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Ever since Charlotte Osei's appointment as the Electoral Commissioner of Ghana, she has faced so much vitriol and negative press. It is apparent a lot of people want to see her fail.
To give you some idea, a Google search of her name and that of her predecessor Dr. Afari-Gyan yields surprising results. 'Charlotte Osei' produced 392,000 results whiles 'Afari-Gyan' produces 238,000. Charlotte has barely held this post for a year whiles Afari-Gyan was in the post for over 20 years. This search is in no way a scientific one, but it paints the picture.
I personally became a fan following a Newsfile interview discussing pertinent and controversial issues with the voters register. In this interview she may have made a few slip ups on data she was using to make a point. That did not happen out of an intention to misinform. A slip up is acceptable considering the sort of pressure she was under. Following the interview, she immediately came out to correct the error.
From that interview and other discussions attributed to her in the press, I see her trying her best to implement an enviable reform agenda for the Electoral commission. She is doing a good job trying to communicate this complex task. I saw her as being open and candid to a degree we are not used to in Ghana. Charlotte Osei is indeed an agent of change.
Two other recent issues she has been faced with are that of the change in the Electoral commission's logo and the statement that ID cards are not mandatory to vote. So people should not worry to about being disenfranchised if they have lost their ID card.
The new EC logo though contemporary, I must admit does not look appealing to me but a logo does not make an election. It is obviously part of a much needed re-branding programme. I can not even remember what the previous logo looks like. We have all been witness to the launch of the London 2012 Olympic logo. It was an appalling logo but it grew on many people and some still hate it but the 2012 Olympics was a tremendous success.
With the need for ID cards issue, her statement was; "… Once you have your fingers and you show up, we will scan you on the register, your details will pop up, you will be verified, and then you will vote". She received insults for this as well. Even though it is safe to assume that scanning your fingers is some sort of biometric identification and as such a paper voter ID card is not absolutely necessary.
The problem partly stems from the acrimony and litigation following the last National elections (dubbed the pink sheet saga) and the psyche of the citizenry being used to the patriarch Dr. Afari-Gyan. He had been the electoral commissioner ever since the fourth republic for more than 20 years. It is hard for the nation to get used to the fact that we now have a new electoral commissioner. Just like in the UK, an influential part of the media and the nation find it hard to see Prince Charles as future King. The UK and the rest of the world have gotten used to the Matriarch Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and I dare say Charles will face the same sort of resistance and scrutiny as Charlotte Osei when he becomes King. But I digress from the main discourse.
Should in case the majority party in opposition wins the 2016 General elections, what sort of relationship is the new government going to have with the Electoral commissioner and the Electoral commission? Is it going to be an untenable one to the point that Charlotte Osei will have to resign? What sort of precedence will that set? We should be careful not to get into a situation where electoral commission leadership will change with change in government.
The electoral commissioner should not be falsely painted as being sympathetic to any political party out of propaganda. The character assassination and cheap gutter politics is quickly becoming entwined in Ghana's political landscape. It is time we nip this in the bud and give this young democracy a chance to progress.
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Source by Eli Demanya