People view Parliament as an investment opportunity – Asiedu Nketia
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed agreement with mounting worries on the deterioration of representation standards in Ghana’s Parliament. In an interview with the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, November 16, the former general secretary of the NDC acknowledged that people’s perspectives and approaches to legislative positions…
Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed agreement with mounting worries on the deterioration of representation standards in Ghana’s Parliament.
In an interview with the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, November 16, the former general secretary of the NDC acknowledged that people’s perspectives and approaches to legislative positions had clearly changed.
As to his statement, the conventional viewpoint of parliament as a forum for citizen service has given way to a more modern outlook wherein individuals regard it as an investment.
“It is true that the quality of representation has declined, and it is not just an opinion, there is one survey report which has cited what the speakers have been talking about,” stated Asiedu Nketia.
The National Chairman of the NDC highlighted the detrimental effects of the growing commercialization of politics as a significant cause in this fall.
He continued by saying that in the past, people were motivated to run for parliament by a sincere desire to help the country. The present situation, however, shows a different picture, with many increasingly considering parliamentary seats as a viable investment opportunity.
“One of the key causes has been the over-monetisation of politics, in the past people went to parliament out of the passion to serve the nation. Now people go to parliament as a means of investment…some just want a service passport to do their business.”
Asiedu Nketia emphasized the need for a return to the principles of true public service that once defined Ghana’s Parliament and advocated for a determined effort to buck this trend.
But he went on to say that it will be challenging for political parties to impose requirements that prioritize education before allowing a candidate to run for a parliamentary seat.
