‘No roads no vote’ and similar mantras unfortunate – CHRAJ

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has described as unfortunate and inappropriate the practice, where citizens attached conditions to their votes.

This, according to the Commission was tantamount to vote-buying and as such could create a platform for corruption and therefore must be discouraged in all terms.

It, therefore, admonished Ghanaians to rather take charge of the change they wished to see and hold their leaders accountable and ensure that they discharged their responsibilities as expected.

Mr Theophilus Tetteh Tuwor, Central Regional Director of CHRAJ who said this an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, explained that citizens were by law entitled to basic social amenities that did not need to be provided on conditions.

“The sad thing is that citizens in this Country rise and demand accountability from their leaders only during the election.

Mr Tuwor noted that politicians also took undue advantage of the situation to sleep on their numerous campaign promises and only come to initiate developmental projects in election years only to abandon it after winning.

“Because of such practices, politicians are sleeping on their responsibilities even though they know what they were supposed to do. They relax waiting to initiate infrastructural projects in election years in anticipation to win the votes of their people”, he lamented.

“It is time the society takes charge of the change they want to see and not wait till it is elections”, he stressed.

He called on the Electoral Commission to implement guidelines to serve as checks on vote-buying and selling and be bold enough to mete out sanctions or punishment in order to serve as a deterrent.