Opinions of Wednesday, 12 July 2023

Columnist: Joel Savage

What factors do Ghanaians base their selection of presidential candidates on?

Female porters at a marketplace Female porters at a marketplace

This article presents a correlation and regression analysis of the influence of the most likely factors that determine the choice of a candidate for president since Ghana has abundant resources, yet, progress has stalled due to tribalism and the election of corrupt politicians who are more concerned with building
their fortunes while in office, which can be done through election rigging, widespread corruption, and the influencing of voters with money.

First, despite having abundant resources of gold, diamonds, manganese, bauxite, oil, and exportable agricultural goods, Ghana as a country has several issues. It is not overstated to say that Ghanaians have frequently called for a change of government since the country's independence because they are frequently deceived by tribal leaders and some of them think the great Ashanti nation encompasses all of Ghana, unfortunately, this mindset is to blame for the country's demise and under-development.

Why do Ghanaians waste their votes on a political party that doesn’t matter? You are aware of the political parties in Ghana as a citizen, and even if you are illiterate, you may have enough knowledge to compare the economies under each political party, the rates of crime and unemployment, and the national debt, as well as analyze each party's performance in the country. Yet, many Ghanaians don’t consider these critical issues to liberate themselves from poverty.

Politicians have always desired power, and they will continue to do so even after they have failed the public and done poorly. Because of this, most of them engage in illegal money-influencing tactics to sway voters. Unfortunately, presidential elections in many African nations, including Ghana, have never
been free and fair because high court judges and the electoral commission have consistently supported the ruling party, regardless of whether the populace wants them or not or whether they are corrupt.

Candidate for the post of president of the country: what criteria should be used to select candidates? The first requirement for running for president is that the candidate be physically well, a person with a high level of education and intellectual development who is intelligent, wise, and capable of exercising
judgment when faced with difficult choices. Most significantly, all of its choices should be made to better the life of the common people, Ghanaian citizens. Do these apply to Ghanaian politics today?

We must be honest and say that the NPP government has let the people down.
Politicians should consistently and unavoidably forgo a portion of their salaries when necessary to assist the needy and stand on an equal footing with their constituents, not this government. It is more like a professional who creates several taxes without giving the poor masses any jobs while pursuing the
International Monetary Fund for a small amount of money. This government has destroyed all enterprises in Ghana, including domestic and foreign investments.

The money from the ports alone can create jobs and develop the country if this administration has intelligent and effective politicians. The National Identification Authority prints out foreigners or non- citizens cards at $120; with only a one-year expiration date. This fraud alone is potent enough to deter
or keep away potential investors from the nation. Sadly, the corrupt judges are making the problem worse as everything about the administration in this country continues to deteriorate.

Unchecked authority corrupts everyone; this is essentially a law of nature. If Ghanaians don't make sure the president does the right thing, everyone inevitably ends up as his captives. Ghanaians must therefore make sure that no presidential candidate has a criminal record for committing significant crimes that are punishable by law or crimes that are connected to extremely serious ones.

The public has the right to oppose that one if the legal system is corrupt and would fail to prosecute a political criminal. I think it appears to the majority of Ghanaians that anything that glitters is gold, since I've experienced
better life and politics, I can tell metal from gold with ease. The intelligent ones among Ghanaians should avoid voting for any politician who wants to be a president in this government. What gives you the impression that they can be better presidents, when Mahamudu Bawumia, Alan Kyerematen, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, etc, are all components of this destructive abysmal government?

Are we not in Ghana, when the vice president, the composer of the hit “Kayayee are suffering,” who calls himself an economist, together with the president, Akufo Addo, and the governor of the Central Bank of Ghana, issued money three times without the approval of parliament to further agitate an already unstable economy? God endowed everyone with intelligence, therefore if you don't have any; please make every effort to acquire it to come up with better solutions for your life.