State Must Fund Political Parties — Senyo Hosi

A finance and economic policy analyst, Mr Senyo Hosi, has repeated calls for state funding of political parties to help deepen the country’s democracy.
He said state funding of political parties would help limit financing of political parties by individuals and interest groups that had led to a culture of corruption and favouritism in the governance system of the country.

Mr Hosi was speaking at the second edition of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School Constitutional Day Public Lecture at the university last Friday.

The lecture, organised by the UPSA Law School, in collaboration with the One Ghana Movement, was on the topic: “Avoiding the Impending Death of the 1992 Constitution.”

Mr Hosi was the speaker, with the Majority Leaders in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

The event also attracted notable personalities such as the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ms Josephine Nkrumah, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Joseph Whittal, a former Vice Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. Joshua Alabi, a former Minister of Finance, Prof. Kwesi Botchway, and the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku.

Democracy fund

Mr Hosi, who is also the CEO of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, indicated that one of the best ways to improve democracy and constitutionalism was for the country to dedicate resources to fund political parties and democracy.

“Our political parties are arrowheads of our democracy; they are drivers of the policies and decisions. They must be well resourced to competently shape the development of our country,” he said.

To ensure sustainable financing of political parties, Mr Hosi advocated the establishment of a Democracy Fund where dedicated resources would be made available.

“The funding arrangement for political parties must be accompanied with restrictions on campaign financing and must be monitored by the Electoral Commission (EC),” he added.

Also, he said, appointments to key institutions such as the EC, CHRAJ and Audit Service must be depoliticised and be more consultative and open, with the President’s nomination requiring approval of two-thirds of Members of Parliament.

1992 Constitution

The NDC MP for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine, who represented the Minority Leader, said the problem the country faced had nothing to do with the 1992 Constitution but rather the attitude and nature of leaders and the general public.

For instance, he said, the Constitution had provided for checks and balances among the three arms of government, but most times those checks and balances were ignored for political expediency.

For the Majority Leader, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the 1992 Constitution had many deficiencies which needed to be cured.
 
He said the presidential system of governance and the hybrid system of appointments of Ministers from Parliament and outside Parliament were not the best for the country.

The Dean of the UPSA Law School, Prof. Kofi Abotsi, said the topic for the lecture was chosen to evoke and stimulate conversations on the need to improve the country’s democracy.

By: graphiconline.com