Election 2024: Sunyani Residents Decry ‘Monetization’ of Voting Process.

Sunyani: A cross section of voters in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, have condemned the growing trend of 'monetization' in the nation's General Election and called for proactive measures to stem the practice. They said it was disappointing that some political parties and politicians bought the conscience of some voters with money and other gifts to woo their votes. According to Ghana News Agency, in an interview in Sunyani, the electorate called on election stakeholders to come together and stem the practice, which remained an affront to the nation's electoral laws and dirtied the beauty of Ghana's democracy. The monetization of the country's General Elections also remained a key contributory factor to thriving corruption, which remained the bane of accelerated national development. 'We must all endeavour to fight this menace of voting buying. The politicians buy our votes and later recoup their money or resources when they assume political position,' Mavis Anima Yeboah, a student, stated. Mr. Stephen Asamoah, a teacher, also spoke against the bad practice where political parties influence the vulnerable and ignorant youth with money to cause political violence. He said successive governments were often adamant to tackle the pressing needs of the people 'because when they assume political powers they concentrate on getting back their money at the expense of development'. Some of the electorates also called on political parties and their followers to refrain from the use of indecent and abusive language, especially in the airwaves that had the potential to inflame passions and cause political tensions. Instead, they advised them to remain tolerant and respect the views of political party opponents, urging political party communicators to desist from levelling unsubstantiated allegations against opponents.