"The Moneycracy Must Stop": GII Proposes Bill To Regulate Campaign Financing
- The Ghana Integrity Initiative has announced plans to propose a bill that will regulate campaign financing in Ghana
- According to her, unchecked campaign financing is what has fuelled electoral malpractices like vote buying, which erode Ghana's democracy
- She has urged the government to collaborate with the GII to ensure that the law, when introduced, will be passed
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) intends to propose legislation regulating campaign financing.
According to the GII, their resolve to do this is in response to Ghana's increasing monetisation of politics, which fuels vote buying during elections and the government's disregard for tackling the menace.
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Analysts have expressed grave worry that if the phenomenon is not stopped, a few influential people could monopolise the state's power through political party financing and erode the country's democracy.
Taking the initiative, Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Secretary of the GII, says the GII has taken it upon itself to propose the legislation to curb electoral malpractice, particularly now that the country is headed for another general election.
She said addressing this problem timeously could save the country from sinking further into corruption.
She urged the government to collaborate with the GII to end electoral corruption once and for all.
She shared her proposal at the 14th Commonwealth Conference for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa in Accra on Wednesday, May 8.
She noted that regulating campaign financing would make it less costly for candidates and prevent them from seeking funds from dubious sources.
She also urged the government to implement a more transparent and comprehensive asset declaration regime.
Osafo-Maafo calls for overhaul of asset declaration law
Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo recently called for overhauling Ghana's current asset declaration law.
According to him, the status quo, in which public officials are only required to declare their assets to the auditor-general, lacks transparency and undermines accountability.
According to him, the status quo, in which public officials are only required to declare their assets to the auditor-general, lacks transparency and undermines accountability.
He added that it also prevented people from challenging the authenticity of the declaration.
Mahama to enforce asset declaration laws
YEN.com.gh reported that John Dramani Mahama, former president and flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has declared that his government will enforce Ghana's asset declaration laws if he is voted into power.
Per the current laws, the to-be-public official must fill out the Asset Declaration Form from the AuditorGeneral's department and seal it in a secret envelope.
The envelope should not be opened unless a corruption investigation is conducted against the official and a court or equal constitutional body orders the same.
On January 5, 2020, at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana's final session of their three-day 88th Annual National Convention in Gomoa Pomadze in the Central Region, Mahama said he would ensure that those sealed documents were published.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
