No Laws Can Stop Vote Buying In Ghana

During every election year, most politicians visit their constituents canvassing for votes. They adventurously go to places they have never been there all in their lives in the quest to search for political power. The hunting for power by all means, the ‘’distributive’’ strategies are used to sharing materials to electorates to influence votes. This has been condemned by all in the society yet a very good business. Physical items ranging from cooking utensil, pans, phones, laptops, cement bags, exercise books, and many others. Due to poverty people accept and vote as they have been asked to. Government steals and creates poverty; pretend giving back freely to citizens showing sympathy to the destitute.

There is another well means of buying votes. This is what we call the vote buying fiscal policy. It is another ambitious political policy of politicians. This is the accumulation of funds over a period of time and supplied to electorates during every election year. Monies are shared all round by politicians to win power. Would this cause inflation? Church harvest, durbar fundraising, funerals, birthday parties, naming ceremonies are all attended by these charlatans, giving and promising monies to be given to show their generosities. It is good to give but the mentality of giving and conscience of receiving the gift matters.

No constitutional instruments and laws can avert the menace. Laws don’t change people they only guide people. There are strict laws in Philippian, of one to six years imprisonment, but the business is booming. Vote buying is ongoing. In the USA, vote buying is banned but has not stopped. Politicians are the ones making the laws and they are the same beings flouting it. We need to use moral and religious means to prevent the act, because legality and illegality don’t solve problems but they create more problems.

Ghana’s political elections are not different when it comes to vote buying. It has gone to the extent of buy expensive vehicles to some electorates to help them win power. Another big pattern of vote buying of a government is the last minute creation of employment. Youths are without jobs but when the election dates approaching the sitting government then employ people into community policing, national youth employment nurses, security service recruitments, and few civil servants absorbed. These are all strategies in buying votes. The ‘’communicative’’ strategies full of insults and are without substance but vote buying carries weight.

Journalists who ought to disclose these clandestine acts are victims to these. Most journalists have taken their share of the voting buying decorated cakes. Are you surprised? Journalists have their own choice of government (party), however this has nothing doing with the purpose of this article. If these professionally trained newscasters would live up to the task and expose these politicians and defame their deportment in public, the syndrome would go down. We do not need free stuffs from government but economic freedom from the state to work and mutually exchange goods and services. In a society where everyone work, create jobs for others, earn and keeps his income and with little government interventions, no one come to buy other’s conscience.

PETER BISMARK KWOFIE
CEO/PRESIDENT, INSTITUTE FOR LIBERTY & POLICY INNOVATION (ILAPI-GHANA)

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Tema