| There have been several topical issues that have dominated media discussions in recent times, particularly issues relating to the forthcoming December polls. However, one most controversial issue of the day is probably the ongoing debate on the creation of new constituencies by the Electoral Commission (EC) which is yet to receive Parliamentary approval. While some have argued for the need for the new constituencies, others have rejected its necessity arguing that it is badly timed and premature. The major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have once again taken their opposing entrenched positions, with the NDC in favour of the proposed new constituencies while the NPP also disagrees with the EC's move. Public opinion on the matter has also been divergent; while the religious bodies have advocated for proper negotiation and dialogue on the issue in the interest of the peace and security of the nation, the Trades Union Congress has suggested the postponement of the constituencies till after the December elections to reduce the already tensed political atmosphere in the country. The EC is guaranteed by articles 43, 44, and 45 of the 1992 Constitution to undertake specific duties and guidelines that will ensure the sustenance of Ghana's democracy which is barely 20 years old to continue its democratic system of governance to ensure a peaceful handing over of political power from one party to the other without confrontation. The EC has over the years won the admiration of the international community as the most credible electoral body in the sub-region. The coming elections will once again put to the test the independence, creditability and efficiencies of the EC despite its insistence on the constitutionality of creating the new constituencies. The idea of creating the new constituencies arose because the EC by law is required to create or demarcate electoral boundaries in correspondence with the release of the provisional figures of the 2010 census by the Ghana Statistical Service which put the country's population at 24,658,823 as against 18,921,079 in 2000, an indication of an increase in the country's population. The thinking is that some areas might have outgrown their population above the normal size required for a constituency and therefore need to be split to make it easier for a Member of Parliament (MP) to manage. According to information on the official website of the EC, there are currently 230 constituencies across the country with 5,000 electoral areas and 21,004 polling stations where voters are expected to cast their ballots in the December elections. The number of constituencies would shoot up to 275 with similar increases in both the number of electoral areas and polling stations should the EC finally be able to legalize the creation of the new constituencies.
There is a school of thought that says that democracy is an expensive exercise which disregards financial constraints. In this regard, whether the country likes it or not, whether there is money or not, the creation of the new constituencies must be implemented because it is like a necessary evil. To make matters simple, the government had earlier in the year created 45 new districts and the proposed constituencies were only going to serve the vacuum of the representation of those districts in parliament. Currently, administrative activities had started in those districts although DCEs have not been nominated. Should it happen that these 45 new constituencies do not see the light of day, the voices of those districts would not be heard in the law making body, thus good governance would not be properly served. Another argument has it that if the proposed constituencies finally get the required legal backing political campaigning in those constituencies would be heightened since parties will be fighting to increase their numbers in parliament and thus affect the tempo of the political climate. It will also require more resources from the political parties to fund activities in those areas. The national purse will also not be left out because the EC will have to print additional electoral materials on the new candidates, employ more electoral officers for those areas, in addition to other unforeseen expenditure. One may be wondering whether these additional costs had been considered by the EC and whether it has the ready cash to undertake such additional cost. Won't this also deepen the suspicion that the EC is in bed with the Government? The cost to the state could even be heavier in annual budgetary allocations to the proposed new constituencies, since payment of salaries of additional 45 MPs and possibly ex-gratia for those MPs would not be an easy task for the state to bear. It may also mean an increase in the fleet of V-8 vehicles as has often been the trend in Ghanaian politics. Even though democracy is noted to be expensive, we could spare ourselves as a nation and rather use such funds to finance the construction of more schools, roads, hospitals and other facilities that are badly needed to improve the lives of the people. This will not only promote development but would also improve the people's living standards. In a chat with Mr. Shaibu Mahama, a Lawyer and Consultant to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) on the issue, he said the 1992 constitution had given everyone the right to be fairly represented in Parliament and to have their concerns put forth on their behalf. It was the EC that would enable the people to enjoy such rights since it was the implementing body, the lawyer argued, stressing that before any demarcation was done, it must be on the basis of population, and that geographical proximity and accessibility would also have to be considered in making such a demarcation. It makes sense that new districts have already been created, he said, adding that thesubsidiary legislation entitled each district to a common fund which could only be disbursed by an MP. Lawyer Shaibu explained that the Local Government Act was clear on that issue and stressed that the Act was also against one MP presiding over Common Fund belonging to two districts, meaning that those new districts that were created must have MPs to preside over their Common Funds. He said, however, that it was possible to have two MPs in a district but the reverse could not be possible. He was optimistic that the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 78 which has been laid in parliament would become law in 21 parliamentary sitting days. As the current debate on the constitutionality and merit of the creation of the 45 new constituencies rages on, Dr. Dan Bright-Dzorgbo, Head of Sociology Department of the University of Ghana (UG) who also spoke to the GNA, disagreed with the involvement of religious leaders in politics and called on them to desist from wading into political issues. He observed that the current controversy was mainly a constitutional matter which must be decided by the Supreme Court and not the religious leaders. "When society seems to be highly religious, religious leaders turn to speak on societal matters which should not be the case", he said. Dr. Bright-Dzorgbo was of the view that the religious leaders might have taken advantage of the pluralistic believes of Ghanaians on religion as the basis to wade into politics but cautioned that it was wrong in the modern era for politics to be decided on religious basis, "Politics is a scientific exercise….religion does not have the solution to this problem", he stated. He was also of the opinion that the EC must be allowed to carry out its mandate, adding that "when there are more constituencies, it improves development". The Sociologist further observed that the ruling government was likely to benefit from the proposed constituencies through the psychological satisfaction it will get from the citizenry which, he said, was likely to translate into votes adding that the government might want to have more votes and therefore eager to have the constituencies created, especially at this critical time. He said even though the constituencies were a merit to the state, the timing was questionable, stressing that there was no need for the country to put a ceiling on the number of constituencies that were supposed to be created at any particular time. Finding a middle ground through dialogue among the parties in dispute over the issue will not be out of place, especially now that civil society, the religious bodies as well as organized labour are gunning for mutual settlement of the disagreements. Whichever means that would be adopted to sustain the peace currently prevailing in the country should be of primary concern. The necessity of the creation of the constituencies cannot be misplaced since the exercise will deepen democracy and enhance national development. But then, it is also not out of place to consider an amendment of the constitution to put a ceiling on the number of constituencies the country should contain because it would be impossible for Ghana, a country with a geographical size of 238,534 sq km, to continue to be demarcated into an infinite number of constituencies just because the population is increasing. | 