AABD VP Communications Proposes Solutions to Vote-Buying in Ghana
- Post by: Gilbert
- July 26, 2019
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Dr. Kobby Mensah, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Ghana Business School, has proposed solutions to help government solve the problem of vote buying. This solution, in his view, will aid in promoting party accountability in Ghana’s political system.
According to Dr. Mensah, a better way of unravelling this issue is to enlighten electorates on the need to be rational. In his speech, he stated that most people in Ghana are not so well informed politically and therefore need to be given appropriate information on the electoral structures.
“Though laws and regulations are important, they require suitable methods that empower citizens and encourage responsibility in the electoral processes. This will help formalise the electoral processes and make the country a better place,” he explained.
Dr. Kobby Mensah addressed this issue on July 8, 2019, at a National Stakeholders’ Consultation on Monetization of Politics in Ghana, organized by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. The programme was held at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) Auditorium, University of Ghana, Legon.
Speaking on the topic “Money, Influence, Corruption and Capture: Can Ghana’s Democracy Be Safeguard”, Dr. Mensah also called for a conducive and comprehensive way to effectively and efficiently control the monetization of politics in Ghana.
He again remarked that politicians need to identify the challenges of their own towns and villages and help to curb them in order to prevent electorates of various towns from succumbing to electoral malpractices. This will aid in facilitating better elections in the country.
“People of Ghana need education, the public need to know what a Member of Parliament is for. Until this issue is attended to, Ghanaians will always see elections as an avenue to extort money during elections”, he recommended.
Dignitaries spotted at the event include, Honourable Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, Chairman for National Media Commission, Ms. Josephine Nkrumah, Chairman for National Commission of Civic Education, and Dr. Alidu Seidu a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, among others. The moderators for the programme were Mr. Richard Dela Sky and Ms. Yvonne Jacy Boaten.
The event ended successfully with Hon. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, thanking invited personalities for making time to be part of this all important discussions.