Interesting piece. By the way, Mugabe is 89, which makes him an octogenarian, soon to be a nonagenarian, if he makes it to February 21, 2014.
Brother Kwesi,
Interesting piece. By the way, Mugabe is 89, which makes him an octogenarian, soon to be a nonagenarian, if he makes it to February 21, 2014.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
“We are presently contesting the results of our last elections in court, making the business of governance uncomfortable and scaring investors away. We have comforted ourselves that it is the right thing to do, because the ... read full comment
“We are presently contesting the results of our last elections in court, making the business of governance uncomfortable and scaring investors away. We have comforted ourselves that it is the right thing to do, because the alternative would be butchering one another with machetes and sticks. We have also managed to convince one another that the novel court process will strengthen our democracy and help expose systematic problems in our general and parliamentary elections.”
Kwesi,
I thought the aforementioned portion of your piece is worth debating. First – and let me make it clear that I am not taking sides – the route to the Supreme Court appears to be the best of several alternatives that were available to Akufo-Addo and the NPP. I know some of Akufo-Addo’s adversaries consider his lawsuit, which challenged the results of Election 2012, as unpatriotic or self-serving, but is it? Honestly, I think this “avant-garde” lawsuit is the best thing that has happened to our democracy! Why? Because Akufo-Addo and the NPP have shown that they believe in the modern tripartite form of government – consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches – with none having the preeminence over the other two, at least, on paper. If my argument holds true, then, investors would actually be encouraged to invest more in the country, especially after the Supreme Court makes its ruling on the case, irrespective of which side triumphs.
Why shouldn’t we convince ourselves that this novel lawsuit would strengthen our democracy? It is not a false hope, Kwesi. Let me take the reader back to what happened in Nigeria in the early 1990s. After Ibrahim Babangida came to powerful via a bloodless insurrection, he held on for a number of years before the pressure got to him and he decided to give multiparty democracy another lifeline. I was a student in that country at the time, so I know from personal experience what transpired shortly after the votes were counted. With Moshood Abiola, a Yoruba, poised to win the election and become president, Babangida shockingly canceled the results of the election! And when Abiola rightfully declared himself president a year or so later, then-“President” Sani Abacha had him arrested for treason. Abiola was soon tossed into a filthy dungeon, where he died a few years later.
What some people do not realize is that, like Ghana’s Election 2012, international observers had declared the 1993 election in Nigeria one of the freest and fairest, but Babangida, unwilling to hand over the reins to a Nigerian from the South, albeit a fellow Muslim, went ahead and canceled it, thereby nearly throwing the country into unimaginable bedlam. A similar scenario could have taken place in Ghana in the aftermath of Election 2012, but Mahama and Akufo-Addo, because of their collective faith in our burgeoning democratic ideals, prevented their followers and epigones from pursuing “jungle justice” in the streets. Please, let us appreciate what Ghanaians have achieved so far since the results of Election 2012 were declared; indeed, we are maturing day by day, and this level of maturity ought to lead to our patting one another on the back!
Joni 10 years ago
I think Kwesi was only making a general point - in line with the rest of the piece that takes a semi-mocking look at the issues he raises. So he may not, when it comes to it, disagree with you.
But I think Kwesi is also h ... read full comment
I think Kwesi was only making a general point - in line with the rest of the piece that takes a semi-mocking look at the issues he raises. So he may not, when it comes to it, disagree with you.
But I think Kwesi is also hinting at the fact that the SC hearings are becoming a farce. It may be the longest election petition ever. Perhaps the only thing it may teach us is that our elections have never been perfect. But we've always known that. But the fact remains that we can never perform perfect elections as long as the rest of the society is imperfect. A society in which corruption is widespread can never perform perfect elections no matter the technical sophistication of the instruments used. So it's possible that the entire SC hearings may not improve our electoral system and democracy much.
Your Nigerian analogy may be relevant but perhaps not on one vital point. The babangida one was a transition from military to civilian which was why the military man could still prevent the winner from assuming office. In Ghana, so far, the military are looking on and don't seem to have any apetite to intervene.
Kwame 10 years ago
Mr. Daniel Pryce how old is Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and Folkland Islands. Mr. Pryce it looks like only Europeans or people of the Caucasian race can decide ... read full comment
Mr. Daniel Pryce how old is Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and Folkland Islands. Mr. Pryce it looks like only Europeans or people of the Caucasian race can decide not to have a term of office, but the Negro must as a matter of "democracy" which other people do not adhere to must have one.
