Former Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), David Kanga has indicated apprehension over the appointment of a new Chairman for the Commission is due to the lack of transparency that was exhibited in \u00a0appointment of the first EC chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”Khw4BonFnkVkrsLxoPaGyZMgBTAJxxgA”]\u201cIn 1993, we should have done a better job with the procedure of appointing commissioners to all the constitutional bodies. Transparency is what I\u2019m talking about the maybe they didn\u2019t do a good job\u2026the transparency has actually been lacking,\u201d he said on Eyewitness News.<\/p>\n
David Kanga who retired as Deputy EC chair in 2012 however declined to recommend how the process can be executed in a transparent manner because according to him, he might be called upon to play a role in the selection process and his personal view on the matter may be misconstrued.<\/p>\n
Many suggestions have been made regarding the appointment of a new chairman of Ghana\u2019s Electoral Commission following the impending retirement of Dr. Afari Gyan.<\/p>\n
Dr Afari Gyan was appointed in 1992 and has since presided over six national elections but his last national election in 2012 ended up at the Supreme Court when the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) challenged the results of the elections declared by the EC chair.<\/p>\n
Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that \u201cThe President shall, acting on the advice of the Council of State, appoint the Chairman, Deputy Chairmen, and other members of the Electoral Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Political parties and some legal practitioners have been very vocal on the selection process and have admonished the President and the Council of State to adhere strictly to the constitutional guidelines to ensure the successful undertaking of the 2016 general elections and other future elections.<\/p>\n
He was concerned that the many voices making recommendations of the appointment of the next EC chair are likely to derail the process which could lead to the lack of trust in the nation\u2019s electoral system.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWhat is important is that the Electoral Commission is a body that we should all be supporting. If we don\u2019t do that and we divide into our different thoughts, at the end of the day, we may not be supporting the electoral process enough for us to be able to accept election results and that is my worry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He advised that Ghanaians not behave as though the appointment process of the next EC chair will be different from the appointment process in the past.<\/p>\n
Kanga further warned that it is dangerous to assume that the Council of State does not have guidelines to help them make a decision, adding that \u201ceven if the Council of State does not have guidelines, can they not now sit down and set up the guidelines to help with the process?\u201d<\/p>\n
Narrating how he got appointed, Kanga said he only received an appointment letter and was not aware prior to receiving the letter that his name had been put up for consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was after the appointment then I got to know from the people who were involved that told me that they had mentioned my name early on and what not\u2026I don\u2019t know whether they [Council of State] played a role or not,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
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By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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