The Programme Manager for the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), Paul Mensah, has urged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to develop straightforward manuals explaining the legal stance on voter inducement.
Mr. Mensah emphasised the importance of the NCCE creating guides that clearly articulate what the law states regarding voter inducement.
He suggested that these materials should be translated into local languages and distributed widely to enhance public understanding.
“It’s high time the NCCE picked some of these petty things and developed simple manuals, translated them into local languages, and distributed them across the country for people to appreciate what the law says,” he stated.
He highlighted that it is essential for individuals to understand the law in order to communicate effectively and responsibly in public. “So if I am given something and I come to stand on air publicly, normalising it, I will have to be conscious of what the law says,” he remarked.
Additionally, Mr. Mensah noted the anxiety among Members of Parliament regarding voter inducement.
“In the course of politics, MPs are more worried than we are, because a survey was conducted that interviewed MPs, and they expressed concern over the intensity and increasing manner in which money is becoming part of their services and asked how they could stop it,” he added.
Through these recommendations, Mensah underscores the need for legal clarity around voter inducement, advocating for increased public awareness that could foster a healthier political environment.
Source: Bertina Ofosu
