By Priscilla Oye Ofori/Muniratu Issah
Accra, 19, GNA — Ms Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has advised citizens against selling their votes to the highest bidder.
She said that this was a dangerous trend that should be avoided in elections, as the highest bidder may not be the best candidate for the country’s development.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Ms Addy claimed there was a blatant distribution of money to voters in exchange for their vote.
‘‘We know that over the years politicians have been giving gifts and sharing trivial things to potential voters and the electorate… all of it must stop.
“We the electorate must not be asking for money before we cast our ballot,” she stated.
Ms. Addy encouraged voters to remove money from the equation and base their selections on other grounds when casting their votes.
‘‘We could easily fall into the hands of terrorists if money is the only criteria we are considering for deciding who to vote for,’’ she said.
Ms Addy advised politicians to stop dolling out money to the electorate for votes.
She urged citizens to reject politicians who used intemperate language and violence to obtain power.
‘‘If somebody wants to get elected, the way to go is not to spend time insulting their opponents, using intemperate language and worst of all, threatening violence if they do not win.
“We cannot be cowards as a people and be put into a position where we now must go and elect leaders because we are afraid that if we do not elect them, they will bring violence to us.
“This is a huge threat to the stability of our state and to democracy as well,’ she said.
Ms. Addy urged those eligible to vote since it was their civic responsibility to participate in decision-making.
GNA