United Party (UP) Director of Communications Solomon Owusu has argued that the high cost of political campaigns creates opportunities for corruption, warning that politicians who depend on wealthy financiers may struggle to hold those same people accountable when they assume public office.
Owusu said political parties that accept money from individuals involved in questionable activities risk compromising their ability to tackle corruption and illegal mining.
Speaking on Joy News, he explained that people who finance political activities may expect favours from politicians when their parties eventually win power.
He used the example of a businessman involved in illegal mining who contributes money to a political campaign, questioning how a politician who benefited from such funding could later have the moral authority to demand that the person stop.
“If I bring you money, I am not Father Christmas. Remember, I would have probably also taken it through finance. I’m doing galamsey and you are taking money from me. In the event that you become the ruling government of the day and you come and see what I’m doing, what moral authority would you have to say I should stop galamsey?” he asked.
Owusu maintained that the relationship between political financiers and candidates was one of the reasons Ghana continued to struggle with corruption and illegal mining.
“That is why we are unable to deal with galamsey, because the people that are financing our political activities are those that are engaging in these activities. And so we must first of all not encourage it,” he said.
He also criticised the practice of providing food and other benefits to party delegates during internal elections, arguing that candidates should not have to spend money to win the support of party members.
Owusu said the UP wanted to build a political culture in which candidates won elections through their credibility, ideas and messages rather than financial inducements.
“We will win an election clean so that we will govern with open arms. We govern with that conscience and save this country,” he stated.
He added that the party believed elections should be contests of ideas, not competitions in which aspirants were expected to spend heavily to secure political positions.
