Apologise to the EC if you want electoral reforms heard – Buabeng Asamoa to NDC

The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, says the National Democratic Congress must apologise to the Electoral Commission if they want their proposed electoral reforms heard.

According to him, the electoral body is supposed to implement the reforms proposed and yet the NDC has remained arrogant and aggressive in their addresses to the EC.

Speaking on Joy FM’s TopStory, on Thursday, Mr. Asamoa explained that, “all they have to do is stop being arrogant, go up to the EC, apologise for their conduct and accept that they are going to operate within the remit and realm of the EC. If they have too much pride they can use the NPP as a surrogate to go and plead and apologise on their behalf.”

“We will all go and sit around the table like one big happy family, EC will convene a meeting and we will discuss all the reforms, including what the EC has proposed. Which they boycotted. You are boycotting the EC who is the driver of reforms and you are sitting on media complaining that the EC hasn’t called you to a meeting,” he said.

His comment comes after the NDC sent its proposed electoral reforms to the office of the Electoral Commission’s Chairperson Jean Mensa. The party has outlined 34 Electoral reforms after it boycotted an Electoral Commission led efforts towards reforms.

The party said it wants the appointment of EC Chairperson to have prior approval of Parliament whilst insisting the voting period of 7 am to 5 pm on Election Day be maintained.

However, the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission has directed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to table its proposed electoral reforms before the Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) for dialogue.

The Commission said it is open to suggestions and feedback to enhance the country’s electoral process but insists IPAC is the appropriate forum for such suggestions.
Defending their decision, the General Secretary of the NDC, Asiedu Nketia, said, “we have been discussing these proposals at IPAC, but now one of the problems is the IPAC itself.

“The IPAC itself needs to be fixed. So you don’t go discussing a problem in a problematic forum. That is why we have to reach out to other stakeholders.”

However, Mr Asamoa believes the NDC cannot compel the EC or any party to follow or abide by their proposals if they continue to paint the electoral body black.

“This situation where they want to damn the EC, then cook reforms outside the EC and compel everybody to follow them when they are not the EC, when they are not responsible for propagating the reforms is neither here nor there,” he told Ernest Manu, host of the show.

Mr Asamoa added that the NPP will not engage the NDC and their proposed reforms in the media or other stakeholder platforms as long as it is not the appropriate place for such discussions.