NATIONAL REFORM PARTY MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE CURRENT ELECTORAL IMPASSE

The current impasse in the presidential election requires swift resolution. In preventing a crisis we must build unity, tolerance and commitment to constitutional values. However, progress is possible only if citizens are willing to call a spade a spade and to insist on rules-based democratic solutions rather than deals brokered in secret by “big men”.

We do not discount NPP complaints about irregularities in the Volta region polls (however hypocritical these may sound given their own conduct in other parts of the country). We insist however that NPP complaints must be pursued in accordance with well established electoral laws. They must submit their evidence to the Electoral Commission. If still dissatisfied, the NPP can go to court only after a final EC declaration. This is the law. All Parties have complied with this over the last 16 years including the NPP under the leadership of the late Prof. Adu-Boahene and NDC under the leadership of Prof. Mills.

Four things are very clear about the NPPs current conduct.

First the assault on our democracy is the work of a small clique or cliques within NPP leadership and not the Party as a whole. Important NPP voices such as B.J. da Rocha have spoken out clearly against this crude power grab. We know too that President Kufour has rejected this grab for power and has confronted Mr. Akufo-Addo over this in public. We know that President Kufour was not consulted concerning the Party’s illegal court action. We believe a large group and perhaps a majority of NPP supporters share the views of the President and Mr. Da Rocha.

Second, the members of these cliques consider themselves above the law. Consistently their demand has been for special treatment. An example is the demand that the EC postpone declaration of a winner until after evaluation of evidence (yet to be submitted) of alleged irregularities in the Volta polls. Another example is the demand that the High Court entertain a writ on a Public Holiday to compel the EC to bend to their will. It is important that we free them of the burden of their delusions. In this regard we must express concern that revised results from Kumasi that were mysteriously produced on the evening of 29 November have now been included in the official count without any explanation to the public. We appreciate the desire of NDC and EC officials to achieve consensus and avoid unhealthy controversy. However, neither the contesting Parties nor the EC have the right to barter citizens’ votes to placate a disgruntled loser. We believe that on 30 December the proper course of action for the Chairman of the EC, consistent with his statutory responsibility, was to declare Vice President Mills the winner, without prejudice to the rights of Voters in the Tain Constituency to cast their ballot and without prejudice to the outcome of any administrative or subsequent judicial enquiry into the results. As it is this placation has simply emboldened the culprits in their demands for special treatment. In the same light we are concerned about the Chief Justices decision to authorise court sittings on a public holiday to facilitate the NPP’s bogus action even though this was clearly outside her authority.

Third, and obviously, the tactics employed by elitist cliques have fallen flat one after the other because they lack any democratic legitimacy, because they were based on illusions about their special status and potency. For example, the gamble on control of the security services and the state machine more generally to steal a victory in the Tain election had collapsed by Thursday morning leading to their abandonment of the contest. Similarly, the gamble on their control of the Judiciary to steal a legal victory in the courts had collapsed by mid-afternoon on Thursday despite the cooperation of the Chief Justice in illegally warranting a high Court sitting on a Public Holiday. Fourth, all of these strategies point to an intention to pursue a more direct and violent subversion of our democracy in the hope that this will lead to some sort of “power sharing” arrangement with the NDC. This explains the violent acts committed by busloads of NPP supporters in Tain today and reported by the media. This is a strategy that other unpopular ruling parties have used to stay in power and avoid accountability for their stewardship. In the run up to the elections several NPP activists openly described “power-sharing” as an acceptable worst case scenario for the NPP. Over the last few days a number of conservative and timid voices have indeed called for discussions between Mills and Akufo-Addo that would give the NPP a role in the Executive based on the NPP’s apparently large support base. We assure the responsible elements in the NPP that that this gambit too will fall flat on its face. We encourage engagement between NPP and NDC leadership. We also encourage the NDC to show leadership and to reaffirm its rejection of the kind of persecution that followed the 2000 NPP victory. We obviously also would have no objection if President Mills offered and Mr. Akufo-Addo accepted a position in the NDC government. However, we utterly reject any power sharing deals on the model of either Kenya or Zimbabwe and we assure the NPP that the public will act to prevent any such deals. There is no political basis for power sharing in Ghana. Our constitution and our society are not in danger of breaking down over the disappointment of the NPP. Further, our Constitution does not allow for power sharing and no Party has the constitutional right to set the constitution aside to appease disgruntled opponents. We do not believe that Citizens.

The task before Ghanaians now is very clear. As we write the Tain elections are drawing to a close. In our opinion, Prof. J.E.A Mills won the 28 December run-off election outright. The EC has the responsibility now to correct the error of 30 December and within the next 24 hours to declare Professor John Evans Atta President elect of the Republic Ghana. Once declared it is the duty of every Ghanaian to ensure that our democratic choice is upheld with or without the support of discredited cabals within the NPP.

Ghana and its electoral system are not in crisis. The only crisis now is within the NPP. It is the responsibility of NPP members to hold their own wayward leaders to account. At this point from a public perspective it is irrelevant whether the NPP’s candidate concedes defeat or not. Ghana will move forward regardless. It is however in the NPP’s own interest to behave in a manner consistent with democratic electoral norms and rejoin the mainstream. We hope that wise counsel or at least enlightened self interest will prevail. Ghana First!

Signed

Emelia Arthur For National Working Committee 2nd January 2009