CDD-Ghana Makes Case For Public Funding Of Political Parties

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Mr. Gilbert Boateng Asiaman, a Research Analyst at Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has called for public funding for political parties in the country.

He called for a strict regulatory framework that would ensure the disclosure of political parties’ income and expenditure to ensure transparency and accountability in the system.

He said this in Accra at an international conference on political party financing in Ghana.

The conference is organized by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a political foundation in Germany.

Mr. Asiamah said the Institute of Economic Affairs 2008 proposed the idea for public funding of political parties, which was approved by the parties, but not debated in Parliament.

He said a survey conducted by CDD-Ghana in 2004, revealed that 53 percent of the public supported state funding for the parties while 43 percent opposed the idea.

The Research Analyst expressed concerns about the lack of clear-cut guidelines for regulating intra-party democratic standards, stating that the challenges had aggravated over the years and needed urgent attention.

He called on the Electoral Commission to be proactive and enforce the provisions, which empowered the Commission to audit the accounts of political parties’ activities, which failure could lead to the revoking of their license.
Professor Kwesi Prempeh, Executive Director, CDD-Ghana, said it was necessary for the citizens to know how the political parties were funded and who funded their activities to ensure accountability.

He stated that the character and quality of democracy often determined the nature of the party, adding that a corrupt party could not get an honest government.

The challenge of individuals or institutions funding political parties, he said, was that such entities had vested interest and could influence their policies on the winning government at the expense of the national interest.

Dr. Klaus Schuler, former Chief Executive Officer, CDU, Germany, said Germany had a regulatory law that enjoined political parties to publish accountability reports on their income and expenditure.

The reports, he stated, were verified by the State approved auditor and made public for analysis.
Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of, the National Democratic Congress, supported the call for public funding of political parties.

“We need the political parties to be strong since we have settled on multi-party democracy. Weak political party will generate weak leadership,” he said.

Mr. Peter Mac Manu, former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, though supported public funding of political parties, called for innovative ways of generating money for party activities.

He called for intensive education to reorient Ghanaians, especially party members to desist from always demanding money from the ruling party.

Mr. Hassan Ayariga, the Founder of the All People’s Party, and Mr. Joseph Osei Yeboah, an Independent Candidate in the 2016 General Election, opposed the suggestion for public funding of political activities.

Mr. Ivor Greenstreet, 2020 Presidential Candidate, Convention People’s Party, and Mrs. Brigitte Dzogbenuku, 2020 Presidential Candidate for the Progressive People Party, called for a look at the country’s political structure, especially with transparency issues to win the confidence of the people.