The practice, which he described as a “National Sickness,” he said, should not be allowed to fester during this year’s election.

“There is growing mistrust for the political class and it is all arising out of what we tell the citizenry about ourselves. When our claim is that the political office holder is a thief because he is holding a political office, the next time I hold political office, I will be deemed a thief and you cannot begrudge the person for doing that. Politics is not a bad profession. Politics is not dirty.

Some dirty persons give politics a dirty name. Let us play clean and safe. Let us make a difference,” he stated.

Ceremony

He made the call when he delivered the keynote address at the West Africa International Press Ltd (WAI) national dialogue on Ghana’s 2020 election and Distinct Heroes Awards ceremony held in Accra last Thursday.

Mr Bomfeh Jnr also charged politicians not to be driven only by the quest for political power but rather have a deep sense of responsibility to the nation.

“There is an unrestrained penchant for power and position among political office holders without paying attention to the responsibilities that are supposed to accompany the offices they seek to occupy. We clamour for power and position and after winning, what else? If winning becomes an end, then we are lost. Running after positions should be a means to the greater end of being there for others and society,” he noted.

Biometric verification

In order to allay the fears of Ghanaians and deliver a free, fair and transparent elections, Mr Bomfeh Jnr said there was the need for the Electoral Commission (EC) to look at the challenges of using biometric technology.

The use of biometric technology, according to him, was not a panacea for electoral malpractices.

“Biometrics may confirm identity but not the eligibility of the person to vote. Biometrics cannot stop all forms of manipulations such as stealing biometric machines, fighting over ballot papers, preventing voters to come out and vote. There are failure rates that come with the use of technology and we need to be careful that the failure rates of the technology we are going to use are minimal and do not undermine the very reason that we introduced biometrics,” he said.

Awards

Seven companies and three individuals were awarded certificates and plaques for their contribution to the economic development of the country. They include Kofikrom Pharmacy, K. Badu Agrochemicals Company Ltd, St Thomas Eye Hospital and Kiteco Ghana Limited.

The Chief Executive Officer of Mayfair Estates Limited, Mr John Watson Otumfuo, was crowned the West Africa International Press (WAI) Man of the Year for his tremendous contribution to the real estate industry.

Call

The President of WAI, Dr Dee Otibu Asare called on Ghanaians to be patriotic and commit themselves to promoting the well-being of the country, saying “Ghana is all we have.”