Editorial
Ghana’s democracy is the winner
After patiently waiting for the announcement by the Electoral Commission on the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections held on Monday, December 7, the results were officially declared by the Elections Management Body (EMB) in Ghana on Wednesday.
According to the Commission, the Presidential election was won by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with 51.3 per cent having clocked 6,730,587 number of votes cast. At the Parliamentary level, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claimed to have clinched it with a slight majority of seats as against that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Events just before the declaration of the results were unpleasant because the NDC reiterated a number of times through press conferences that they had already won 140 seats in parliament to form the majority. This, as has been proven by the EC, was false because as of the time of that pronouncement, the party concerned had not won that number of seats to form parliamentary majority.
Meanwhile, both President Akufo-Addo of the NPP and the NDC presidential candidate, Mr John Mahama had committed themselves to a peace pact which demonstrated to Ghanaians and the world that they were prepared to promote peace before, during and after the elections.
It was, therefore, unfortunate that the NDC called on its supporters to jubilate because they had won majority of the seats in parliament. The party had earlier warned that they would resist any attempt by the EC to change the results in favour of anyone.
This caused unnecessary tension among Ghanaians who are committed to peace; for which reason some political analysts on radio and TV, appealed to Mr Mahama to desist from such pronouncements, and use constitutional means, based on available evidence, to seek redress.
Such pronouncements, to The Spectator, are divisive, dangerous, retrogressive and irresponsible and should, therefore, not be encouraged since it can lead to chaos and disturbances in various parts of the country.
Originally, the EC had announced its intention to declare the results 24 hours after voting. This was good since unnecessary delays could have been avoided to prevent tensions as had happened in some cases, in the past.
The EC rightly informed the general public that to ensure that the collation of results at the constituency and regional collation centres across the country was accurate; it had to extend its intended timeline for declaring the election results within 24 hours after voting, to a later time.
Though there were some pockets of violence in some parts of the country, generally, it would be right to say the EC has performed creditably well – seeing that its operations have been characterised by integrity, fairness and transparency.
There is no doubt that Ghana’s democracy is moving forward and that all Ghanaians should positively support the credentials we have established for ourselves, coming in a form of an enviable and admirable country that cherishes and promotes rule of law and freedom of expression as well as having established itself as a beacon of democracy to the admiration of the entire world.
Dear Editor,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
