Parliamentarian discredits UG report

A Deputy Majority Whip in Parliament has discredited the joint survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (UG) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The survey noted that about 49.5 percent of eligible voters across the country will not vote to retain their Members of Parliament (MPs) if the 2020 elections were held today.

But Matthew Nyindam, who is also the MP for Kpandai Constituency in the Northern Region, says the dynamics in political parties and elections change so the researchers cannot use the current trend to determine the 2020 election.

The survey presented by the Lead Researcher, Dr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, said it used a total of 27,500 respondents –14,712 males and 12,788 females – to arrive at the decision.

Reacting to the survey on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa hosted by Bright Kwasi Asempa on Tuesday, Mr. Nyindam said: “I disagree with them on that sampling because they used five electoral areas in each constituency for the survey”.

“If you pick just five electoral areas in a constituency, it does not represent the entire constituency,” he stressed.

He added: “Before an election, political parties change. The dynamics of elections change. People can use few months to win elections”.

The Deputy Majority Whip explained that the respondents said some MPs have not been to their constituencies after being voted for “and that is inaccurate”.

“Some constituencies are very large. Others are small and the smaller constituencies get to know the MP is in town the moment he arrives,” he explained.

Constitution faulty?

The MP faulted the kind of governance system in Ghana, saying it puts pressure on MPs to deliver.

“The campaigns we run are also problematic because we are not to develop areas.

“We are law makers, but professors in these constituencies can tell the constituents to vote against the MP because he is not doing your roads. He is a professor. He is a doctor and he has the knowledge so the people would listen to him so the MP must also counter with a promise.”

Campaign for President

Mr. Nyindam noted that every potential MP would campaign for every potential president because it is the president who when elected, would embark on developmental projects.

“We speak for President Akufo-Addo. We don’t speak for ourselves. Every potential MP can base on the potential president and campaign.

“We are practising presidential system of governance where most of the laws emanate from the presidency and that is what the constitution says so we don’t get the time to send it to our constituents before it can be brought back to Parliament for passage.”

Challenge

Mr. Nyindam charged the MPs to take the survey in good faith and work towards it since there is still more time ahead before the next elections.

“It is a wake-up call to everybody. Everybody must take up the challenge. I am very happy elections are not being held today. So there is more room for improvement.”