Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary
IT is a fact that democracy as a system of government is expensive. More especially, when in a democratic dispensation elections would have to be run at various levels, political parties would have to organise elections to choose their executives, the need to adequately resource democratic institutions etc.
IT does not mean that players in this system of government, particularly those developing countries practicing multi-party democracy should make it more expensive.
IT must be said that Ghana is firmly being rooted in democratic tenets. The establishment of the 1992 Constitution has led to seven (7) presidential and parliamentary elections.
ALL those elections were described as free, fair and transparent by both the local and the foreign observer missions, and it was a plus for our quest to entrench democratic values.
HOWEVER, there is this one issue that continues to make waves in the country. This is the filing fee for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag-bearer slot.
WHILE majority of Ghanaians—including some NDC members—are lamenting the GHC420K nomination forms and filing fees, there is a fraction of some key NDC elements who see nothing wrong with the fee quoted by the party’s leadership.
FOR us at Today everything is wrong with the GHC420K nomination forms and filing fees for the NDC flag-bearer position. The fee is just outrageous! THE question, Today wants to ask is: to what end is this GHC420K?
What considerations were taken into account before the fee was settled on?
IT is not surprising at all that almost all the NDC flag-bearer hopefuls with the exception of former President John Dramani Mahama are crying over the fee. A development which has seem eight aspirants petition the party’s Council of Elders over the matter.
TODAY believes that is the reason the founder of the NDC, former President Jerry John Rawlings, has called for a review of the filing fee for the flag-bearer slot.
IN a release by the Office of the former President, Mr Rawlings is quoted as saying: ”I doubt if anyone of us who has served with integrity, relying on our salaries can raise these filing fees unless we engaged in some unethical behaviour while in office; unless we abused or misused our positions during our tenure.”
IN Today’s view the filing fee is just too much, and, therefore, we support the call by well-meaning Ghanaians on the NDC leadership to review the fee.