Dictatorship, Arrogance Cause Of EC�s Woes - Atta Akyea

Deputy Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Akyea has attributed the unending woes of the Electoral Commission (EC) to dictatorship and arrogance on the part of its commissioners.

Atta Akyea speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show- ‘Dwaso Nsem’- on Thursday said, the Commission seem to be going through one form of humiliation or another largely as a result of 'failure of certain persons given public power to exercise dictatorship’.

“It’s arrogant persons who are bending the Constitution, so we should stop being arrogant and do things according to law because it is public service and not public dictatorship and that has largely been the bane of the Electoral Commission…,” he said.

The Abuakwa South MP was commenting on the failure of the EC to respond to findings against them in the 2012 Auditor General’s report currently before PAC.

The EC, according to media reports, failed to give a good account of their works and the monies that were given them to execute their functions within the said year.

And this, Atta Akyea said, caused the PAC to order them to reappear in two weeks to defend their budgets.

“They just wore their suit and came but couldn’t even answer questions related to their work…they just came to PAC empty handed so we asked them to go and come again…,” he said.

Atta Akyea opined that the Commission would have performed better ‘but for the persons who after appointment to the position become intoxicated with power and practice public dictatorships instead of public service.’

He said the arrogance is ‘clearly seen in the way the leadership of the commission talks and acts’.

Atta Akyea on the show also advocated that the council of state should be scrapped from the constitution as they only offer advisory services which can be ignored by the President.

“Scrapping it would even save the nation money… they have budgetary allocations which we can give to other agencies to function because by and large it’s just advice they offer which can be accepted or rejected by the President without explanation,” he said.