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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus leader in Parliament, Dr Casiel Ato Forson, has asserted that the re-election of the Assin North Member of Parliament was a wake-up call for politicians to re-examine the monetization of elections in the country.
According to the Ajumako Enyan Essiam Constituency representative, his party’s victory in the just-ended by-election in Assin North Constituency signals a change in the perception of voters.
The MP believes the constituents voted for James Gyakye Quayson based on “conscience” but not through mere inducements as was rife, which typified the change.
It would be recalled that Mr Quayson was earlier injuncted from holding office and his seat was subsequently declared vacant according to the directive of the Supreme Court to pave the way for a by-election.
This was due to some criminal charges that were slapped on him among which was false statements to the passport office that he had no other passport at the time of applying for the Ghanaian passport, therefore rendering him incapable of contesting in the Assin North Constituency elections in 2020.
Now qualified to contest and having done so in the just-ended election, Mr Quayson won again polling 17,245 votes representing 57.56 per cent.
The by-election was characterized by the trading of accusations that the two major parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC, were involved in vote-buying as has been the case in previous elections although the parties have denied same.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at the ceremony to swear in the re-elected MP, Dr Ato Forson said the constituents and the general public were convinced that no monetary inducements or words were going to influence their choices of candidates going forward.
“The people of Assin North have sent a clear message to all politicians and the government of the day in particular that they cannot be hovering by sharing of money or intimidated by threats.
“It is the same message that Ghanaians are sending to all of us, that in the year 2024, they will exercise their franchise based on their conscience and no amount of tricks or threats will sway them from voting out the administration we are witnessing,” the minority leader asserted.
According to the MP, it was time the politicians revised their vote-buying tactics and rather take pragmatic steps to restore the country’s economy to the path of growth and development.
“Ghanaians are really appalled by the abysmal mismanagement poor governance and increasing corruption leading to unprecedented economic hardship being experienced by the people of Ghana.
“Mr Speaker the time has come for us as politicians, and rightly so, the political class, to have a rethink about the worsening monetization of our elections and its negative impact on our democracy,” he added.
