efficiently and effectively. This also helped to speed up the process, an undeniable fact acknowledged by both local and international observers.
What is more, the tallying of the election results was done smoothly as was confirmed by various observer groups, namely, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observer Mission, African Union Mission and the European Union (EU) Team. Another group that monitored the election was the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO).
All these observer groups confirmed that the entire process, that is, the start of voting, the general conduct of the election officials, the ending of the voting and the counting, was highly satisfactory.
Ghanaians must take pride in this successful exercise and share in the glory with each and everyone in the country, knowing the exercise has been successful because of the contributions of all stakeholders.
Last but not least, the provision of materials for the protection of voters in line with the COVID-19 safety protocols requires special commendations.
Before the registration of voters and the voting, some political elements in the country threatened mayhem and stated that the exercise would be a failure, because, according to them, the COVID-19 pandemic would worsen matters and infect many people. They, therefore, called on the EC not to undertake the exercise.
The Spectator is grateful that the exercise has been successful to the admiration of Ghanaians, local election observers as well as the international community.
Kudos to Mrs Jean Mensa, the other Commissioners and, indeed, the entire Electoral Commission as well as all other well-meaning Ghanaians.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
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Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
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