Excuse me this type of thinking let some of you look gullible and expose the hypocrisy of the west. However the west have friends in the Gulf which monarchy disallow a women to venture out of her house without being accompanied by a male relative. A woman who disrespect that law is stoned alive. On election petitions we refer to the case of the Ivory Coast where the president was accused of committing crime against humanity for contesting that country's presidential elections in court. I at times ask myself do we listen to what we write or we just write for writing sake. Hundreds of elections take place in Ghana every year and people who lost those elections do not resort to knives to turn the verdict in their favour.
Pyrce people like you must as a matter of fact stop telling the people of this country that NPP has done us favour by going to the Supreme Court. Voting is to prevent the situation where parties will chose the head of state by shooting at each other at the Independence Square.
Vuvuzela 10 years ago
Pryce you are wrong!!!
In fact, if you go to courts in good faith believing in the truthful stance of your premises, there is nothing wring with that.
We all saw how the Vice Presidential candidate Bawumia fared under i ... read full comment
Pryce you are wrong!!!
In fact, if you go to courts in good faith believing in the truthful stance of your premises, there is nothing wring with that.
We all saw how the Vice Presidential candidate Bawumia fared under interrogation. Not only did he not minutely research how presidential elections are organised in Ghana. He has absolutely no clue about the laws governing presidential elections in Ghana, and even when Bawumia was made to read a portion that pointed to his utter negligence about appraising himself with such issues Bawumia chose to ignore this and went on a on a wild frolic and tirades that completely undermined his scholarship and the degrees he appends to his name. We were awed. How then does peddling lies as a Vice Presidential candidate strengthen democracy in Ghana?
The petition was a futile effort, a waste of time, an misuse of resources and a complete mockery at our democracy, heightened hypocrisy we cherish and our law courts. Bawumia who convinced Akufo Addo to contest the election results went to the courts very convinced they lost. Their actions was pre-empting the 2016 elections so they would stand again. Bawumia's sarcastic responses and continued clowning all indicated he wasn't serious.
If at this level in Ghana's difficultly unsteady and meandering march towards the future inspires your fancy then I stand in awe about your grasp of issues there at home. We need to begin wailing.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership shortly after the election. Whatever is happening now -- the actual court proceedings -- may reflect something slightly different, based on t ... read full comment
The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership shortly after the election. Whatever is happening now -- the actual court proceedings -- may reflect something slightly different, based on the fact-finding work both parties are engaged in.
Please do not confuse the reasons for filing the suit with what is being discovered via interrogatories and cross-examinations at the Supreme Court. Your argument that the petition was "a futile effort, a waste of time ..." shows your biased lenses. The courts exist to mediate adversarial situations in our body politic, so let us allow this arm of government to decide if the lawsuit was, indeed, frivolous.
Vuvuzela 10 years ago
"The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership..."
It wasn't the NDC or the public that presented the information to NPP leadership? The leadership invented its own results from its pe ... read full comment
"The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership..."
It wasn't the NDC or the public that presented the information to NPP leadership? The leadership invented its own results from its perception of what happened and those they placed in the EC strong room. Come to think of it, Bawumia didn't even know who represented him in the EC strong room.
Who do you expect to do the work for the leadership of a political party that throws tantrums around as the most intelligent and very knowledgeable in Ghana? The EC maintains its figures. The stomach politicians and the greedy society are to blame in being so corrupt they can't organize anything blameless. In fact the errors alluded to in court should be laid squarely on the doorsteps of NPP and NDC and all the 'contracting' parties.
"Whatever is happening now" is that NPP grossly failed itself in detailed research for information relayed to them and on top does the most ridiculous trying to churn out continuous untruths to win verdict in court.
"The reasons for filing the suit" are obvious to everyone who cared to see what happens in court and this is simple: NPP intends to coerce public acceptance in what someone sees as his birthright.
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
Vuvuzela, I see that you're passionate about the democratic process, and I applaud that! I am too, but as I pointed out earlier, it is better for us to not make subjective arguments; we should rather leave the matter to the S ... read full comment
Vuvuzela, I see that you're passionate about the democratic process, and I applaud that! I am too, but as I pointed out earlier, it is better for us to not make subjective arguments; we should rather leave the matter to the Supreme Court to decide.
Certainly, there were some emotions involved when the suit was initially filed, but the Supreme Court would help us separate facts from fiction, and, perhaps, your argument, albeit subjective, may just triumph!
By the way, thanks for a respectful and spirited discussion, which is what we need on this site. There used to be so many bright minds who visited GWEB to discuss issues, but they are all gone now, and we all know why.
Quite disappointing that my friend Kwesi won't join us to discuss his own article.
Vuvuzela 10 years ago
So long Daniel, thanks.
As for Kwesi, I provoked him into coming out; he won't budge.
