Some smaller parties with no representation in Parliament say no amount of intimidation and name-calling will deter their members from contributing to electoral reforms at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).

According to the group, attempts by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to question their relevance in contributing to electoral reforms were hypocritical given that the party has in the past relied on the support of the same parties.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Accra, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Alhaji Mohammed Frimpong, said the NDC's "disconcerting pronouncements" about the participation and influence of its membership to proposed IPAC electoral reforms threaten democracy in the country.

"Today the NDC would call other parties worthless but it forgets that it has pulled its own archival political parties as part of its voice, namely EGLE and Reform Party. Not long ago the venerable Ghana Freedom Party Presidential Candidate, Madam Akua Donkor, acted as the NDC Policy oracle and was prominent in the NDC Presidential entourage to the Senchi forum as well as on foreign trips which included some allied political party leaders, namely Gyataba, Akwasi Addai Odike, Bernard Mornah, etc. What has changed now for this new position of seeking equity in voting at IPAC demanded by the NDC?" Alhaji Frimpong asked.

The press conference, was attended by representatives of the Liberal Party of Ghana, People’s National Convention (PNC), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and United Progressive Party (UPP).

Alhaji Frimpong pointed out that in keeping with a sound pluralistic atmosphere, the participation by other political parties outside parliament had been and would continue to be beneficial in nurturing multiparty participatory democracy.

"Indeed, any obnoxious impediments to widening the frontiers of participation of the citizenry and other political parties must not be accepted in the era of information technology and demand for national accountability."

NDC alternate reforms

He said alternate reforms made by the NDC to the IPAC electoral reforms could have been better stated and shared at IPAC and not outside.

Alhaji Frimpong said the NDC's temporary boycott of IPAC "to rejoin at any future date will just be a ploy to attract undeserved public attention, a disappointment and a dereliction of duty to its supporters".

Respect for alternate opinion

Urging the party to respect alternate opinion, Alhaji Frimpong said: "It is a dictatorial and seditious attitude to think that the NDC should always have its way."

"Indeed, the NDC itself has superintended over many of the issues it complains of today. The tradition has thus been inherited from the NDC.”