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December 29, 2008 10:50 AM
Yesterday, Sunday, 28th December, 2008. Ghana held its second round of Presidential elections. The candidates were the flag-bearers of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Unconfirmed reports indicate that the NDC will win the election. How do you feel about the fact that amidst Africa's long history of dictatorships and civil wars, Ghanaians have held 2 relatively peaceful elections?
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December 20, 2008 7:45 AM
Looking at the results of the elections presently, I have been wondering how governance in Ghana is going to be like from now on that the term "majority" in parliament is being debated. Do you think it is a good thing for governance in Ghana that the party that controls the executive does not have a clear majority in parliament or is it going to be very difficult to get government business to run?
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December 19, 2008 12:28 PM
I agree. The legislation to that effect is also good news since it demonstrates public commitment to fight the problem. Over time, the role of these laws as a deterrent will cause the numbers to go down, i believe, but presently i think the bulge is due to the introduction of the law itself and the confidence it gives people to whistle-blow.
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December 19, 2008 12:13 PM
In my opinion, democracy flourishes in a well-educated society. Ignorance allows misinformation and the accompanying consternation to spread like wildfire, and some vested interests actually thrive on this. Have a couple of intra-city tro-tro rides and you will have a fair idea of what I mean. The department of civic education has a huge role to play in curbing this. We can't forever take for granted that peace will always be a given. I believe that things will get better the more educated the populace is.
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December 19, 2008 11:58 AM
Looking at the UNDP Ghana Human Development Report for 2007, it is plain to see that the government IS aware of the diverse social issues in the country, and this is evidenced by the BIG signature of the president in the report's preface. I wish however that more meaningful efforts would be made towards the alleviation of such issues. Nonetheless, this a step in the right direction, and as Kwabi said, is indeed good news.
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December 19, 2008 8:46 AM
Thankfully, Ghanaians showed the whole world that we are democratic and mature as we made peace reign before, during and after the elections. We shall continue to remain peaceful as we prepare for the second round of elections. Whoever is elected as president should be accepted since the majority of voters elected him president for his problem-solving attributes. I would love to continue seeing “people singing the campaign songs of their rival parties and walking hand in hand with people wearing other party colours” after the election period.
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December 19, 2008 8:37 AM
Ghanaians are truly exhibiting their maturity as they made peace reign before, during and after the elections. We shall continue to remain peaceful as we prepare for the second round of elections. Whoever is elected as president should be accepted since the majority of voters elected him president for his problem-solving attributes.
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December 17, 2008 9:46 AM
Intersting points. However, I wonder if child abuse is on the rise or if it has always been at this level. I suspect that the recent introduction of child abuse laws and law enforcement groups has increased the number of people who actually report such abuse. The same can be said for domestic violence. I doubt that women are being abused more now than before, it's just that more women feel empowered to report their abuse because there are now mechanisms in place to offer assistance. What do you think?
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December 17, 2008 9:42 AM
Right now, the world is quite proud of Ghana's peaceful primary and general election. The election is getting some press here in the U.S. Generally voter turnout is lower during the run-off. Encourage your friends and family in Ghana to go to poll and let their voices be heard. The world is watching....
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December 13, 2008 11:53 AM
This is a very interesting point, Max, because child labour or traffiking is still an issue in ghana. Concerns have been raised as to whether the youth have enough confidence in the public education system especially now with the introduction of free primary education. If we are able ensure that we have a solid public education system, it would be more difficult for people to justify child labour or abuse in that respect and thereby eradicate illiteracy. Needless to say, there is more to be done in order to ensure that children are in schools -where they should be- while we work hard on developing a good functioning system that employs good qualified teachers and has enough facilities. It is better to work on a very good primary education system before extending it to the higher levels.
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December 12, 2008 7:34 AM
Yes we did it the first time but it is not over yet.Let us maintain the peace we have all been hoping for. We can now concentrate on issues and not personalities.
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December 10, 2008 2:10 PM
Hurray!
Ghanaians have proved our maturity once again. Our elections have been very peaceful, free, fair and transparent.
Let us continue in this good attitude as we go for the 2nd round. Bravo to all who contributed to this beautiful national exercise. Kudos to the members of the media and the Electoral Commission especially.
Three cheers for Ghana.
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December 10, 2008 7:32 AM
Ihope that with the establishment of the human trafficking board and the fund, the unit will receive adequate support from the human trafficking fund to enable them work effectively to eradicate this menace in our soceity.
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December 09, 2008 7:26 AM
The unit is based CID Headquaters of the Ghana Police Service in Accra.
The following are the challenges of the unit. First of all, they do not have vehicles that will facilitate easy transportat.ion hence they are not often able to rescue trafficked persons on time.
Secondly, international investigations become a problem for the unit because they lack the funds for it.
Ineffective networking among stakeholders is another challenge facing the unit.
Futhermore, there is a weak refferal system which is not helping the unit.
Also, hotline to gain information is not available.
All though they have these challenges, there are things they have achieved. For instance, they have helped to integrate a lot of trafficked children into the society.
Sensitize a lot of people on the laws and acts oon human trafficking through awareness creation programmes.
Finally, they have trained a lot of law enforcement agencies on the laws such as the prosecutors in the Attorney General's office.
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December 06, 2008 1:40 PM
I must say, i always learn something new when i walk down the street these past few days. The atmosphere is charged with excitement and people are not afraid to share their views- which is a good thing. However, i think a lot of people are still very ignorant about the entire process. I heard someone ( a registered voter who was educated) ask how or where to place the thumb when casting a vote and whether it was ok to wear a party shirt to the polling station tomorrow. There have also been some mutterings about a reoccurence of the incidence in Kenya if the elections are rigged.
However this great country has a history of peace and understanding and everyone seems willing to put all their differences aside. The peace songs have also been very helpful. And it is commonplace to see people singing the campaign songs of their rival parties and walking hand in hand with people wearing other party colours. I am very optimistic about tomorrow! May the best leaders win!
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