Manifestoes have not outlived their usefulness – Political science lecturer

A senior lecturer at the History and Political Science Department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Kwasi Amakye-Boateng, has maintained that manifestoes are still relevant in the political and electoral process of Ghana.

According to the lecturer, manifestoes have specific characteristics and roles that they play in the electoral process, thus, have not outlived their relevance.

“No political party comes to power without having in mind something unique they hope to achieve, therefore, you cannot say that manifestoes have outlived their usefulness.”

He explains that the manifesto is a vehicle for political ideas and development projects a party wishes to undertake once in government.

Nonetheless, he predicted a change in the structure and form of political manifestoes in the coming years. This, he believes, may also trigger a debate on whether the name manifesto should be maintained or changed to suit the new structure.

The political science lecturer established that the two known ways political parties get their manifestoes across to the citizenry are electronic media and pamphlets which end up generating discussions among the elites in society.

“Generally, they put their manifestoes on printed media and get electronic versions for social media. Members of the public who have the country’s development at heart would centre on the manifestoes for public discussions, while political pundits share expert opinions on the outlined issues,” he said in Twi.

He noted that, he doesn’t foresee manifestoes ‘disappearing’ from the political scene any time soon.