As Ghana gets closer to the journey of choosing another President, the country comes to a standstill as many ponder on what kind of benefit they will gain from voting for such a man or woman, with 2024 just around the corner.
While Presidential hopefuls are visiting constituency to solicit for votes, the electorates are also wild in meeting their needs, prior to the general Elections.
The election of a new President always elicits hope. The hope that Ghana looks unto, is hope that assures security, peace and stability. The kind of hope that is to rise above the occasion of party lines and forge a compelling force to move the nation forward, with inclusiveness, fairness, equity, and justice.
However, political elections have taken a turn where electorates want their needs sorted out first, in an exchange for a vote. Political parties thereby go into such areas ready to help out through the sharing of what they call “incentives” or the catch phrase “helping my party member”; meanwhile it is all done to get something. In the end, the electorates are influenced to vote on behalf of whomever they benefitted from in whatever way.
Some will argue that this is “vote-buying”; which has flooded media spaces with discussions all over. This is truly a travesty of a political democracy.
Ghana; one of the democratic countries in Africa, should enable its electorates participate fully by exercising their rights to vote by choosing a candidate without fear cast upon them or any influence. Voters should be given the opportunity to exercise political democracy.
Political democracies are meant to be situations where the people hold their own power either directly or through elected representatives. Such is meant to be characterized by free and fair elections, the rule of law, and the protection of individual rights and freedoms. Citizens have the right to participate in the political process, express their opinions, and hold their leaders accountable, when there is a democratic political system existing.
However, when the opinions and free-will of the electorates, are not expressed genuinely, the political democracy bar has fallen. When a leader is elected because of the help one gets from the leader, the judgement of such an individual is clouded. As such, they are unable to criticize the leaders when they go wrong. This is a bad concept that has ruined political democracy.
After such induced politics, political parties point fingers at one another, claiming to have only helped their party members but the other party rather is responsible for “vote-buying”; where they go in with intentions of buying votes through kind or cash.
In the recent by-elections in the Assin North Constituency in Ghana, both the NPP and NDC for the past few days have resorted to remarks that only prove that either one or the other provided for the needs of the party’s members in the constituency in order to be influenced to be voted for.
The future is blur, if electorates would not vote into power an individual who has their best interest at heart, rather than whomever gave them money or gifts as prerequisite to vote.
Social Media And The Political Pattern
Social media since the Assin North Constituency by-election, has been awash with exaggerations, assumptions, the truth and lies. Party members of both the NDC and NPP have accused each other of influencing voters through gifts and kind with each other denying such facts.
However, with the use of social media this day, the youth are easily influenced by what is propagated in the media space. The youth easily learn from the social media and would want to emulate what they see, hear or learn.
As such, if politics is demoralized through the sharing of gifts all the time to influence voters, what kind of future awaits the youth? They would also see it normal to give or revive a gift to vote and that is not normal.
Rather, political parties should use the social media to put forth campaign messages that are sound, valid and solid. Messages that can be argued out and learned from by the youth. These messages through the media can target specific demographics and spread their messages abroad.
While doing this, it is necessary to visit the communities and spread the messages as well, without any level of influencing voters through gifts but electorates voting based on the message they received or chose to be the best amongst many.
Likely, the role of fake news should be considered in this agenda; the spreading of lies, just so one party could retain power and knock the other off its feet. Anything that thrives on lies and fake information is neither grounded nor a long-lasting thing. It will surely see the light.
Social Media has always influenced voter turnout greatly. It is positive as long as the right message is out there with the aim of making the electorate understand the views and concerns of the party.
However, it only remains negative once the political party chooses violence and the spread of lies through insults and other means. This affects the reasoning of the electorate, making them unable to judge who is who.
Political parties should remember that “the internet never forgets”. If a message that propagates goodwill is presented, it will stand the test of time but if one that is of hate, lies and bitterness, the future generations will still make reference to it.
Politics should be free of any influence, pressure or fear. Electorates should be able to vote on their own without any form of influence from anyone or anything. Democracy should play out and make the choice of the people, the reigning factor.
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