Kwame Obeng Asare, widely known as A Plus, Independent Parliamentary candidate for Gomoa Central, has expressed confidence in the Electoral Commission’s (EC) efforts.
According to him, the EC is working tirelessly to ensure that Ghana holds free, fair, and credible elections, ultimately fostering peace.
A Plus acknowledged that no institution is without flaws, but he believes the EC’s new measures should be embraced as part of the nation’s democratic progress.
“We should not be paranoid; we should believe in the EC that everything will be free and fair. I don’t believe that the whole electoral commission will set out to rig the elections.”
A PLus
He further elaborated on his experiences as an independent candidate, describing the process as transparent.
“The process has been fair. Anything they give the political parties, if we write to them, they give us. We have been walked through the process as independent candidates, from the printing of ballot papers to the transportation of the papers to the various constituencies.”
A Plus
A Plus is optimistic that this election will be peaceful, crediting the vigilance of political parties who have actively raised concerns to ensure a fair process.
He also praised the police, led by Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for their preparedness to uphold law and order during the elections. “Dr Dampare will arrest anyone who goes in contravention of the law,” he stated.
He further noted that he [Dr. George Akuffo] will not spare anyone found in any bad act.
“He will not spare anyone, so if you think you can use your incumbency to intimidate people, please think twice. Even me, who is very close to him, he will not hesitate to get me arrested, so you should be very careful on election day so that you don’t get yourself arrested.”
A Plus
Pundit says Politicians Have Long Disrespected The Creative Arts Sector
Media personality and entertainment pundit, MC Yaa Yeboah expressed her frustration with how Ghanaian politicians treat the creative arts sector.
She accused politicians of disrespecting the industry while heavily relying on it to promote their political agendas.
According to Yaa Yeboah, politicians often turn to the creative arts to amplify their messages, citing examples like Nacee, whose songs have successfully explained political manifestos.
“For a long time, politicians have taken the creative arts sector for a ride. They have disrespected this sector. But the funny thing is, these politicians always run to the creative arts to trumpet their message.”
MC Yaa Yeboah
While artistic practices have been central to political movements throughout the 20th century, much analysis treats these modes of expression as distinct or separate from more traditional forms of civic practices and everyday political participation.
Many musicians have endorsed political parties of their choice while others have expressed their disinterest in the political parties.
She also expressed disappointment over the lack of significant political appointments for professionals in the industry.
Highlighting the experiences of Mark Okraku-Mantey and Dzifa Gomashie, Yaa Yeboah noted that creative arts experts are often appointed as deputies, which limits their ability to function independently under the constitution.
“These politicians can’t even respect us enough to make one of our own the creative arts minister. They only make people like Okraku-Mantey and Dzifa Gomashie deputies, and under the constitution, they can’t function without the permission of their bosses. Yet we always blame them because they’re the ones we are familiar with.”
MC Yaa Yeboah
She urged politicians to be honest and transparent when making promises to the creative arts.
Politicians must be honest and transparent in all their dealings to ensure that their constituents recognize their commitment to policy and society.
READ ALSO: NPP Calls for a Peaceful Elections
