NDC Primaries: ‘Expensive’ internal elections dangerous trend – Jantuah cautions

The Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) Kwame Jantuah says the high cost of internal elections could jeopardise Ghana’s democratic norms and values if left unchecked.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has justified the GHC500, 000 filing fee for the party’s presidential primaries.

The NDC catalogued a number of reasons for the half a million Ghana cedis fee which include the current ballooning inflation figures as compared to the last four years.

The fee for picking up forms goes for GH¢30,000 while the filing fee goes for GH¢500,000.

However, the party has also announced concessions for women and persons living with disabilities who will pay 50% of all charges should they decide to pick up forms to contest.

But commenting on the development on the Weekly Review News of Starrfm with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Jantuah advised against the huge expenditure in Ghanaian body politics.

He further added that this funding fee will deter capable but poor people to grab the opportunity to compete in the presidential primaries.

“Let’s be honest, don’t let us take the people for granted, and let’s be honest. GH¢500,000 is in the pocket of a few. How many people can afford GH¢500,000? Are you trying to tell me, in the various political parties there are no better people than those candidates who want to stand? Are you trying to tell me that those candidates are the best in all the political parties? And you know some people cannot put their heads forward some people who are equally good because of such figures they won’t even put their heads out to say they are going to stand,” Mr Jantuah stated.

He continued: “It’s the system we’ve created for ourselves. We should be able to take political parties on in terms of political party funding. We’ve got to be able to do it, GH¢500,000? How many people in the NDC can afford GH¢500,000? The fact that you want to be president doesn’t mean that you should show that you can raise GH¢500,000.”