Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, has criticized politicians for making democracy expensive and relying on monetary inducements to secure votes.
He argued that such practices undermine the very essence of democracy and hinder the development of genuine leadership.
Speaking at an event by the Pentecost Church in December 2023, he expressed concern over the future of Ghana's political landscape and the integrity of its democracy.
"... all of us who desire to have a good name, need to serve humanity. Now, the suggestion that I'm going to offer is this: live and work for the good of people.
"Maybe I should turn here and look at the faces of my parliamentarians. You are making democracy too expensive. The monetisation of what we call democracy is dangerous.
"Soon we are not going to have good leaders because you will need people who have cash, and it doesn't matter where they got the cash from,” he said.
He questioned the ethical implications of such actions, suggesting that they constitute a form of deception that preys on the vulnerabilities of the poor.
"This thing is dangerous. If we think that we cannot follow this American democracy, please let us stop it. Let us design something that would help this nation. It is dangerous, and I'm even afraid of the future; I'm afraid of the future," the Pentecost chairman fumed.
"How can you deceive people just by buying a cutlass for them, and you pride yourself on it? What a shame. I pray that God will save this land. God will save this land because many of us are poor, and instead of investing in them, you deceive them with lanterns and cutlasses. May God have mercy on us.
“You see when you do this the day that you are no longer the constituency leader, nobody cares about you,” he added.
Watch a video of the pastor's remarks below (from 19:00):
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