The co-founder of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah is worried about how politics and the concept of democracy in Ghana have been redefined in monetary terms.

Professor Agyemang Duah who is also a former CEO of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation says politics in Ghana now is such that people are elected not based on their competence or vision but based on their level of affluence.

Citing the recent parliamentary primaries, he expressed that the whole process was influenced by money. According to him, it can be conceived that politicians intentionally impoverish people in order to secure their votes by luring them with meagre monies as seen.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Prof. Agyeman-Duah disclosed that his reluctance to venture into politics is not because of fear of insults or criticisms with which it is associated but rather due to the disturbing trajectory of monetary influence.

“What scares me is not the insults and needless abuses by opponents and all. What scares me is the way we have redefined our politics and our democracy in monetary terms. Look at the primaries, look at the parliamentary elections that they had; it is nothing but money.

"In a way, somebody will tell you maybe the politicians have been clever to impoverish people so people enamoured by ¢200 or ¢50 to buy votes.”

“So people get elected not based on their merit or the vision that they are providing but on the basis of the money that they’re able to throw around,” he said.

His comments the former Chief Justice, Georgina Wood bemoaning how Ghana’s politics has become dirty and how people of integrity shy away from it for fear of tainting their image.

The professor also explained that the country’s democracy has become fraught with elements that are detrimental to the country’s development.

According to him, even the origin of the concept of democracy, America from whom Ghana copied is becoming challenged because they seem to veer off certain fundamentals of the concept.

He added that although there has been some light during every regime in terms of democracy, considering the “total picture, it’s been gloomy.”

"It seems to be even worse presently because people seem to have lost hope. This, he said is because presently, leaders are not living up to expectations."