Every election year comes with its issues. It is either the NDC or NPP is up in arms against the election management body, the EC, or some group aligned to any of the duopoly is raising issues with preparations towards the polls.
In 2016, a group calling itself ‘Let my vote count alliance’ organised a series of protests against the Charlotte Osei-led EC to draw attention to certain acts by the EC that would disenfranchise some people.
Those were the heated period of the electioneering that the NPP and its allies vowed to unseat the then ruling NDC. It is not only the political parties that raise issues prior to elections. Those who feel that they have been denied their fair share of the national cake threaten not to vote.
They carry their threat beyond mere words by erecting signposts in their communities insisting, “no road no vote, no water no vote, no electricity no vote” among other issues.
In the case of Election 2024, the EC and other stakeholders are not dealing with how to address the concerns of vote rigging and development challenges, but the EC and the political parties must dive deep to seek the intervention of the latest threat by the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church not to vote in this year’s elections because the day, Saturday, December 7, 2024 falls on Sabbath which the Bible injunction demands of them to keep holy.
This issue reared its head in the 1996 general election but I can hardly recollect how it was addressed. Whichever way it was settled I remember faintly that SDA adherents voted. This year, it appears the SDA Church is more vehement about putting their faith above any civic responsibility including voting.
Although the position of the church does not appear to mean a boycott of the polls by members if the date is not changed, it is certain that the SDA is on a coalition course with the EC and public-spirited Ghanaians. Ghanaians are certain that the EC would find a way around this impasse so that every Ghanaian who has registered to vote gets the opportunity to exercise his choice of our next leaders. It has been suggested that the SDA members are allowed to vote with those who qualify to participate in the Special Voting.
But is it the most feasible alternative? Special Voting does not happen in every polling booth throughout the country. It happens in a centre in each of the 275 constituencies in the country.
And is that what the SDA people themselves have proposed? If that is how they hope to cure the December 7 challenge, how would their members living in the remote parts of the country, very far away from the Special Voting centres, exercise their franchise?
Is the church ready to bus their members to the Special Voting centres? In December 2008, the voting day fell on a Sunday but Christians voted. Even if they protested, it was muted. It is my hope that the religious community would not take a position on this civic right to suit their parochial interest.
At this juncture, I urge all well meaning Ghanaians to join me to take members of the SDA and their leaders down memory lane and remind them about the profound saying of General Kutu Acheampong about democratic governance.
Under pressure from the professional bodies who mounted a challenge against his model Union Government, General Kutu Acheampong reacted strongly thus, “In any society that the wise refuse to take part in the governance process, they are ruled by fools.”
The SDA Church’s leaders must look at the issue again and if the date cannot be varied for their sake, then the Church should encourage its members to discharge their spiritual and civic duties on December 7. The Biblical injunctions must not be pushed beyond reasonable limits. What did Jesus say about the lost sheep on Sabbath Day?
It is also important to remind all, especially SDA members of the teachings about the Sabbath in Mark 2:27-28. When religious leaders accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath because his disciples plucked some grain and ate it as they walked through a field, he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Media General and its networks
Media professionals should be worried about the type of journalism being practised by certain reporters of Media General, specifically Captain Smart of Onua TV/ Onua FM.
Even after the coalition of media organisations, led by the GJA, called out Captain Smart for his professional misconduct, he is more than emboldened to misuse the Media General platform.
The NMC months ago asked management and Board of Media General to call Captain Smart to order because he is using Onua TV as a megaphone of war, it is like the management and the Board have decided to “see nothing and say nothing.”
The Board of Media General is chaired by Professor Kojo Yankah, eminent media professional, one time Editor of the Daily Graphic, Director/Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, deputy Information Minister and now President and owner of the African University College of Communications (AUCC).
Kojo Yankah, act quickly in order not to put many years of professional experience on the line for the sake of a professional bigot like Captain Smart. All Ghanaians now know that Media General is the mouthpiece of the NDC but the journalists there can promote the NDC in a very professional way.
Kojo Yankah must rise up to his calling as one of the best media professionals of our generation but Captain Smart is driving that reputation into the mud to play with pigs. As for the NMC and NCA, let Ghanaians ignore them and seek redress in another forum.
NCA, NMC, FDA
These institutions are in very deep slumber so they do not care about their mandate any longer. They have allowed Auntie Naa to turn the studios of Oyerepa TV into a courtroom adjudicating cases and calling the police to arrest those she considers to be guilty.
The IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, who has been rated very high for his professional conduct looks on helplessly while Oyerepa TV has usurped his powers. As for the FDA, it is in cahoots with the NCA and the NMC to allow all kinds of characters to preach about herbal medicine on our television networks without any proof of the efficacy of those preparations.
If they care to know, some of the people who have resorted to the use of those herbal preparations have had complications for their health conditions. Some are actually succumbing to several health conditions and these herbalists end their testimonies with the endorsement of FDA. This is the way they end their assurances to the public, “This advert is FDA approved.”
EPA
This institution too is failing the people. The EPA in collaboration with the district assemblies is to carry out many activities to make our communities environmentally sound. If these institutions do not care about our environment, will they ever care about the noise levels in our communities?
The churches and food and drinks joints have become the most recalcitrant. These entities do not care about any rules because the enforcements bodies have gone to sleep. In the Ashongman Estates for instance, the drinking spots have become notorious for disturbing the sleep of residents from 8pm to 5am. The residents are crying for help saying “SOS.”