Editorial
Kudos to Electoral Commission
The performance of the Electoral Commission (EC) during the December 7, 2020, presidential and parliamentary elections shows that the election management body performed creditably well not only to the admiration of Ghanaians but the world as a whole.
The impressive performance of the Commission started long before the elections in December 2020.
During the registration of voters, the Commission provided regular updates to the electorate to make them aware of what was going on. These updates provided useful information to everyone in this country.
Under what was known as “Let the citizens know”, the Commission provided regular information on the registration, pointing out the number of people registered in various parts of the country. In fact, by the end of the exercise people had an idea as to what the total number of registered voters would be.
During the voting, in December, the EC provided more service points at the polling stations to reduce such time. This also helped to reduce the frustrations of people during voting exercises. Indeed, many voters expressed their joy at the 2020 general elections claiming that the experience encountered, was the best compared with previous ones.
Additionally, there was continuous engagement of the EC with political parties. This was prior to the election itself. The openness on the part of the Commission provided a high degree of transparency for the exercise.
Again, the voting machines worked efficiently and effectively. This also helped to speed up the process, an undeniable fact acknowledged by both local and international observers.
What is more, the tallying of the election results was done smoothly as was confirmed by various observer groups, namely, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Observer Mission, African Union Mission and the European Union (EU) Team. Another group that monitored the election was the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO).
All these observer groups confirmed that the entire process, that is, the start of voting, the general conduct of the election officials, the ending of the voting and the counting, was highly satisfactory.
Ghanaians must take pride in this successful exercise and share in the glory with each and everyone in the country, knowing the exercise has been successful because of the contributions of all stakeholders.
Last but not least, the provision of materials for the protection of voters in line with the COVID-19 safety protocols requires special commendations.
Before the registration of voters and the voting, some political elements in the country threatened mayhem and stated that the exercise would be a failure, because, according to them, the COVID-19 pandemic would worsen matters and infect many people. They, therefore, called on the EC not to undertake the exercise.
The Spectator is grateful that the exercise has been successful to the admiration of Ghanaians, local election observers as well as the international community.
Kudos to Mrs Jean Mensa, the other Commissioners and, indeed, the entire Electoral Commission as well as all other well-meaning Ghanaians.
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa
