General News of Monday, 24 June 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana will continue to suffer if vote-buying is not banned - Archbishop Adonteng Boateng

Archbishop Adonteng Boateng play videoArchbishop Adonteng Boateng

Ghanaian-American theologian and philanthropist, Archbishop Kofi Adonteng Boateng, has urged Ghanaians to avoid accepting money from political candidates in exchange for votes.

He asserted that the nation's challenges, including economic difficulties and power outages (dumsor), will persist if leaders are not elected through fair means.

He illustrated a scenario where a politician who spends a large sum of money to secure votes during elections would likely recoup that investment by inflating project budgets once in power.

The pastor called for a law that bars vote-buying to be enacted to overcome the menace.

"People should not accept money from politicians to vote; otherwise, Ghana will never thrive, and 'dumsor' will continue. If I aim to become president and distribute about $500 billion, once in office, I must recover that money. For instance, if there's a road construction budget, I would divide it by six, keep five parts, and allocate one part to the actual project.

"And then we will remain in a state of hardship. The nation should enact a law that prohibits vote-buying during elections. When vote-buying occurs, it corrupts the election. Therefore, citizens should heed the messages of political candidates and vote conscientiously," Archbishop Adonteng stated in Twi in an interview with Zionfelix.

The clergyman's comments were in reference to the pending 2024 elections and their potential impact on the nation, depending on the electoral outcome.

The general elections are scheduled for December 7, 2024.

Watch the video below:



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