Senior Political Science lecturer of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Richard Amoako Baah has pooh-poohed the explanations given by the Electoral Commission boss, Madam Charlotte Osei regarding the commission’s decision to come out with a new logo.
According to the former Head of Political Science Faculty at KNUST, the EC is exhibiting school children activities at the Commission as the 5 year development plan and the new logo only fit in the description of create, loot and share brigade.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has explained that it removed the coat of arms from its new logo because it [EC] did not represent the authority of the state.
“We also removed the ballot box because our work is beyond just the ballot box,” the EC Chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei said at the launch of its five-year strategic plan.
What the new logo represents
• The circle represents unity; singular and unified in its purpose – OUR DEMOCRACY
• The blue of the circle represents the Stability and Independence of the Commission
• The inward moving arrows reflect all the people of Ghana EQUALLY coming together for the common purpose – the right to select their political leadership
• The use of the red, gold and green represents our country Ghana
• The Whole identity represents a unified common purpose and vision and DEMONSTRATES our INDEPENDENCE as an institution.
Mrs Osei again noted that the strategic plan was developed with the vision of creating a world class, trusted and independent electoral body grounded on five strategic pillars.
But a furious Dr Amoako Baah posited on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ Morning Show that the strategic plan is part of the create, loot and share; thus it only makes sense to describe it as juvenile as there are many challenges with the EC which need immediate attention than that 5 year strategic plan.
“There is no sense in most of the things the woman tried to explain about the 5 year strategic plan. How come with so many educated people, this is the EC boss we got? Where has it been taught in her school that the colour blue means unity? Why did she forget to explain the white colour in the logo? She is just finding juvenile explanation for a mistake,” he criticised.
He however wondered why the EC boss is busily focusing on the Commission’s logo and working on 5 year strategic plan at the time there is crucial general election taking place few months; reiterating that the EC could have spent the fund to address the contending issue with the voter’s register and then think of working on its strategic plan after this year’s elections.
He stressed that the new logo of the EC has nothing showing it is a state institution as the Coat of Arms emblem makes it easily to identify that the Commission is a state institution; thus with the new logo, it paves way for fraud as anybody can engage in similar activity.
Touching on the unclear budget for the new logo, the Political Scientist concluded there is an agenda which is not clear to Ghanaians, questioning the sense in the persistence of the Electoral Commission to have a new logo which is not relevant at this moment.
“I am sorry to say her whole explanation is nonsense; juvenile nonsense. That’s what it is; I can’t put it in any other way. Access the explanation of the EC boss and tell me there is any sense in her explanation,” he chided.