Don't sell your votes to politicians - GII

Mrs Mary Awelana Addah, Programmes Manager of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has advised electorates to avoid selling their votes to politicians in a run-up to the November 7 general election.

She said electorate could vote on merit in the general election if they vehemently reject gifts and monies from politicians that would coerce them to make uninformed choice.

Mrs Addah gave the advice at a stakeholder’s dialogue on the Open Governance Partnership (OGP) Initiative in Sunyani, attended by representatives of municipal and district assemblies and civil society organizations.

She said Ghanaians should demand accountability from politicians, duty bearers, policy makers and help reduce corrupt practices by refusing bribes and gifts from those people.

Mrs Addah emphasized that the national fight against corruption could be effective if the menace was tackled from all angles.

She said GII, a local chapter of the Transparency International, was not a “witch hunter” but rather a partner in development working to create a better society where institutions could function effectively.

The open governance initiative required innovations and technology that would give opportunity to citizens to contribute meaningfully in decision making processes, she said, expressing regret that systems at some state and public institution set up to support the fight against corruption were very weak and under-resourced.