Kumasi: The excessive monetization of Ghana's electoral process, particularly in the selection of leaders, poses a significant threat to the accountability expected of elected officials. Professor Yarhands Dissou Arthur, a Professor of Mathematics at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) in Kumasi, who made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, warned that the growing trend could lead to elected officials prioritizing financial gains over their responsibilities to the electorate.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prof. Arthur highlighted the troubling rise of vote buying as a danger to the country's democratic development. He underscored that this practice does not reflect the competence or capability of individuals vying for leadership positions but rather their financial ability to influence outcomes.
Prof. Arthur cautioned that the long-term effect of allowing money to influence political leadership would be bad governance and weakened accountability structures. He emphasized the need for political parties to take decisive steps to curb the influence of money in both internal party elections and national electoral processes. This, he noted, would significantly improve the quality of leaders elected to steer the nation's development agenda.
A political environment where financial resources determine electoral outcomes, he said, was not conducive to nurturing genuine leadership. Prof. Arthur added that the practice not only undermined the integrity of elections but also discouraged capable individuals who lacked financial resources from participating in politics.
Calling the situation 'entirely unacceptable,' he urged political parties to implement reforms and enforce stringent measures within their constitutions to address the problem. Without such reforms, he warned, the cycle of vote buying would continue to erode public trust in the political system and hinder Ghana's democratic progress.