Anyway, let's not just always talk; let's fight the voracious politicians and other leeches in the government together to extirpate ... read full comment
So long Daniel, thanks.
As for Kwesi, I provoked him into coming out; he won't budge.
Anyway, let's not just always talk; let's fight the voracious politicians and other leeches in the government together to extirpate the beloved patria from precipice - Sic itur ad astra!!! .
Xor nye gbedoname!
mojingles 10 years ago
Pryce, no, the lawsuit is not the best thing that happened to our democracy...on the contrary, it is a distraction, and purely an attempt by a party that should have conceded electoral defeat with all the grace it could muste ... read full comment
Pryce, no, the lawsuit is not the best thing that happened to our democracy...on the contrary, it is a distraction, and purely an attempt by a party that should have conceded electoral defeat with all the grace it could muster, to delegitimize a President it has absolute disdain and contempt for....and another thing, the longer the lawsuit winds its way through the court system with the invariable courtroom theatrics(the dour Tsikata going up against the evasive and supremely naïve Bawumia) the more folks become distrustful of the entire democratic apparatus. The fallout from this lawsuit no matter how it is resolved could be potentially problematic for Ghana....what if the NDC loses in 2016 and decides to seek redress in the courtroom? And the scary unknown;would the losing party have the guts to collar its rabid supporters bent on causing mayhem? We have seen small indications of what could potentially happen the Supreme Court rules in favor of one party or the other....investors are not calmed by the lawsuit...they are jittery and nervous about pumping money into a country that could implode at any time.....on the face of it all, the lawsuit is a disservice to our democracy by irreversibly staining it.....
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
My brother,
I know that Mahama has been called some unpleasant names by certain people who, if you'll forgive me, think that it's their birthright to rule Ghana. We all know some of these people and some of the ethnocentri ... read full comment
My brother,
I know that Mahama has been called some unpleasant names by certain people who, if you'll forgive me, think that it's their birthright to rule Ghana. We all know some of these people and some of the ethnocentric comments they've purveyed on this portal and others. In fact, I could not believe some of the things I read on this Web site, purportedly coming from fellow Ghanaians. Simply disgraceful.
There's nothing wrong with the Akufo-Addo lawsuit per se; after all, the U.S. Supreme Court had to settle Gore versus Bush in 2000, which makes our current situation not so unusual. If, after the Supreme Court rules on the case, the hoi polloi can establish that the NPP wasted our time by going to court, then the NPP's fortunes will be affected in 2016. If, however, the party had grounds to file the suit, then democracy would have been the victor. Let's wait and see ...
The one troubling thing about our post-Election 2012 experience, however, is the major fissure that has been created along party lines in the country. But even in the midst of these difficulties, I am sure that we'll survive and learn from it. After all, party politics can be ugly, and the world's leading democracies are not spared either.
If there is any lesson to be picked up from this election brouhaha, it is this: the presidency must go to the people's choice, not to the preferred candidate of society's elites, unless the preferred candidate of society's elites is the one who actually triumphed.
I have not been able to listen to any of the arguments going on at the Supreme Court, so I cannot comment on specifics. One thing I know, however, is that the Supreme Court will be the final arbiter in this matter, after which we can conclusively, or otherwise, say whether "the lawsuit is a disservice to our democracy...."
mojingles 10 years ago
Pryce, the one redeeming quality of the lawsuit is that it is a viable alternative as you rightly pointed out earlier....however, it makes a mockery of the votes that went the President's way. The Gore V Bush case was swiftly ... read full comment
Pryce, the one redeeming quality of the lawsuit is that it is a viable alternative as you rightly pointed out earlier....however, it makes a mockery of the votes that went the President's way. The Gore V Bush case was swiftly settled and Americans accepted the verdict without any acrimony.....though bitterness lingered among Democrats who felt they had won the elections...the same can't be said of the Akuffo Addo V. Mahama which is rather protracted...6 months and counting....it is, honestly speaking, a drag on the daily governance of the nation......I think political opportunism is at play here, and the lawsuit may not be in our best interest......
Daniel K. Pryce 10 years ago
I certainly agree with you that the case has dragged on for too long.
I certainly agree with you that the case has dragged on for too long.
Soomui 10 years ago
Tawiah-Benjamin, I think you should stay in Canada for the rest of your life.
When I got to the first line of the fourth paragraph of your rancid obedient colonial servant-type article, I could no longer hold the puke at ... read full comment
Tawiah-Benjamin, I think you should stay in Canada for the rest of your life.
When I got to the first line of the fourth paragraph of your rancid obedient colonial servant-type article, I could no longer hold the puke at what had become of a person who I hesitate to think is a fellow Blackman.
May the Good Lord however, have mercy upon your desperate soul.
