Jean Mensa
The Electoral Commission (EC) has unveiled the maiden edition of its Let The Citizen Know – Transparency And Accountability In Motion’ Campaign.
The initiative launched on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, seeks to among other things provide the Commission the opportunity to engage with the citizens and inform them about its activities and processes from now till the end of 2020 general elections.
Speaking at the launch in Accra, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, said the initiative will also enable the Commission to receive feedback, answer questions and address the concerns of the citizens.
Rationale
Touching on the rationale for introducing the initiative, the Chairperson says “as a Commission, we believe that the citizens should be informed about our processes & activities and the actions we take.”
She added that “since assuming office in 2018, we have endeavoured to bring the Commission to the doorstep of key stakeholders by informing them about our operations.”
“As you may recall we engaged and interacted with a variety of stakeholders including religious bodies, traditional authority and the media to name a few,” she noted.
“It is in this same spirit, that is, the spirit of Transparency and Accountability that we gathered here today.”
She expressed the belief that the initiative platform will afford the Commission the opportunity to provide timely information on a regular basis to the citizens.
Mrs Mensa was confident that by so doing, the EC will demystify the operations of the Commission and remove the cloaks of secrecy that had hitherto shrouded its work and processes.
“We are keen to ensure that citizens are provided with the truth and facts as they unfold. We are determined to open up our processes and promote transparency around our work,” she said.
“It is our resolve to assure the citizen that there is nothing mysterious about our operations and to let the citizens know that as sensitive as our mandate is, the processes leading to elections are basic and mundane,” the EC boss noted.
She explained that EC is of the view that providing timely updates to the citizen will help build trust and confidence in the Commission.
This we hope, will help erase the tensions and suspicions that characterise our work and elections generally, she noted.
According to her, the initiative also aims to help the Commission to achieve the objectives outlined above.
“Through you, our dear friends in the media, we intend to engage with the citizens twice a week, on Wednesday and Friday starting today.”
“Using the “Let The Citizens Know” Platform, we will provide the citizens with updates ranging from the number of persons who register per day nationwide, to details on male/female ratios, to the number of persons who use the guarantee system, number of persons who use a form of identification, to name a few,” she said.
Media
The Chairperson urged support from the media to aid the Commission in reaching out to the electorate and feeding them with the right information.
“To you, our media personnel here gathered, we consider you our bridge to the citizen. You are our gateway to the public. We hope and trust that you will be accountable to the citizenry by presenting them with the facts and evidence as they are laid bare here,” she said.
“We trust that in carrying out your duties as seasoned journalists, you will put Ghana and no other entity first.
We have no doubt at all that you understand the times in which we find ourselves. This is an election year and already the tensions and suspicions are high.”
She appealed that to the media to be objective in their reportage.
By Melvin Tarlue