Just about three days ago, a former Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic party took to Atinka TV to re-echo his longstanding advocacy against this conundrum. Given his peerless experience in the political landscape, the revered and outspoken lawyer Nana Obiri Boahen bemoaned this situation and ascribed the rampant thievery by politicians to same.
Prior to this resounding but underperforming advocacy, it is evident how aspiring Members of Parliament particularly make lofty, grandeur, utopian promises beyond their jurisdiction to voters for obvious reasons. Ironically, that’s not the worse. The delegates system which is used to elect MPs, Flag bearers and other party officials at the branch, constituency, regional and national levels seems to be the leading force of the unfortunate ‘moneycracy’ system. The question that readily comes to mind is, how and where do they get the resources to pay these staggering sums of money to delegates to literally ’buy’ their votes? Who funds them?
Just recently,NEIP boss, Mr. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah was nabbed by the OSP for having allegedly shared about GHS500 each to over 600 delegates in his constituency in his bid to become the parliamentary candidate. This is the umpteenth time internal party elections have been awash with money-sharing. For the other gifts like television sets, refrigerators, loaves of bread, sobolo, soft drinks, bags of rice, bottles of oil, etc; it’s a topic for another day. What is the guarantee that such aspirants if voted into office won’t embroil in corrupt activities just to replenish the monies they used to bribe their way up there? The entire trajectory to becoming officialdom in this country has been grossly compromised.
Until this canker is nipped in the bud, the poor but competent man is being told that he either gets rich enough to dole out huge sums of money to undeserving individuals to buy their votes or stay clear of political elections. The sad reality.
Written by Obidombie Kwabena Ahuofe.