UG Head Of Psychology Condemns Vote Buying By Party Aspirants

Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Joseph Osafo has condemned the behaviour of Parliamentary aspirants inducing electorates with money in order to go to Parliament.

Prof. Joseph Osafo was commenting on the just-ended NPP primaries which saw some high and mighty personalities in the party lose their Parliamentary seats to new aspirants who will contest the national Parliamentary elections on the ticket of the NPP.

The primaries were reportedly characterized by vote buying where some candidates distributed monies, TV sets and other items to convince the party delegates to vote for them.

Just as the NPP former General Secretary Lawyer Kawdwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly called Sir John once said ''fear delegates''; some of the aspirants experienced an overwhelming defeat despite the delegates gladly receiving their monies and items.

An aspirant, Eric Amankwa Blay, had given GHC 200 and GHC 300 to each delegate of his constituency and further distributed 250 bicycles to the delegates and party executives but this however didn't translate into votes for him.

He has therefore gone back for all the 250 bicycles following his defeat.

Addressing these issues on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', the UG Head of Psychology called for ''demonetization'' of the country's politics and advised party delegates and all Ghanaian electorates to desist from having their votes bought by political aspirants.

According to him, the money in politics is disturbing and fuels corruption in the nation.

"There's the delegate psychology. The delegates, themselves, are playing a lot of tricks on Parliamentarians. That's what is happening now . . . I've seen it appears that there will come a time that you'll come to us for votes, so there is a flow of power and its exchange . . . The behaviour of Parliamentarians has shaped a certain thinking pattern in the delegates.

"As long as we have monetized the exchange, it will continue. It's 'give me money, let me give you power'. It will continue every year or every four years...What we need is the demonetization," 
he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.

Prof. Osafo also noted that this subculture in Ghana's politics is creating a huge burden for people who desire to go to Parliament as some people will have to spend their penny on electorates before they win elections.

"The question we have to ask the aspirants is where do they get the money from? If it's their own money, just imagine the savings they'll have to make to deny themselves, to deny their families, to deny their loved ones; all in a bid of going into elections. That this is a do or die affair . . . So, they will spend all their money on this. There are others who genuinely will spend their money and get support from their loved ones and those who want them to win that we have given you money, go into it. But those who don't have it, where would they get the money from?" 
he questioned.