Professor Joseph R.A. Ayee, Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, has noted that the attitude of politicians towards national issues depends on whether they are in government or opposition. The development, he observed, makes it difficult for the electorate to tell which politicians are serious about fulfilling their campaign promises. He stressed that whether one is for or against state funding of political parties, it is the government in power that must have the political will and commitment to implement it as a policy. Contending that the December general elections would be interesting and crucial, the Dean further opined that a Professor Mills (NDC) win in the December elections would bring more changes than a win for Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling NPP. “If the NPP wins, there will not be any substantial change in policies and programmes. It will be business as usual. If there will be changes at all, they may be cosmetic,” he said. He added that: “On the other hand, an NDC win is likely to result in significant change and direction in the content of some public policies and programmes, and the way they are implemented”. He made these observations during an overview of Elections, Democracy and Development under the Fourth Republic in Ghana at a colloquium at the Institute of African Studies at the University on Thursday. The professor is further worried about the inability of the courts to resolve election-related issues early enough, saying there is the need to set up Electoral Courts in the country. According to him, when some ten years ago the issue of funding of political parties was raised, the NPP, then in opposition, championed the cause, claiming it is the key to opening the nation’s doors to development while the then ruling NDC was not keen on it. “Now that the NPP is in power, it has developed cold feet towards its implementation while the NDC, now in opposition, appears more zealous than before. “As we approach the 2008 elections, financing of political parties remains one of the hottest issues within the public domain in Ghana. The role of party financing in establishing a strong democratic government cannot be over-emphasized. This is because party financing is regarded as the main driving force for modern competitive political competition, the oil that greases the engine of party politics and the mother’s milk of politics. In short, party financing is viewed as the most important political resource that drives party vibrancy and competitiveness.” He listed other problems such as the abuse of incumbency, corruption, lack of compliance of political parties to disclosure of requirements and policy guidelines. On the delay in resolving election disputes, the Professor recalled an instance where Mr. Isaac Amoo, an NPP candidate, won the Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary election in 1996, but four long years after the Electoral Commission (EC) corrected its anomaly, the courts could not enforce it. He observed that even though elections in Ghana had seen tremendous improvement, the nation still had a long way to go in entrenching its fragile democracy. The colloquium was one of series of activities lined up for the 60th anniversary celebrations of the nation’s premier university. Source: Daily Guide