The past Elections in Ghana are a clear demonstration that Democracy in Africa as a whole is a matter of unfortunate corruption.
Running a Party is costly. Paying Rent for Office Space in various cities and places, paying Party Staff Members, Administration Cost, Election campaign expenditures and other related expenses in African countries is immense. When election campaigns are ongoing new 4×4 cars from outside the countries are bought while in Europe no such things happens.
It is mandated by law in Germany that every donation above Euros 5000, 00 of an individual to a Party is published as well as company donations made to make Party financing transparent for all German citizens; similar all MPs have to declare their monthly income which must be updated each 6 months and is visible on the internet with Deutscher Bundestag, the Federal Parliament in Berlin. Any violation of this rule leads to Media alarm and possibly punishment of the MP with threat of him being replaced.
In Ghana and Africa as a whole nobody cares about transparency and accountability of MPs to the good people of Ghana. MPs take money from the State during election period and other sources without Ghana to know about the true picture of “ghost” influence behind the scene, the real power governing a country (e.g. Gupta Family in South Africa).
Adolf Hitler’s Party, NSDP, was always financially indebted and never in the majority of votes, yet still able to take absolute power for 12 years in Germany.
Party Member contribution in African countries to the various political parties certainly is not able to finance their expenditures in a 4 and more years period observed. Donations not known to the general public certainly ease the financial pressure on the political parties. As long as they finances are not made public and accessible to all counties citizens via internet or other means, speculations replaces hard facts.
Donations in Africa from rich or middle class representatives of the population by intention and nature are not done out of humanity and genuine interest to support the best political process in Africana countries, but are attached with a word of favour.
Once the Administration is sworn into power, hands get open to welcome contracts and privileges to enhance business and make the donors rich, great and strong as in life, especially in Africa, nothing is for free.
While the White Man by nature overwhelmingly is not corrupt based on a sense for Solidarity for each other demonstrated in advanced Social Systems, unthinkable in Africa, Africans are selfish, interested only in their own personal wellbeing thinking for the now and not for generations, for that reason Parties themselves need to tap into the possibility of corruption to cover they cost involved in running their affairs.
No Politician in the world of the White Man contesting for Parliament seats or Presidency pays any filing fee to the Electoral Commission.
African Dictators, voted for through an election process or rigging Constitutions regulations to extend they time in office illegally, take extra income for themselves, their family and friends from the Nations assets and future, while in countries being proud to be seen and called “Young Democracies” do so on a broader basis and get more people involved in enjoying such extra income they would not be able to chop when having to work hard in “ordinary” jobs and businesses.
When in Europe Democracies were young, no peace walks and no peace songs were ever sang and voting processes were transparent and not in great disputes like in Africa. Therefore it is obvious that the difference in mentality makes the difference in the success stories of Nations.
Africans are hot (baked by the weather?) why Europeans are cool (influence of rain and snow?), issues are addressed not by riots and violence on the streets but via orderly structured mechanisms.
Graf Lambsdorf, former Treasurer of the F. D.P. (Liberals in Germany) was sentenced to two years suspension prison sentence as he was hiding party assets with the information of his party officials in Switzerland from the Tax Man in Germany. Other parties were warned to stop their shady practices and new rules were put into place with the assistance of the Internet.
In Africa nobody cares as sooner or later the Opposition is in power to follow the footsteps of the corrupt predecessors. This world is full of various solutions to solve such conflict interest ready to be copied, consistently ignored by African Politicians having gained their Academic Qualifications in the world of the White Man and advice by endless queues of advisors in fluxing the countries.
As long as “Young Democracies” in Africa are not carried by matured, correct and selflessly oriented minds, they will not become “Established Democracies”. Africa is consistently going up and down but not consistently, progressively – over time – going up like Europe and Asia.
Singapore as a Social Dictatorship came out of poverty after World War II to make it to a highly advanced country for all citizen to enjoy life (other Asian countries also had Dictators to discipline citizen and bring progress to their countries for outside investors to rush into their countries and invest for long time).
Why did adidas, Puma, Nike and other companies in the 1980s made the decision to move East to Asia and not South to Africa. Labour cost on both continents in those days were comparably mainly the same while the natural resources for producing goods come from Africa and not Asia. Africa ships these to Asia, Asians produce goods out of it to sell it to Europe/USA/Russia and also back to Africa. Political Systems were uncertain in those days but foreign investor saw more trust for a better future in Asians than Africans.
Investors do not look for perfect countries as there is no such thing, but they need to know that Trust can be generated over foreseeable time. They do not find this in Africa for which reason African mind is still poor and countries suffer for no reason at all if only they would be using common sense.
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