The Evil Men Do Lives After Them

The Attorney-General?s Department must be recommended for making the bold steps to call on Parliament to pass the bill that seeks to enable all eligible Ghanaians living abroad to register and vote in a general election. The proposed bill which seeks to replace Section 8 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) which gave only a special category of Ghanaians resident abroad the right to vote must be seen as a step forward in our democracy and must be supported by all well-meaning Ghanaians. It is not only a sensible move for Parliament to consider and pass this Bill but prudent and right.

Article 42 of the Constitution empowered every citizen of Ghana of 18 years of age or above and of sound mind to register as a voter and vote in public elections and referenda. This right is not restricted to citizens resident in the country because the reference is to a citizen, without qualification. What then is this fuss by the honorable MP for Tamale South? Is the MP above the constitution? The Attorney-General?s Department among others is only interpreting the Constitution.

Are these the reasons why NDC is opposing the Bill?

1. That capacity and the resources of the Electoral Commission (EC) are not adequate. 2. Acute shortages of registration materials during the registration. 3. Serious shortages of voting materials in the last December general election of 2004. 4. To know which of the elections (presidential, parliamentary and district level) would register voters resident abroad be allowed to vote.

Do persons who work in diplomatic missions and their spouses, persons working with international organizations, students on government scholarships and members of the Armed Forces and the Police on peacekeeping duties really get the chance to vote as expressed by Mr. Iddrisu Haruna, under the current electoral law? And where do they vote, in Ghana or abroad? Likewise, why should these be treated different from other eligible Ghanaians abroad? Mr. J. Ayikoi-Otoo is more than right to admit that ?being outside your home country should not be a factor to disenfranchise you?.

Did the honorable MP for Tamale South and Minority Spokesman say Ghana has no money? If Ghana can afford to borrow $1-to-1.25Million to buy cars every year (i.e. $20,000X200 MPs divided by 4 in 2001 and $25,000X200 divided by 4 in 2005), I do not see the sense in Mr. Haruna?s argument. He should rather comment on the absurdity and irrationality behind giving each MP a so-called ?interest free? loan of $20K and another $25K in just 4 years.

NDC is not only being hypocritical but also afraid of her own shadows. It is only an act of cowardice for the NDC to call on the government to withdraw the Bill on the proposed amendments on the Constitution. To call for public debate is in order but it must be done in a civil and unprejudiced manner. Why would the NDC be opposed to this noble idea? Is it because most of the Ghanaians in the Diaspora were victims of the then government and that the NDC leadership is scared to extending voting rights to the people they had victimized. There should be no cause for alarm because Diasporans are not calling for any revenge but responsible government. Not until all eligible Ghanaians are able to exercise their voting rights will our democracy become other than a mere window dressing.

It is a camouflage for Mr. Iddrisu Haruna, MP for Tamale South and Minority Spokesman on communications to hide under the shadows of poverty to oppose this bill. The facts is becoming obvious that the NDC is afraid of their future should Diasporans be allowed to vote. If NDC is not opposed in principle to allowing Ghanaians resident abroad to vote, then what is their point here? The reasons given by Honorable Mr. Iddrisu Haruna, are typical of African politicians. There always say there is no money when the nation?s or the people?s interest are at stake yet they always find money for their lavish lifestyles. In deed we need a better answer. These are not adequate. NDC stop begging the question.

If Ghana has no money, how come we are talking about $25K every four years, plus top of the line cell phones every three months for MPs. Even those top executives who work for fortune 100 USA companies don?t get all the benefits our government officials receive. GM, Ford, Chrysler, GE, and others pay only for hotel, transportation, and food. Only those in sales may get few dollars to entertain potential customers. It is estimated that Ghana government spends over 1million in USA dollars every week for such per diem allowances for the comfort of the elected men and women who ironically don?t seem to find any viable solutions to our problems. That is 52 million USA dollars a year for external and internal travel - per diem payments. So what does the Minority Spokesman mean by pooh-poohing the civil rights of Ghanaians in Diaspora?

Extending voting rights to the Diaspora will not only help Ghana economically but also infuse accountability and responsibility in our elected officials. We need to bring our leaders attention to the fact that they are not elected to lord over us but to serve the nation. Our elected officials, apparently, think we could walk into economic prosperity without managing our resources well. For instance, all taxes collected in the country go into the pockets of selected, appointed or elected few "legally", or through other illicit backdoor means. Do you think the MP will pay $10,000 -90 million cedis on the brand new Toyota 4 Runners that they are going to purchase with the 25K? Hell no! Think of this, 43% of PFI/VFI = Purchase Price + Freight + shipping Insurance for SUV and Mini Van