Ghana's Electoral Process in Danger - Dzirasah

... recounts experience in Gomoa

Second deputy Speaker of Parliament, Kenneth Dzirasah has observed that the greatest danger now to the country?s young democracy is the electoral process. He said there is a greater need now for all Ghanaians especially the Electoral Commission (EC) to do a proper monitoring of the electoral process in order to maintain its sanctity.

For now, he said the process has become so fraudulent that it has the potential of setting the country?s clock of progress backwards.

Recounting his experience in Gomoa East during last Tuesday?s by-election to the Network Herald, Mr. Dzirasah said, ?it was an unpleasant experience, I was virtually running for my dear life.?

Dzirasah also MP for South Tongu said he went round 25 polling stations and cannot but agree with the position of the General Secretary of his party (NDC). Dr. Josiah Aryeh announced in Gomoa that his party rejects the outcome of the by-election, saying it was not full of intimidation, harassment and vote buying.

Mr. Dzirasah said supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Gomoa ? Lome chased NDC sympathizers who attempted going to that polling station to monitor the voting with cutlasses, clubs and knives in the full glare of the police chief, Dr. K.K. Marfo. He however admitted that the presence of Dr. Marfo and the Central Regional Police Commander averted what could have been a bloody clash.

He told the paper that, he personally made two attempts to go to the Gomoa-Lome polling station to observe things for himself, but ?an army of youth? were following the vehicle he was driving in and he had to beat a retreat. He noted that in the face of the harassment and intimidation, the NDC made no impact at all at that particular polling station, which according to him had about 1,300 registered voters.

The MP also said a group of youngmen wearing red shirts and driving in a green NPP campaign pick up trailed him everywhere he went in the constituency and even attempted molesting him.

?I was under regular surveillance from NPP youngmen in green vehicle. They followed me everywhere I went and even attempted molesting me at one of the polling stations.?

The MP said the NDC is in possession of some shots of some development projects that were taking place at the time of voting last Tuesday. He told the paper that the ruling party brought transformers on the polling day, and bulldozers were working on the roads whilst voting was going on. ?We have shots of people who were on electric poles.?

?I have been an election observer in Liberia, South Africa, Cameroon and others and I must say I have never seen what I saw in Gomoa.? He added that, ?Gomoa was an apology of fairness. We were literally robbed and there?s a high level of bitterness.?

When his attention was drawn to the fact that the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) which also monitors the election independently, has declared the election free and fair, the deputy speaker said, ?I don?t know where the CDD went to describe the election as free and fair.?