What Path Is The National Democratic Congress Treading: Has Monitocracy Really Taken Over Our…?

I contemplated this piece a while back when constituency executive elections were taking place within my Party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). It was a legitimate pressure that was so compelling for this write-up but with difficulty I had to delay it and there were good reasons for that.

My native Bongo District/Constituency is the first to have pushed me to do this piece. In December 2011, I was shocked to the marrow when Accra-City based natives contesting the NDC Parliamentary seat descended and splashed money and other resources such as money and other resources to induce delegates for their votes.

It was not a strange political development but the fact that it happened in my poor district was a source of worry. That, however, was just the shadow of how NDC politics is being corrupted in the constituency. About two months back when the constituency conducted elections to constitute its executives, the worst happened. It was alleged that one of those who contested at the Parliamentary primaries, again descended and doled out GhC 300.00 to majority of the delegate in support of one candidate who contested the chairmanship position and won over a lady who became runner-up with a convincing tally. The 'cityman' did this because he wanted his preferred man to head the executive body and to facilitate his Parliamentary candidature in 2016.

The lady was highly tipped to win but for the last minute resource intervention. That is how money influenced my native constituency elections – and it is not an isolated case.

In my quiet corner, I have observed via telephony monitoring and have come to the conclusion that the canker of VOTE-BUYING has becoming an 'acceptable' practice and cuts across the two major Parties i.e the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

However, what have finally elicited this publication is the NDC Greater Accra region's elections which took place on November 15, 2014. A day to the event, a nauseating competition of gift distribution and padded envelops of wads of Ghana Cedis left me with a very high level of blood pressure.

Some confidants who were delegates called me from both Ade Coker and Manley Spain's residences in the course of my monitoring, disappointingly telling me about gifts that were allegedly being distributed. In the case of Ade Coker, plasma television sets were allegedly handed out accompanied with envelopes containing GhC 1,000.00. The distribution of ipads as allegedwas withheld to be sure of his endorsement before handover.

Before the gifts were distributed, a bouffer of sumptuous assorted food was in abundance for especially first timers in such treats.

Manley Spain, allegedlywaited in his Adjiringanor residence and when the delegates got there– dished out his portion of the corrupting agenda for the region's Party chairmanship. Indeed it was pay-time for delegates. Steve Akwetey and Amartey were effectively denied access to the delegates since the first two had 'detained' them for long periods deep into the night and the discomfort in moving about with the handouts made it impossible.

Information reaching me from the Volta region which had theirs alongside that of Greater Accra, also competed well in the vote-buying race. Last minute show of wealth saw 'square' people sitting on 'round' holes.

In this case however, what I term blocks-support mainly using the family names like the Mahamas and the Ahwois was at play. Information gathered from the congress ground had it that money was given individually and when the givers considered they had not done enough, the Twenty-Six constituencies in the region were given GhC 5,000.00 each to influence the outcome of the polls.

DANGER AHEAD
What has happened from the constituency to the regional levels as have been observed puts the NDC in a dangerous pedestal and if care is not taken – the Party, from this time on will be governed by instead of the deserving Democrats – MONEYCRATS. I am particularly sad that at the national level the Party has no code of ethics as to the offer of resources as inducement of delegates which is a corrupting agenda.

The National Delegates Congress which is just at the corner needs to factor the canker of VOTE-BUYING as a matter that must be discussed with the seriousness that it deserves and come out with regulations it. This ought to be done because the Party must be purged from this cholera-like infection that is eating into the main fabric of the NDC.

Currently from all corners of the country, the NDC is being tagged as the most corrupt political organization in the country. Whereas we have people who are so committed and are ready to die for the Party at no cost and who are in the majority – some vultures have crept into it just to find ways to loot at the detriment of the ordinary Ghanaian.

What is alleged to have happened in the Greater Accra and Volta regions is an indication that we are ready to grow corruption to maturity and this is where I can call on well-intentioned supporters who have the Congress at heart to rise up to the occasion and fight the few who are burnt on destroying its good name.

The challenged arithmetic knowledge within me led to this conservative figure as to how much Ade Coker is alleged to have spent in retaining his position which went thus: 8 delegates from each of the 34 constituencies =272. Every delegate is alleged to have been given GhC 1,000.00 x272 = GhC 272,000.00. Conservatively, I have pegged the price of a brand new plasma tv at GhC 1,000.00 x272 = GhC 272,000.00.

So, all added together – Ade Coker has allegedly spent a whooping GhC 544,000.000 (5,440,000,000.00 or Five Billion, Four Hundred and Forty Million old cedis). This calculation has captured only elected delegates, minors MMDCEs and the regional minister. It also excludes food, drinks etc.

For goodness sake if what is put out here is anything to go-by, what is the motivation for this 'philanthropic' parting of money and television sets? Do we have to buy people's conscience in order to serve them? And in any case why couldn't Ade Coker use the alleged expenditure involved in building some two six-classroom blocks in any of the deprived areas in the Greater Accra region. Well, that is the 'odd logic' that is unwelcome to these people who 'love us so much'.

Surely the man, to me is not a philanthropist and if that is the case it means he has bought himself back into office in order to make profit over his investment and there-in lies why we cannot tame corruption.

VOTING BY UNIVERSAL ADULT SUFFERAGE
These alleged ugly developments in the time of our good LORD are forcing the thought of the NDC pursuing local primaries from constituency to national levels by universal adult sufferage. Whoever generated this thought for the Party must be praised and not just that but pursued to its total realization. Leadership at the top of the Party must be pressured to implement it before the next four years' primaries.

Many political pundits have advocated central government sponsoring political parties. I have always quietly disagreed with such suggestions. However, with the monetization of Party primaries I have opted to rethink my position.

I sincerely think that if government sponsorship of political parties is to be considered, then it should be the sponsoring of their primaries from constituency-national levels in order to give even playing ground to all contenders who will be voted for by all registered/card bearing members. By so-doing people will be voted for in terms of their intellectual capabilities that the ordinary voter would highly appreciate to serve him or her – rather than their money only to be insulted later.

Back to the NDC, I think this naked show of vote-buying that it has closed its eyes to has denigrated the sacred principles that underpin it. I expect the Party to condemn in no uncertain terms this vulgar use of money to influence electoral outcomes.

Camillus Maalneriba-Tia Sakzeesi
[email protected]
Mob: 0266223333 / 0248433700