Edmond Gyebi
5 August 2008
Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Ghana are apparently drawing near to a conclusion, where they would fail to enfranchise their electoral rights in the coming general elections.
The PWDs, at a forum in Tamale on Wednesday, insisted on the various presidential and parliamentary candidates, to incorporate their concerns and find means of addressing them, if they really needed their votes in December.
According to them, it appeared the presidential and parliamentary hopefuls, were marginalizing them in their campaigns and manifestos. The forum, which brought together members from the Upper East, Upper West, Central, Northern and Greater Accra regions, was aimed to encourage the participation of the PWDs in the 2008 elections.
The programme was organized by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in collaboration with the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, and was also meant to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities in Ghana.
The PWDs also stated that most of the campaign messages, of the aspirants, were more or less propaganda tactics, arguing that they did not show clear expressions or seriousness, as far as economic development after 2008 was concerned.
Mr. Nuhu Mahama, Tamale Metropolitan Officer of the Electoral Commission (EC), admitted that most of the EC officers, very conversant with the use of the tactile ballot papers used by the visually impaired and promised that officers would be taken through some orientation, before the December elections.
The Deputy Northern Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Yakubu Alhassan, argued that the situation whereby politicians and other citizens, suggest that if a selected presidential candidate is from the South, then his running mate must come from the North, does not promote good governance and democracy.
The NCCE Officer also told the forum that disabled persons have the right to associate themselves, with any political party that they chose to be with.
When asked why the NCCE cannot organize a forum for people with disabilities, to educate them on some of their civic rights, Mr. Yakubu claimed funds given to the NCCE offices, in every district to enable them run activities, is very scanty, adding a woeful GH¢500 is given to each district every quarterly.
The PWDs were, however, impressed when it was revealed that about 10 disabled persons were currently working as assembly members in the Northern Region.
The forum brought together, hearing and visually impaired persons, those with affected limbs, development partners, communicationists, and among others.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
