Bagbin calls for state sponsorship of political campaigning

With a political appointment also being a public office, there is the need to work out which aspects of political campaigning should be sponsored by the state.

This will help de-monetize electoral politics and ensure that the right people truly capable of steering the nation towards success were voted to power.

Mr Alban Bagbin, Member of Parliament for the Nadowli West Constituency, and also the Second Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, said this in Accra at a forum dubbed, "De-monetizing Electoral Politics, Strengthening Accountable Governance, Which Way Forward for Ghana?"

He said the electorate also needed to be well educated on the responsibilities of those whose appointment depended on their votes, in a manner that made them(The Electorate) know and appreciate the fact that voting people to public positions of responsibility was not about anyone giving out money to be voted.

Mr Bagbin observed that clearly, Ghanaians had grown to prefer multi-party democracy, saying, "I would prefer to see a third political force so we do not continue to have this intense economic competition as we have now between the NPP and the NDC."

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament urged political parties to introduce their representatives to the electorate in a manner that showed that promises made by these representatives, reflected the agenda of the parties they stood for, and not their individual or personal initiative.

He suggested the setting up of a democracy commission, which would contain state agencies like IDEG and the National Commission for Civic Education, to ensure that the country reaped the full gains of democratic governance.

Mr Bagbin touched on the scourge of political vigilantism and said it was a term he found absolutely unacceptable because it represented mere violent lawlessness. "It is time to have some serenity," he said.

Organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), the forum was moderated by Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director, IDEG.