Neutrality
I sometimes
see neutrality as a meretricious subterfuge being brandished as a stance
unassociated with the biases of either side of view or divide - almost far from
being real. I still, nonetheless, must be
persuaded by the conviction that people who, by their own volition, have been
captured into the family web of neutrality ought to be reminded to comply with
the ideals and standards of being neutral.
For me,
abstaining from commenting on, vouching for or doing any such thing that would
have otherwise painted an objective picture of a given situation cannot be said
to be a neutral act. Rather, neutrality largely concerns the extent to which
people carefully and critically acquaint themselves with the facts of all sides
and reaching a reasonable, logical and unbiased conclusion on what is
appropriate or inappropriate. A neutral person or entity may have to be careful
not to be directly specific on who or which is right or wrong. The unblemished
facts often speak out the mind of a neutral arbiter.
Neutral
persons or entities necessarily ought to first give out a rendition on the
standards and then allow credible factual narratives determine what is
appropriate or otherwise. In this piece, attention would be drawn to entities
or people who by their objectives, stature, stance, definitions, prescriptions,
frameworks, constitutions or actions do portray themselves to the general
public as neutral with independent and unbiased views on other people or
entities who act in the interest of the general public. In the eyes of the general public, for
instance, unrented, un-idiotic and non-ideological Media stations, Pastors,
Churches, Christian Associations, Imams, Mosques, Muslim Associations, and Civil
Society Organizations including Think Tanks and their leaders are deemed
neutral. Also, the Electoral Commission
of Ghana (EC) and the Courts are particularly seen and must be seen as unbiased
arbiters – they are crucial democratic pillars and peace bastions of any
nation.
Labelling of EC
It
therefore gets pathetically dangerous when some political interest groups and
their surrogates in the otherwise neutral entities, have labelled or tried hard
to label EC as a biased arbiter without any shred of credible basis to do so.
In the history of electoral governance and management in Ghana, it is almost addictive
of political parties and their surrogates in the media and civil society to
praise EC when results of elections are declared in their favor. In the same vein, the losing Parties have
always found a way of chastising and denting the image and integrity of EC.
Both National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been
in this kind of game unashamedly.
Election petition and electoral register
This came
to a head in 2012 general elections, when after all parties fairly and
transparently participated in the elections upon which the losing NPP nearly
held the whole country to a ransom for about a year. This they apparently did
by trying to hide under legalese and technicalities not only to reverse the universal
mandate of the people but to dent the image of EC while projecting their image
to their unsuspecting supporters. The live proceedings of the case in court evinced
that in spite of few lapses, the results as declared at 26000 + polling
stations, in the full glare of all political reps, media, political observers
and members of the public with additional strong room crosschecking by Party
reps, had not been in any way tampered with by Dr Afari Gyan and EC – therefore
should remain as such – the verdict concluded.
This, indeed, should have been the credit to EC that another neutral
body, the Supreme Court, affirmed a neutral job done by the EC. The least neutrally
expected rendition was to say EC image was battered by the court proceedings
and verdict thereof.
Neutral people’s stance on register
Ironically,
the media that particularly got the results before Dr Afari Gyan got his in the
‘strong room’ of EC, intentionally and consistently allowed NPP and its surrogates
to vociferously trumpet the erroneous understanding that the integrity of EC
has been dented and almost thrown to the dogs. This is farther from the
truth. The project of making the EC look
bad because one candidate fairly lost, even when his lyrical MPs who were
supervised by the same system, continued unabated; That the register with which
they claimed to have won 2012 elections was now under serious vibrating attack
from NPP and its surrogates. A clear demand was therefore made on the EC to get
Ghana a new register as they labeled the current register as ‘incurably flawed
and not credible’. Minors and foreigners on the electoral register and, more
seriously, stapled pictures compromising the whole biometric register were key amongst
the reasons adduced.
Being an
independent neutral body, EC instructively brought all stakeholders to a dialoguing
conference where eminent panel of experts carefully listened to and questioned
presenters on their position on the register. Clearly, the recurrent theme in
the presentations was that despite some few challenges with the current
register, a new register could not mitigate the situation. Rather, until what
motivate the lapses on the register is dealt with, the traditional methods of
cleaning up the register during exhibitions and so on could be the only
plausible, cost effective, reasonable and legal option immediately available
given the limited time to the 2016 general elections.
The eminent
panel then submitted their report to EC in December 2015 or so. EC saw wisdom
and persuasion in the position of the report and decided to adopt the report which
said that the current register should be maintained – new register was
unnecessary. EC also responded to each of the allegations which NPP used to
advocate for a new register. The
allegations were either dismissed or deemed unmeritorious. The net effect was
that NPP did not have a very strong convincing case that could merit neither a
new register nor the negative tagging given to EC.
In all
these, any neutral person or entity would have been very careful enough not to
chastise EC for not yielding to the demands of NPP. At least, such a neutral
person or persons should have been aware that NDC was cautiously against NPP’s
position and waiting to see whether or not EC would go by the recommendations
of the non-partisan eminent Ghanaians who constituted the panel. It would have
been further noticed that any other position aside what EC took would have
presented an unworthy precedence which could have been a recipe for disaster. For
all you may know, if treated unjustly, NDC could equally be capable of
unleashing the terror feared of NPP by the neutral people that are seen
chastising EC for no just cause. In any sphere of arbitration, decisions
reached by the arbitrators ought to be respected by all who care and have
integrity.
Final remarks
That said,
what then would have been the basis for some supposed neutral people to
pontificate to EC to have yielded to the demands of NPP or NDC – even if such
demands were unmeritorious? What would have been the basis for saying, for example,
that ‘EC should not take Ghanaians for granted’? Which Ghanaian has EC taken for granted and
where? A stance that obviously inhibits glister of neutrality of EC is a
defeatist posture and an impossible neutral demand on EC. The supposed unrented media should at least
do Ghanaians a great favor to be very informed and critical on the so-called
neutral people and insidious support they give to either NDC or NPP. This would
expose any party planning mayhem to be quickly identified and dealt with by the
largely peaceful Ghanaians.
Everybody
or at least most Ghanaians by now know that despite its inadequacies, EC in
Ghana cannot or hardly can rig elections for any political party, with the
current biometric electoral register and electoral system. It is only political
parties especially NDC and NPP who, without vigilance from other political
actors, may succeed in rigging elections in their strongholds where they may be
able to hijack or coerce electoral officers to do the unthinkable. Let’s keep a
Godlier eye on NDC and NPP so they do not slip by.
The hysterical
hypocrisy permeating the overtures of political corridors in the election year
2016 is dangerous – indeed very dangerous. Although it is difficult to stand
the test of neutrality, neutral people in Ghana, must at least strive hard to
merit being called neutral when it comes to electoral governance and
management. People of integrity and of courage must not sit by aloof and let
things get out of hands before they act.
Have a
splendid time!
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