The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has raised concerns over the increasing focus of political parties on campaign songs and promises, rather than communicating meaningful policies ahead of the 2024 elections.
He noted that this shift in priorities is detrimental to the quality of democratic discourse in the country.
Speaking at a public lecture on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to mark the first anniversary of the late Anthony Akoto Ampaw, Braimah pointed out that the political landscape has become dominated by noise rather than substantive discussions on critical national issues.
He emphasised that this trend undermines the ability of voters to make informed decisions based on policies.
Braimah further noted that important topics like illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, have been sidelined by politicians out of fear of losing electoral support.
He described this avoidance as a troubling development, as it reflects a lack of political will to address pressing challenges.
He concluded by urging political leaders to prioritise policy discussions and engage the electorate on issues that directly impact the nation’s future, rather than relying solely on catchy campaign tactics.
“It’s indeed a problematic situation where, if you listen to the campaign now, perhaps you’ll hear more sounds and more music than policies that are being put out.”
“Indeed, if you take the biggest problem of galamsey which is destroying our environment and our future, both parties are shying away from touching on it.”
“I have friends from both sides who say, what can three months do? We’re left with just three months, you know. How can they destroy the whole thing? After three months after the election, we’ll make sure everything is restored. Do you know there are close to 2 million people involved in galamsey? I should say it and lose the votes,” he stated.
