Former Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, expressed concerns about the diminishing integrity of some of Ghana’s most instrumental institutions.
Addressing a Constitution Day Public Lecture on Monday, January 8, 202, Dr. Afari-Gyan emphasized that the nation has faced economic challenges due to pervasive corruption, particularly in the public sector and public life.
“Unfortunately, some of our key institutions that are becoming institutions of dubious integrity increasingly candidates who lose elections, alleging manipulation and refusing to accept the result,” myjoyonline.com quoted Dr. Afari-Gyan to have said.
“By and large, we have not been able to diffuse the principles of democratic behavior widely into our society. And there is a general lack of predictability in social life which is a disincentive to proper behavior.”
According to the report, he observed that political party candidates refusing to accept election results is contributing to the erosion of faith in the democratic principles.
Dr. Afari-Gyan further drummed home the need to instill the values of democratic behavior widely in society, emphasizing the importance of predictability in social life as an incentive for proper conduct.
The former EC boss called for a concerted effort to address these issues, pointing out the crucial role of key institutions in upholding the integrity of the democratic process and fostering a more transparent and accountable society.
According to him, the calls for constitutional review as a panacea to this canker are in the right direction.
He, however, added that in as much as the recommendations are welcome, the constitution should not be tampered with unnecessarily.