PROMOTE WOMEN'S ROLE IN POLITICS (PAGE 23)

Participants at the third Governance Dialogue have called on Ghanaians to register once and jealously guard their votes and refuse to sell them.
According to them, this is one of the ways to ensure a credible election.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day governance dialogue organised by the Graphic Communications Group Ltd on the theme “Effective Democratic Governance; The Role of Stakeholders’’.
The 16-point communiqué, which was read by Mr Aggrey Orleans, a Ghanaian diplomat, stated that there ought to be a comprehensive guideline on election for political parties and candidates, as well as sanctions for infractions.
The communiqué also stressed that security personnel keeping public peace ought not allow themselves to be used by politicians for human rights abuses.
The communiqué also called on other stakeholders such as the media to offer fair access to coverage to all political parties and candidates, while the judiciary should adjudicate on all election disputes quickly.
On financing of political parties, the communiqué was of the view that state funding of political parties ought to be a subject for further public debate, since the case for political parties initiating a bill for approval by parliamentarians for their own benefit was tantamount to material conflict of interest.
The communiqué called on political parties to educate their members to support their parties through regular payment of approved dues and subscriptions.
The communiqué was of the view that the state should be the last resort after considering all other options, since cash support for political parties ought to be accompanied by comprehensive guidelines, which should not include the payment of staff salaries and administrative expenses.
On gender and empowering women for national development, the communiqué was emphatic that governance systems should be gender-sensitive and therefore called for equal opportunities for women and men.
The communiqué called for the amendment of the Constitution so that certain number of seats in Parliament could be allocated to women.
On conflict resolution, the communiqué noted that democratic governance was nothing but conflict management and called on political office seekers to have respect for principles, values and norms articulated in international conventions to minimise the incidence of conflicts.
Conflicts, the communiqué said, had implications for all stakeholders in the society and politicians should be mindful of the language used during political campaigns, which should be civil, and their behaviour not intimidating.
The communiqué called for an independent and visible media but cautioned media personnel to abide by their own professional code of ethics to prevent conflicts from escalating.
On the role of leadership, the communiqué noted that leaders should command the respect and trust of their followers by committing themselves to implementing actions and programmes to fulfil the interests of their communities.
The communiqué did not limit itself to political leaders alone but urged public sector managers also to shift their focus from passive compliance mentality to active compliance mentality in the interest of transparency and accountability in public affairs.
It also called on the government to pass the Freedom of Information Bill without further delay.
The Dialogue concluded on a note of consensus, for which the participants expressed the hope that it could be infused into public debate on issues necessary for creating public understanding and peace and harmony conducive to rule of law and public order.