MONETIZATION OF GHANA POLITICS, A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY- Gabriel Amologu

MONETIZATION OF GHANA POLITICS, A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY.


Politics in Ghana over the past decade has seen and undergone both positive and negative transformation. This I must say has gone a long way to worsen and enrichen at the same time our young democracy. Politics  and democracy are entertwined such that the alteration of one has a serious consequences on the other, which in the short or long run impacts greatly on the citizenry.

In advancing this discourse, it is proper for one to make a juxtaposition of politics two decades ago and the immediate  past decade. This, we would appreciate that monetization in Ghana politics has gradually chopped into our ethical and moral fibers, it has firmly established its roots, and uprooting it will require an utmost mental and behavioural transmogrification. Gone is the era when citizens engaged in politics because they believed in the ideological principles of a particular political party or individual. I ask myself, "where is the patriotism and nationalism to the flag of our beloved mother Ghana?"

A series of activities  both political and non political happen in Ghana and instead of the electorates focusing and scrutinizing the policy outline, transformatinal agenda and how it will positively affect the life of the ordinary citizen, we are instead, looking at the material benefits and the immediate gratifications to the neglet of the national interest. In the same vine, the politician, instead of delving and adopting strategic and positively achievable policies, realizing how gullible and with the quest for material things of the electorates, spends thousands and millions of cedis to politic. This leaves the politician with no alternative than find the dubious means to recoup spent resources. In light of that, riches is favoured instead of competence. On the 7th July, 2018 at the National Delegates Conference of the NPP, John Hayward, a representative of Conservative Party from the UK observed, "I came through the streets today and I saw so many posters of the wonderful candidates here. But I had to reflect. I think I saw more posters than the delegates at this conference and I wondered, ‘is this really the best use of our resources?’"
He suggested that the NPP is trending on slippery grounds with respect to the use of resources and advised that it rather invests in the lives of the citizenry. He continued, "Voters are less keen on parties but focus more on the internal issues on the parties. We hope that the NPP can reach out more on the people," Hayward noted. This is a typical example on how politicians, polical parties and people we have entrusted our resources on monetize our politics. And it takes a foreigner to remind us and appeal to our conscience to that.

Continuing in this tangent will mean that people with life transforming ideas, nation building visions and objectives but lack resources to advance their course in building the country will back off. This means doom to them and the nation. I watched on social media with disgust how bundles of money (GHC10 & GHC50 notes) were circulating from the two aspirants of the national Chairmanship position of the NPP  and I was quite frazzled about the future of our democracy. If this is the level we have reduced our politics and democracy to, then I think that we have a very long way to go as a nation.

All political parties especially the two major parties (NPP & NDC) are guilty of this practice. The politician dolling out monies thinks that he has bought the electorate but knows what he stands to gain and the electorate perhaps also feels that he has gotten his share by receiving the bate. But the question to ask is, who is fooling who? The citizenry seem to be taken for granted by the politician.

A call must be made by all well meaning Ghanaians, stakeholders, religious bodies, presure groups and the media to hold political parties and government to be responsible and solve pertinent challenges faced by the Ghanaian than hold them to ransom.

_Gabriel Amologu_

gabrielamologu@gmail.com
(0249042313)