Jean Mensa, The Electoral Commission And The War Monger

This is the first time in the history of Ghana that the notion of a woman being soft, compassionate, peace loving and promoter of unity has been dispelled by the crass incompetence and war mongering nature of the Jean Mensah- Bossman Asare led Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana who seems to have planned and carefully executing a plan to plunge this country into electoral chaos if she is not stopped. She seems to enjoy every bit of it. Her posture and demeanor confirm it.

She began with lies on a decision taken based on findings of a technical report that never saw the light of day. The Jean Mensah- Bossman Asare led EC has reduced the EC to an "honest deceptive" institution. They have consistently told the public that the technical report based on which they have decided to compile a new voters register was given to members of IPAC which is a lie because no such document has been given to political parties. Non that I am aware of.

Breaking up IPAC and disregarding long standing conventions since 1994 is a sign of her ill intentions and bad faith. Her gross disrespect and contempt for parties whose contributions at IPAC are the reasons for the solid electoral reforms since 1994 is nauseating. Everything she has touched since becoming Electoral Commission (EC) chair turns to dust. Nothing she does has the touch of a woman.

Her double faced nature is actually rare and intriguing. Like a chameleon, she says one thing today and then comes with a different story the following day. She has lied about the data being obsolete because the BVR and BVD are out of date. A system which the EC says is 99.6% credible and the 4% error margin is well within international standards. A system which has delivered 5 successful national elections has suddenly become obsolete and needs to be replaced with over $150m in a time where citizens of Ghana are unemployed coupled with the hard living conditions, targeted collapse of businesses, the Covid 19 and all she thinks about is a new voter’s register. This has since bred mistrust and deepen political tension in this unusual times.

IPRAN’s position since the EC’s decision for a new voters register has been that the timing is wrong and rightly so while disregarding ECOWAS protocols on compiling a register during an election year. Hard-headed and refusing to listen to reason, throwing away previously established, tried and tested conventions, electoral procedures and timelines for electoral activities has not only exposed her incompetence but her evil nature as opposed to her role at the IEA. Indeed power has revealed her true nature. What happened to the electoral reforms of 2013 which all stakeholders of Ghana’s electoral processes met under one roof and made sterling contributions to? The recommendations in this document were clear. Some of which indicated that the 2012 biometric register should only be revised and updated etc. A program that Jean Mensah put together at Koforidua and funded by organisation, the IEA. She has since thrown away that document and has refused to be guided by a document that she put together with stakeholders of Ghana’s electoral process in the spirit of deepening our democracy and preventing future events the like of which she is championing today as the EC chairman. Where is that integrity?

The media has not functioned very properly as the fourth arm of government in checking the excesses of the commission. Even in the face of hard facts, evidence. It seems to corroborate the rumour that the media is probably in the pocket of the power that has given Jean Mensah the audacity to lead this country on this dangerous path that the EC has decided to travel. Atop of it, even in the fit of Covid 19, she still puts illogical activities over human lives. This has gone beyond lies. Nature is against her. Force majeure has proven to be an obstacle that will not allow her illogical plans to come to fruition.

In all these hue and cry; the demonstrations, several press conferences and community engagements to draw the attention of discerning Ghanaians to the dangerous path that the Jean Mensah led EC is threading on, what baffles me is the silence of the morale society; the peace council, Eminent Advisory committee, so called upright men and women who hitherto were very vocal and championing the fight against hardship and inequality under the erstwhile government but has suddenly lost their tongues in circumstance of human right violations and possible threats of civil unrest that may change the course of Ghana’s political history. We have closed that chapter of our history and we will give anything not to experience it again. That is why the Inter-Party Resistance against the Compilation of a New Voters Register will give every pint of blood to fight against this.

Jean Mensah has succeeded in eroding the trust, integrity and transparency that are the core values of the Electoral Commission. Let’s not forget that the deputy EC, Dr. Bossman Asare is a known patron of the NPP Legon branch. Does this not mare the very core value of transparency and make waste the Integrity of the Electoral Commission (EC)?

What kind of a public servant tasked with a very sensitive office that can determine the future of this country beyond 2020 disrespectfully disregard the advice of former presidents, the National House of Chiefs, CSOs, political parties etc. It will be cowardice on the part of other important institutions who hitherto were so called civil messiahs to sit aloof and not join this crusade. We must speak out against intimidation, abuse of power and causing unnecessary financial loss to the state. In fact, I am pleading on the Eminent Advisory committee put together by Jean Mensah who besieged IPRAN to put our trust in them, and whom the same EC has refused to listen to, to speak up for they have been quiet for too long.

The most dangerous thing is going a step further to disenfranchise not only the strong holds of opposition parties but the exercise if allowed will disenfranchise 12million Ghanaians by denying them the use of the EC’s own Voter ID as a primary identification document. An ID which was used in five national elections. The inalienable rights of 12milliion Ghanaians enshrined in the 1992 constitution and in the citizens act, 2000 (Act 591) will contravened. This a recipe for disaster as these citizens will not take lightly the attempt to tell them they are not Ghanaians just because they are not privileged to possess a passport or an NIA card. This will fan the flames that will spark a lot of altercations and plunge this country from the most peaceful country in Africa to something else.

The Electoral Commission is literally beating war drums. The activities of the EC is like the mouse. When you eat without washing your hands properly and you go to bed with it at night, the mouse can eat off the fore skin on your fingers such that you will not feel the pain until you wake up in the morning then you will feel your fingers on fire. What happens after is the case of an Arab spring.

Jean Mensah must resign to save herself from shame and the ICC in future for her wanton and crass incompetence and warmongering character- can exorcise Satan from the lives of ardent and unrepentant sinners, and save us all the pain of possible Ivory Coast, Sierra-Leone, Liberia, the America (Black lives matter) etc.

And like the national anthem of Ghana implores us to "resist oppressors rule”. I assure the Jean Mensah-Bossman Asare led EC that we will resist this attempt to deny 12million Ghanaians their constitutional rights with our blood and sweat.

God bless our homeland Ghana and make us great and strong.

Cde. Chief Bukari Kuoru.

General Secretary (Ag.), UPP.

0541040419.