By Christopher Arko, GNA
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA – Mr George Sarpong, a private legal practitioner, has raised concerns about the growing monetisation of Ghanaian politics, which could weaken democratic institutions and create opportunities for wealthy individuals with dubious interests to gain control over the state.
He said the political system should promote people with good ideas, character and a commitment to public service, rather than create a situation where those with the “deepest pockets wield the greatest influence.”
Mr Sarpong made the observation at a workshop on political party financing and campaign expenditure in Ghana, organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on Monday.
The workshop formed part of CDD-Ghana’s efforts to generate public support for a Draft Model Political Finance Law developed with support from the British High Commission.
The proposed legislation seeks to strengthen transparency and accountability in political financing while addressing gaps in Ghana’s existing framework for regulating party and campaign funding.
Mr Sarpong said the media had a responsibility to look beyond the public activities of political parties and investigate the financial interests behind political campaigns.
He urged journalists to ask who was funding candidates and political parties, how much was being spent, and what expectations or influence might accompany such financial support.
The issue, he said, was not only about the cost of elections but also the potential consequences for governance when people whose wealth came from activities harmful to the public interest were able to use that wealth to acquire political influence.
Mr Sarpong warned that such individuals could eventually gain influence over the same state institutions responsible for regulating their activities, thereby weakening the state’s ability to enforce laws in the public interest.
He also proposed the introduction of some form of public financing for political parties as a way of reducing the influence of wealthy individuals, whom he described as “political oligarchs”.
He acknowledged, however, that such a system would require agreement among political parties and other stakeholders on what constituted legitimate campaign expenditure and the level of funding required to run a competitive political campaign.
He said stakeholders could then determine how much of that cost could reasonably be supported by the state.
Mr Sarpong expressed optimism that political parties could reach consensus on reforms to Ghana’s political finance system, noting that representatives and senior members from different political traditions had participated in discussions on the proposed model law.
The workshop brought together journalists to examine Ghana’s political financing system, identify weaknesses in the existing regulatory framework and discuss proposed measures to improve transparency, accountability and fairness in the financing of political parties and election campaigns.
Mr William Nyarko, the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability, expressed concern about the increasing cost of political campaign financing, saying it had the potential to undermine Ghana’s democracy.
He said successive governments since 1992 had abused state resources to fund their political campaigns, with the practice extending to the use of state aircraft, including helicopters and Falcon jets.
Mr Nyarko said the opacity surrounding campaign financing posed a threat to democracy because citizens did not know the sources of funding for presidential, parliamentary and other candidates.
Dr Kojo Asante, Director of Policy Engagement and Partnership at CDD-Ghana, emphasised the need for the state to regulate political campaign financing to prevent state capture and corruption.
He said unregulated campaign funding could lead to a situation where political parties no longer governed in the interest of the people but served the interests of their financiers, potentially undermining the country’s democracy.
“If the people we are electing and appointing are to manage the state, then we cannot leave the business of how they are selected to private organisations, but must be interested in the whole process,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe