The constituents of the Kpone Katamanso Constituency have shown their dissatisfaction with the speed of development in the constituency while they made known their decision not to exercise their franchise in the December 2024 polls.
The constituents cited the lack of potable water, deplorable roads, and inadequate healthcare facilities among the primary reasons they are contemplating boycotting the 2024 General Elections, asserting that unless political parties take steps to address these issues, they will not rescind their decision.
Remarking on the issue, a Political Scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante reasoned people vote primarily based on what they will derive as benefit from the electoral process.
He noted that voters generally do not see the need to renew the mandate of politicians who fail to deliver on the promises of development they made during the campaign season before elections, asserting that the reaction of the people is due to the disappointment they feel towards political leaders.
“I am not surprised because one of the factors that influence voter choices in this country…is the economy. People vote based on the health of the economy. If you have a healthy economy, people respond positively by voting for the government of the day. If the economy is in tatters, all things being equal, the government’s record [vote] will be in tatters”.
Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante
Accordingly, Dr. Asah-Asante emphasized that every aspect of socio-economic living depends on the economy. He noted that a healthy economy creates jobs, and improves education and health among others.
He indicated that the second variable that determines voter choices is infrastructure development, emphasizing that the constituents of the Kpone Katamnso constituency are justified in their decision to boycott the election if political leaders fail to address the constituency’s deficit in infrastructure development.
He noted that other variables such as unemployment, corruption, and poor healthcare delivery among others also influence voter choices at the poll. He noted that there are constituency-specific problems that take precedence over national issues in influencing voter choices at the constituency level.
Electoral Demarcation
Regarding whether the Kpone Katamanso constituency should be divided into two constituencies due to its dense population, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante noted that population will not matter if resources are carefully allotted for the constituency’s development.
He also indicated that the Electoral Commission (EC) will decide to divide the constituency into two if it deems it fit to do so after careful consideration, emphasizing that the constituency suggesting for the division to be done does not warrant a demarcation.
“Voter apathy a born out of frustration, disenchantment, and the rest of them so if you want to cure this, you need to do what the people are asking you to do. If they want roads to be fixed in their area, do that and there will not be apathy. What is the purpose of me going to cue to vote for somebody who will not serve my interest? If my interest is served then I have the renewed energy to renew your mandate”.
Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante
Accordingly, Dr. Asah-Asante advised political parties to deliver on their promises to the people to motivate them to exercise their franchise, stating that political parties must be truthful to the people about the real state of affairs.
“Sometimes they deceive them into believing that we are doing ‘A’ meanwhile nothing is being done. The language of the politician, ‘everything is in the pipeline’”. Dr. Asah-Asante noted.
He argued that the essence of governance is to ensure that the livelihood of the citizens is catered for, asserting that if the standard of living of a people does not reflect what the government should be providing, it is only practical to “throw the government away”.
Conclusively, Dr. Asah-Asante argued that deception and manipulation do not work in the political sphere. He advised politicians to be honest in their conduct of politics which will yield them positive outcomes.
READ ALSO: Ghana’s Economic Outlook, Improvements And Challenges Ahead
