“If we continue to indulge in this culture of giving out money and demanding money as part of the electoral process, we are going to find ourselves in dangerous zones. It is almost like we’ve put our democracy out there for sale,” The Chairperson of the National Commission (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has warned.
The Chairperson of the NCCE condemned strongly, monetization in Ghanaian politics, particularly linking it to illegal mining, known in the local parlance as galamsey, which has become one of the most pressing issues threatening the country’s environment and future.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Damongo in the Savannah Region, the NCCE Chair stressed that the pursuit of political power has driven some politicians to engage in unethical practices, including using illegal mining profits to finance their campaigns.
She expressed deep concern over the growing trend in Ghana’s political landscape, adding that using money to influence voters risks undermining the democracy Ghanaians have come to love.
She emphasized that many of the funds being distributed to citizens in exchange for votes are mainly sourced from galamsey activities.
She also raised a critical concern, asking, “A lot of galamsey money is going to fund the politics…Are we saying that because of politics and because people want to lead, we not only want to destroy livelihoods for today, but livelihoods for the future?”
“Monetization has now crept into the political culture in a way that is dangerous for us as citizens, as a country, and it is a threat to the fledgling stability of our state and a threat to the country’s political dispensation,”she stressed.
Mrs Addy called on both citizens and politicians to recognize the potential long-term consequences of galamsey and the need to reject the phenomenon of monetization of politics altogether, which does not only undermine democracy but also endangers the future of the nation.
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