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,
Over the past few months, the ages of some drivers of commercial vehicles continue to baffle me.
This is common during weekends when one boards any of the commercial vehicles – be it trotros and okada.
I remember, I boarded a taxi from the Accra Central area towards the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area. When I sat in the vehicle, I realised the driver was a young boy. Specifically, he said he was 18.
I know our laws do not permit youth under the age of 21 to be driving; that is clearly against Ghana’s Road Traffic laws for operating commercial vehicles.
Some commuters have even had confrontations with station masters over the issue and have refused to board vehicles driven by underage individuals, despite the risk of arriving late for work.
This situation is deeply disturbing because it puts the lives of passengers and other road users at risk.
No matter how skilled such drivers may be, allowing underage persons to operate commercial vehicles is wrong and unlawful. Laws governing road safety are meant to protect lives, and ignoring them only increases the chances of accidents and loss of lives.
I therefore urge the relevant authorities, especially the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, to strictly enforce the age requirements for commercial driving in the country.
Baba
Labadi
The advantages of focusing on girls have been evident over the years. However, current research indicates that the statistics pertaining to boys are still declining.
Approximately 69 percent of boys and 73 percent of girls finish primary school. While Senior High School (SHS) enrollment trends have lately changed, with females significantly outnumbering males (about 110 girls to every 100 boys), Junior High School (JHS) gender parity remains stable, with the Gender Parity Index (GPI) remaining between 1.00 and 1.03.
The Gender Parity Index (GPI) indicates parity between girls and boys.
Although encouraging education for girls is essential for Ghana’s development, the strong emphasis has unintentionally led to inequalities for boys.
Many stakeholders worry that affirmative action and unequal resource distribution put males at risk, which can occasionally lead to increased dropout rates and behavioural issues in specific neighbourhoods.
There has been a lot of discussion among Ghanaian sociologists and educators about the disproportionate support given to girls and how it affects boys.
They claim that the majority of scholarships and special facilities are frequently disproportionately given to girls, which boy child advocates contend makes young men feel ignored or disadvantaged.
Due to these differences, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, Vice Chancellor of Pentecost University, has voiced serious concerns and is pushing for a deliberate discussion about the education and development of boys in order to build stronger families and societies.
The statement was made by Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua during a seminar hosted by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra on May 16, which is International Day of the Boy Child.
It was organised in association with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES) under the theme “Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.”
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua revealed that many young males are vulnerable due to inadequate mentoring, a decline in schooling, negative social media influences, and emotional neglect.
Additionally, he stated that the boy child faced numerous difficulties, including aggression, substance addiction, academic decline, emotional neglect, and the lack of strong role models, as a result of the focus shifting to the girl child.
He worries that since boys are essential to the development of the country, they should not be overlooked in discussions about leadership, education, family stability, and national reform.
The Spectator agrees with Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua and believes that while it is important to train girls, neglecting boys can impede social advancement by causing differences in behaviour and education between young men and women.
“If we don’t make an effort social media will train our children for us. We’re not saying they shouldn’t use social media, but we should help them get the information they need to succeed in life,” he said.
The Spectator believes that the GES would adopt gender-responsive education in order to guarantee that classroom instruction meets the requirements of both boys and girls equally.
Let’s continue to be dedicated to making sure that no child is left behind.