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our mind ......". Bob Nesta Marley
Mr. Questions 10 years ago
Life is about your happiness and those of others - - - occurring simultaneously. How do you achieve that ? In a dictatorship ? How are your chiefs and kings doing, even within their small fiefdoms ?
Life is about your happiness and those of others - - - occurring simultaneously. How do you achieve that ? In a dictatorship ? How are your chiefs and kings doing, even within their small fiefdoms ?
Vuvuzela 10 years ago
“And sadly, even though most democratic African countries lament that a total of eight years is not enough for any government to prosecute their agenda, we are so scared to amend our constitutions to extend the term from fo ... read full comment
“And sadly, even though most democratic African countries lament that a total of eight years is not enough for any government to prosecute their agenda, we are so scared to amend our constitutions to extend the term from four to five years. We descended on Nigeria’s Baba Obasanjo when he was alleged to have made a suggestion for a third term.”
One thing I find wrong with most of you recycling as very knowledgeable is your refusal for one little second to accept the truth.
There is nothing bad with Obasanjo having two decades presidential mandate. But Obasanjo was corrupt to the marrow. His clique of governing body was stealing all the money belonging to the Nigerian people. Were you aware that he was always in the sack with the wife of his own son? It wasn’t a spin; they were caught red-handed.
So asking, how does it go well with you having a person of his caliber surrounded by his entourage entangled with moral turpitude holding on to power for long?
“We are so eager to add to our democratic credentials by imperfectly transplanting governance models that we don’t seem well prepared for. While these models are the best on the market, we should not jettison values we hold dear just to look good in the eyes of observers.”
So here comes the question: Do we really need democracy if questions on moral refinement are lost on us? This is because real democracy must be founded on the fundamental precepts of morality and ethics, flanked by the reinforcement of our Laws, without which it is impossible to achieve any objectives…
Brother Kwesi,
Interesting piece. By the way, Mugabe is 89, which makes him an octogenarian, soon to be a nonagenarian, if he makes it to February 21, 2014.
“We are presently contesting the results of our last elections in court, making the business of governance uncomfortable and scaring investors away. We have comforted ourselves that it is the right thing to do, because the ...
read full comment
I think Kwesi was only making a general point - in line with the rest of the piece that takes a semi-mocking look at the issues he raises. So he may not, when it comes to it, disagree with you.
But I think Kwesi is also h ...
read full comment
Mr. Daniel Pryce how old is Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar and Folkland Islands. Mr. Pryce it looks like only Europeans or people of the Caucasian race can decide ...
read full comment
Pryce you are wrong!!!
In fact, if you go to courts in good faith believing in the truthful stance of your premises, there is nothing wring with that.
We all saw how the Vice Presidential candidate Bawumia fared under i ...
read full comment
The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership shortly after the election. Whatever is happening now -- the actual court proceedings -- may reflect something slightly different, based on t ...
read full comment
"The lawsuit was filed based on information that was presented to the NPP leadership..."
It wasn't the NDC or the public that presented the information to NPP leadership? The leadership invented its own results from its pe ...
read full comment
Vuvuzela, I see that you're passionate about the democratic process, and I applaud that! I am too, but as I pointed out earlier, it is better for us to not make subjective arguments; we should rather leave the matter to the S ...
read full comment
So long Daniel, thanks.
As for Kwesi, I provoked him into coming out; he won't budge.
Anyway, let's not just always talk; let's fight the voracious politicians and other leeches in the government together to extirpate ...
read full comment
Pryce, no, the lawsuit is not the best thing that happened to our democracy...on the contrary, it is a distraction, and purely an attempt by a party that should have conceded electoral defeat with all the grace it could muste ...
read full comment
My brother,
I know that Mahama has been called some unpleasant names by certain people who, if you'll forgive me, think that it's their birthright to rule Ghana. We all know some of these people and some of the ethnocentri ...
read full comment
Pryce, the one redeeming quality of the lawsuit is that it is a viable alternative as you rightly pointed out earlier....however, it makes a mockery of the votes that went the President's way. The Gore V Bush case was swiftly ...
read full comment
I certainly agree with you that the case has dragged on for too long.
Tawiah-Benjamin, I think you should stay in Canada for the rest of your life.
When I got to the first line of the fourth paragraph of your rancid obedient colonial servant-type article, I could no longer hold the puke at ...
read full comment
Life is about your happiness and those of others - - - occurring simultaneously. How do you achieve that ? In a dictatorship ? How are your chiefs and kings doing, even within their small fiefdoms ?
“And sadly, even though most democratic African countries lament that a total of eight years is not enough for any government to prosecute their agenda, we are so scared to amend our constitutions to extend the term from fo ...
read full comment