Money in Ghanaian Politics: Current controversy within NPP

I hereby contribute to this discussion because the exorbitant fee being demanded by the Party is unreasonable and can negatively impact the NPP and democratic development of the nation. This unnecessary controversy relates to the demand made publicly on each presidential aspirant to pay a ‘Developmental Fee’ of GHS 4 million apart from the nomination form payout of GHS 100,000 and filing fee of GHS 500,000.

We should not forget that this is a ‘public issue’ and concerns every Ghanaian. Under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Political parties, in their internal management and activities, must abide by ‘democratic principles’. The constitution also prohibits any discrimination against anyone in public affairs. Article 17(1) and (2) say:

(1) All persons shall be equal before the law.

(2) A person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, origin, creed, or social or economic status.

Article 55 (5) says: The internal organisation of a political party shall conform to democratic principles, and its actions and purposes shall not contravene or be inconsistent with this constitution or any other law.

Indeed, any Ghanaian (including anyone who does not belong to a particular party) can file a suit in the Supreme Court as a public interest suit, to determine whether a registered political party in Ghana is involved in an act which is ‘undemocratic’ or offends the principles of good governance as expounded under the constitution.

The exorbitant fee being demanded from the intended flagbearers is a suicidal pathway and must be avoided as a bubonic plague. I must express my own view that an ELECTION is not an AUCTION. The political party cannot be FOR SALE. Monecracy is NOT Democracy, and a political party must not be seen to be pursuing that pathway.

The history and tradition of the NPP shows that its mother party - the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) - was launched in 1947 at Saltpond with a ‘Foundation Fund’ which was contributed to by all those who participated in the formation. The leaders were elected without reference to the monetary contributions.

In 1992, as a Regional Secretary of the NPP, I saw how monies were voluntarily raised through donations and fundraising events of various dimensions. Our first Flagbearer (Prof. Adu Boahen), whose national campaign team I was a part of, was not elected with any monetary consideration or qualification whatsoever. This has followed through with reasonable nomination/filing fees over the years.

The party cannot have an owner or a cabal of a few owners by dint of the money they own or have acquired. The party must be strong by itself. Otherwise, when a person is allowed to buy the party, that person will control the party according to his own whims and caprices. It will become a jingoistic malperformance of ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’. This will undermine a conceptualisation I have advocated for the NPP and Ghanaian Politics generally- ‘Party in Partnership with Government’.

Party office holders and the rank and file have complained that after elections, the party is set aside, and the few in government run the show in the interest of a few. The NDC spoke of ‘Family and Friends of the President’ and the NPP has complained the same! We all know what I am talking about. There is a need to give the Party reasonable and considerable autonomy and not drive it into the hands of deep-pocketed men/women.

In the above connection, we should revisit fundraising strategies that detach money-raising on the whole from the candidacy for political office. In the Twi language, we say ‘Party adwuma, y3de amansan sika na 3y3’. (Political party business is done by raising money from the multitude).

We must raise monies at once by appealing to the Elders of the Party, Trustees, Patrons, and the totality of the membership. No one man must ‘own’ any political Party in Ghana.

Indeed, political parties must work to maintain the purity of political parties in Ghana. It is not any money that can be accepted, even if offered. Due diligence is important to ensure sanity and sanctity in the body politic. We saw a man from abroad who came and bought his way to Parliament and disgraced us when he was arrested, tried, and jailed in the USA for cocaine.

Finally, one of the main challenges militating against good governance in Ghana is ‘corruption’. The creeping ‘monecracy’ in our ‘internal party democracy’ and national political contest at both the parliamentary and presidential levels, have been researched by Think Tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and others who have developed strategies to abate the ‘moneycracy’ rather than fan the flames which will consume purity and honesty in our political party systems. It is a truism that political party financing plays a cardinal role today in breeding corruption in the governance and political systems. The consequences are dire, and the future is gloomy. It cannot be further condoned.