Procedural failure, process-risk indicators, and bottlenecks have created slow-down hiccups for the electoral commission of Ghana, and yet again, raising the eyebrows of the onlookers.
The systems and approaches adopted by the Ghana Electoral Commission could not matched the fast pace of technological growth, systems development and process enhancement of the two major political parties in Ghana (NDC & NPP), in particular area of collation of Election Results.
The parties have spent alot of money (millions of Dollars and Ghana Cedis) in procuring the right technological tools, sete up ITC infrastructure, trained officers, and coordinated the process flow to harmonise election results accessibility and assessments on timely basis, creating the coherency needed of succeeding with the collation of election results for the respective parties.
Unfortunately, the attempts by the EC of Ghana to clean-up the sins and failures of the past, have rather introduced subtle controls to ensure system effectiveness in direct relation to collation of accurate election results, and declaration of same: this has Unfortunately created unseen bottlenecks, slow down the collation proceedings and declaration processes, which invariably, has led to anxiety, anger, anxiousness of the electorates, and the subsequent disruptions, destructions and infusion of election related violence at specific collation centers across Ghana.
The lack of enthusiasm on the part of those with authority to make quick decisions to forestall safety and security, created further flexible permissible environment for the destructive forces to unleashed unimaginable threats and destruction of lives and property.
The further lack of a cohesive strategy that matches election violence activity-based actions at election-security hotshots has created a worsening situation for election workers across the Ghana: those who have identified the hotshots and the failure of those responsible to act in averting or curtailed it in moments of great danger and pandemonium would have to consider doing something different in further elections.
When the waters are cleared of weeds, and the dust settled, may we not go back to sleep and hide in our banana roofed holiday houses, thinking these election related problems will be resolved by themselves.
If we are not shameless people, then, it is just reasonable that, we wake up to our respective responsibilities, and ensure our collective actions will benefit the Democratic and Governance systems in place in Ghana.
Thank you.
Richard Kumadoe
Founder, Independent Election Security and compliance watchers.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
