The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa, has reiterated her resolve to preside over a peaceful, transparent, and fair elections in Ghana, come December 7.
Speaking at the launch of the 2nd edition of the ‘Agent of Peace’ campaign organised by The Church of Pentecost, the EC boss said that she made a covenant with God several years ago to be used by Him in a way He pleased.
“Today I stand before the Almighty God to pledge and present myself as an Agent of Peace in our nation Ghana and the rest of the world.
“Romans 12:8 places the onus of ensuring and maintaining peace on us as individuals. It emphasises that if it is possible, as much as it depends on us, we should live peaceably with all men. I believe that if we are each able to do this, we will be counted as worthy agents of peace, and by extension, as ambassadors of Christ.
“As a representative of God, responsible for the conduct of free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful elections in Ghana, it is important that I and indeed the leadership of the Electoral Commission, signal peace in all our operations, activities and speech.
“As individuals at the helm of affairs, we have a duty to conduct ourselves in a manner that promotes peace and builds trust. We recognise that how we speak, what we say, and our posture will help promote peace or otherwise in our dear nation. It is vital that in all we do we build trust and confidence in our processes as this will go a long way to foster peace in our society.
“It is important that we remain transparent, responsive and accountable to our Stakeholders by providing them with timely and accurate, information on all our activities.
“It is important that we remain fair to all our stakeholders i.e. the Political Parties and that we conduct our activities without fear or favour.
“It is vital that we communicate with our stakeholders with decorum, devoid of inflammatory words, irritation or anger.
“We recognise that this year is a crucial year as we go to the polls on December 7. What we say and do will have a positive or negative bearing on the nation. We are, therefore, resolved that our activities and words should leave a lasting and positive impact on our dear nation,” she indicated.
Giving her personal commitment to holding a credible election, Mrs. Mensa disclosed that she has spent some time talking about what the Commission is doing as an institution. However, I also have a duty to God and Country to be an Agent of Peace, she said.
“As the head of the Commission, the signals I send out, be it to our staff or the public are important as it will have an impact on the election and the nation. This is not lost on me. As such my speeches and interaction with our key stakeholders must be decorous/courteous yet clear and firm and must also inspire confidence and trust in me as a person and in the Commission.
“As a Christian, I am a firm believer in the principles that Christ stands for – Justice, Peace and Truth. I am committed to ensuring that these principles are reflected in everything that both I and the Commission do.
“I must be fair to all and conduct my activities without fear or favour. I must maintain an open-door policy, welcoming all categories of persons irrespective of their social standing. I must have a listening ear and provide people with an avenue to air their views and opinions.
“Above all, I must work and undertake all my duties to ensure that it is the will of the people, which is the will of God, that stands. As an Agent of Peace, I should be truthful and not seek to alter the will of God. The Onus is on me to abide by this principle. God being my guide and helper I am confident that I will not let Him and the people of Ghana down; in Jesus name.”
She appealed to the general public to be peace ambassadors since every citizen, no matter the tribe, creed, age or gender, should see themselves as agents of peace, saying, “As citizens, we all have a duty to promote peace in our dear country and we can only achieve this if we ourselves are agents of peace. Very often, citizens tend to feel that the onus of maintaining peace is upon their leaders only.”
