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Workshop on public funding of political parties
ends
Accra, 13, Sept. Ghanadot/GNA - Professor
Kofi Kumado, Director, Legon Centre of International Affairs
(LECIA) on Thursday urged political parties to eliminate
acrimony and friction in their activities for the benefit of
the nation.
He said; “All the things done today by political parties are
in the interest of Ghanaians, the main beneficiaries.”
Prof. was speaking at a workshop organized by the Institute
of Economic Affairs (IEA), Ghana under the Ghana Political
Parties Programme (GPPP) to discuss the Draft Bill on the
Public Funding of Political Parties.
He said the bill would not only benefit political parties
but every Ghanaian, since it was the democratic process that
needed support.
He said the Draft Bill sought to establish a fund to assist
political parties and to provide for the management of the
fund.
“The main objective of the fund is to provide public finance
to assist Political Parties in carrying out their functions
under the constitution”, he said.
The first workshop was held in Kumasi this month for the
Northern Sector of the country comprising Upper West, Upper
East, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions to create a platform
for stakeholders to air their views and also make inputs to
the Draft Bill on Public Funding of Political Parties.
The Southern Sector of the country comprised Greater Accra,
Central, Western, Volta and Eastern Regions whose
participants were drawn from all the political parties to
contribute to the Draft Bill.
Mr. Ben Brown, Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP) said the public should disabuse their
minds on the notion that the NPP party did not have problems
with funding because the party was in power.
“Seeking financial support is not easy so the party is in
full support of the Draft Bill to ensure success”, he said.
Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Chairman of the National Democratic Party
(NDC) said it was important that Government took the issue
of public funding of political parties seriously.
Dr. Edmond Delle, Chairman of the Convention People’s Party
(CPP) said unity in diversity was important in
nation-building.
“But in Ghana when we talk about multi-party democracy, what
do we see, only two parties thus the NDC and NPP, how can we
survive”, he said.
He said materials were needed to help sustain the smaller
parties.
“Each party needs minimum funding and it would not mean our
survival is only on the support from the public funding but
just a supplementary fund,” he said.
Alhaji Ramadan, Vice-Chairman of the People’s National
Congress (PNC) said any party that lacked continuous funding
would only fail to contribute to a multi party democracy and
would die eventually.
Mr Kwesi Keli-Delata, Research Assistant to Prof. Kumado who
drafted the Bill said the political parties, civil society
organizations, CHRAJ and members of the general public.
GNA
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