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01.12.2018 Opinion

Moneycracy; A Threat To Democracy In Ghana

By Ahmed Abubakar Saddique 
Moneycracy; A Threat To Democracy In Ghana
01.12.2018 LISTEN

I have always not championed moneycracy at the expense of competence when it comes to leadership positions especially that of political parties . Moneycracy undermines the beauty of our democracy. Moneycracy gives way to the one person or individual who can pay his/her out without actually having the full support / representing the vision of the larger population. Moneycracy breeds social injustice, inefficiencies and corruption.

Not too long ago during the NPP chairmanship election, we saw how the current chairman bulldozed his way through with the 275 buses for each constituencies and others.

In some other jurisdictions, supporting ones campaign is purely done out of the sheer trust one has for the vision of a particular candidate to transform the lots of the many but not the few when given the chance to lead . For example, I remember how my main man ,Barrack Obama?s 2008 campaign was supported by many people in the United States of America and even beyond . That support came as a result of the belief that , Barrack Obama can better represent the interests of the majority. Obama was able to raise $778,642,962 and spent $760,370,190. He also decline support from federal lobbyists but mainly from donors at the grassroots who believe in his vision.

People donate to support candidates campaign and see it as a civic responsibility but not to win any contact from the government or candidate when he/she wins ; that?s remarkable in my view. But, in our part of the world , Africa,and for that matter Ghana , it is entirely different. When candidates are left to raise money to support their campaigns, it is highly going to translate in he/she also rewarding those individuals who supported the campaign with contracts that in actual fact wouldn?t even be beneficial to the many . That is what most Ghanaians are worried about and rightly so , they have to be worried .

I am surprise when political parties such as the NDC , a social Democratic Party that believes in social justice/equity , gives way rather to the candidate that can pay 420,000 before the person can contest to become the flagbearer of the party .

I would have wished that , political parties find ways to raise funds for such important exercise . If any other criteria could be used to deter any citizen from contesting to become flagbearer of any political party in Ghana and even across the world , it must be his/her inability to pay huge amounts .

In strengthening democracy, even though expensive , it must not include ,when citizens bring themselves up to contest positions like that of a high office of president in any political party in Ghana.

I have a vision of becoming the president of the Republic of Ghana . I have good plans to transform Ghana within the shortest time that I am president. But, I?m not worth 420,000cedis. Does that mean if I belong to the NDC , I cannot contest to be voted by the many who believes I can transform Ghana ?

Even though becoming a president is not a joke or child?s play , but , I believe it must not be left to people who can only raise such huge monies when in actual fact , the party can do that on their behalf and rightly so use it to run whatever elections they want to have .

But, when MONEY is taken higher than COMPETENCE , it is our democracy that is threatened. Let us rise to defend this ugly act that will erode the beautiful tenets of our democracy.

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