General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, three years ago, expressed concern over the exorbitant cost of running for political office in Ghana.
He viewed this as a major barrier to combating corruption and believes it poses a threat to Ghana’s democracy, worsening the plight of ordinary citizens.
“The cost of getting elected into any position in Ghana has increased to an intolerable level and that is the root cause of corruption. So if there is a way, we can do more research in that field and see how we can clean our politics.
“This will help us to save our democracy because the more the country’s politics became monetized, the more merit is sacrificed’, he said.
As a solution, he urged all stakeholders, including academia, to conduct research to address this issue and safeguard the country’s democracy.
Mr. Asiedu Nketiah criticized the recruitment process into the country’s security agencies, highlighting concerns about the potential consequences if the current practices are not revised.
“If we are not careful and we structure our security services along ethnic, political and religious lines, then we shouldn’t have security at all because by that you are nursing a lion which will come back to consume all of us”, he warned.
He also voiced concern about individuals posing as religious leaders, whom he described as charlatans, who are threatening politicians and exploiting vulnerable members of society.
“I see a lot of charlatans emerging in our religious scene threatening politicians that if you do not see me you can not win. We are in a country of poverty and yet the very poor are the people who are being exploited,” he lamented.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah expressed these views during a stakeholders’ consultative workshop on the development of three new academic programs at the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The workshop was attended by representatives from the two main political parties, the Electoral Commission, the National Media Commission, the National Labour Commission, the security agencies, members of academia, and the media.
The three new programs being developed are a PhD, MPhil, and MA in Peace and Development Studies; a PhD, MPhil, and MA in Politics, Peace, and Security; and certificate courses in Mediation.
Presently, Ghana continues to battle corruption. Per reports, much has not been achieved under the current government.
tigpost.co