Editorial
Vote-buying: Hardnut to crack
Dear Editor,
Ahead of any major election, we hear political parties accusing one another of vote-buying. The just ended Assin North by-election was no exception. The National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party “played their games”, as usual, in a bid to win the contest.
Observers claim items such as matches, fertilisers, cash, among others were distributed in the run-up to the election but both parties have denied the allegations. A winner has been declared and things appear to have returned to “factory settings” until the next election crops up.
In my view, complaints over vote buying by political parties, smacks of hypocrisy and double standards considering reports about financial inducements which sometimes occur during the internal elections of the two leading political parties.
The indictment and name calling that usually happen after parties organise local or regional elections all point to how some candidates try to woo voters with money and other goodies. It is for this and other reasons, I believe the nation would have a hard time dealing with the issue of vote buying if political parties do not clear or the tidy up their own backyards.
Melvin Kwame Donkor,
Weija-Accra.
Editorial
Merits and demerits of scraping betting tax
Dear Editor,
Over the past years, a lot of concerns have been raised about the rise of sports betting companies in the country, their operations, and how it impacted negatively on the youth of the country.
I have also witnessed how some of the youth go to the extent of borrowing money from friends or use companies’ money to stake bets, which they were not guaranteed of winning.
Due to this, I was happy when the previous government introduced the betting tax, as I felt it would deter the youth from engaging in it.
However, some Ghanaians hold the view that the betting tax would help create employment.
It wasn’t surprising to see the excitement that greeted the announcement of the scrapping of the tax by the Finance Minister.
My worry now is how, as a country, the youth can be discouraged from engaging in betting.
I believe that as the betting tax has been scrapped, it is about time that the government finds ways of addressing the issue of betting among the youth as it is becoming more serious than before.
I believe that there should be a multi-stakeholder engagement between the various stakeholders to proffer solutions to address them.
Editorial
Rail crossing point at circle- Kaneshie road needs attention
Dear Editor,
I read with happiness a letter published in the previous edition about the poor state of the rail crossing stretch of the Circle-Kaneshie road.
I totally agree with the concerns raised by the writer and I wish to add my voice to the call on the authorities to quickly work on that stretch of the road.
What the writer left out was the occasional happenings when vehicles break down on the rail line. I have witnessed that before.
It is not a comfortable thing driving on it at all. It is a huge dent on the beauty the interchange was expected to bring to the area.
The traffic it creates is a major inconvenience to people who are rushing to work.
I wish to appeal to the authorities to quickly do something about that portion of the road to make it convenient for drivers. Thank you for the space.
Maxwell Amamoo,
Odorkor
