Polling agents have no place in elections — Nduom (May 14, 2016)



Political party polling agents have no place in the country’s elections because they are the catalysts for the chaos and violence that characterise elections in Ghana, the 2012 Presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has said.

According to him, the system is primitive, could not be found in elections anywhere in the world and only fuels lack of confidence in the system.

“Because everybody wants to cheat, we checkmate one another with party agents,” he told students of the Accra Polytechnic at an event by the Ghana Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) in Accra on Wednesday.

He discredited the notion that a vote for his party was a wasted vote.
“A wasted vote is one that brings you dumsor, dangerous roads and unemployment, “he told the cheering students in the packed auditorium.

Referring to the fact that Ghana’s population is youthful, Dr Nduom said young people needed to make decisive decisions that would benefit their future because they had more time to live after the elections.

Dr Nduom, who is an accomplished businessman and co-owner of Groupe Nduom, urged the students to examine the track  record of people they would vote for.

“For your own sake, vote for competence and those who have practical demonstration of performance,’’ he added.

As the country continues its preparation for the election, there has been clarion call from several quarters, including the clergy, for the youth to be wary of politicians that would use them as vehicles of violence.

Dr Nduom added his voice to that call saying “resist the temptation for anyone to use you to break the law. There is life after the election.”

EC must crack whip

He also took on the Electoral Commission for failing to penalise political parties that failed to meet the requirement of their existence. “A political party does not just exist for campaigns but they exist to contribute to policy making. There are some parties that you only hear of during elections. How do they contribute to policy making?” the PPP leader asked. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Need an Auto Loan? Monday, April 2, 2012, pg 20

KOJO  wakes up at 3 a.m. everyday to avoid being caught up in the long queue at the lorry park and he wished this could be over soon. Ama is always late for work. Her excuse? Besides having to take care of her family’s needs every morning, she lives too far away from her work place and its hellish getting a car to the office. Michael has tons of bills to pay monthly, yet he is tired of boarding trotros and taxis to the office.. He has lost several important documents and even money on some occasions in the unreliable public transport. In all the above scenarios, the characters will certainly welcome their own cars; if they can afford one. But what if the costs of the cars are beyond them?  Well! That is why the banks and other financial institutions are available to help. But it is not that simple. As the demand for cars increase, some banks have developed loans mainly for the purchase of cars. So bingo! Auto loans are the answer. But who qualifies for an auto loan? Everyone who h
Read more

Spiritual healers, men of God take over billboards, Monday, September 17, 2012, pg 32

Image
SPIRITUAL healers have virtually taken over space of billboards across the country. This new trend is gradually overshadowing billboards of businesses, which used to be their preserve. From domineering larger-than-life structures through to miniature signposts, the traditional priests and priestesses, mallams and other traditional healers are competing for space with churches and the business community. Billboards advertising churches and shrines are on the increase along highways across the country, sometimes obstructing pedestrians and motorists alike. Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG) figures estimate the minimum cost of producing a billboard at GH¢3,000 while the most priced is GH¢80,000. Proof that religion is a booming business in Ghana can be found in the increasing number of signposts and billboards advertising temples, churches and shrines promising career success, wealth, status in society, good marriages and problem-free visa acquisition, as well as booming b
Read more