Central Region is not moved by ‘son or daughter of the soil’ mantra; they look at economy, corruption, others – Asah-Asante

Voters in the Central Region will not cast their ballot for a person simply because the candidate hails from the region, a political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante has said. 

Dr Asah-Asante stated that they look at factors that others also focus on such as the economy, unemployment, corruption, and infrastructural development.

Speaking on the outdooring of Professor Jane Naana Opku Agyemang who hails from the central region as running mate to the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama for the 2024 General elections, Dr Asah-Aante said on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 Wednesday April 24 that “If you look at the central region, their voting psychology is very interesting.

They look at a lot of things and weigh them carefully, they are not moved by factors such as son of the soil or daughter of the soil, they are not moved by how some of the things people churn out so as to win votes, no.

“They reflect on a lot of things and when they decide it is massive.

“They take into account all the things that people take into account at the national level, the economy, the infrastructural development, the fight against corruption, unemployment, health, education, and the rest of them, in recent times, energy, they also look at regional and consistency specific issues, things that bother them in the region, they always gravitate twats that and then show you if you are capable of holding them they give you their votes, if not they throw you away.”

NDC outdoors Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang: Voting in Central Region is critical because it’s a swing region and residents consider lots of things before giving their mandate.

Kwame Asah-Asante, Political Scientist

— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana)

He also advised the National Democratic Congres (NDC) to demonstrate that they are persons who have the vision, the tenacity of purpose, and what it takes to run the affairs of the country if they are given the opportunity.

This, in his view, should be one of the strategies of the main opposition party ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Also, he said, they should be providing workable solutions to the challenges facing the people.

He says that the party must ensure that its policy proposals resonate with the grassroots because power emanates from the people.

He said “The strategy is that you want the women to speak more, you want to let the public engage with the woman, you want the women not to also deviate from the general strategy that you are carrying along and you want to showcase both candidates very well for them to articulate clearly their policies and programmes to go down to the grassroots.

“Remember that power emanates from the grassroots, share in their pain, share in their problem, and be ready to offer solution that is workable, that is easy to understand and that can resonate with the people.

Be honest when they have something to talk to you about your past, issue of arrogance must be eschewed from your way of life, you must be forthright with information, and above all, you must be persons who have the vision, the tenacity of purpose and you have what it takes to run the affairs of the country when given the opportunity.”

NDC outdoors Prof.

Naana Opoku-Agyemang: Be honest when they talk to you; the issue of arrogance must be eschewed.

What is that?” She said.

She added “Let no one tell us that the culture of silence has become the norm, let no one tell us that eight persons were shot in cold blood because they had gone to exercise their civic responsibility of voting, and that it was all right for a member of parliament to call them criminals; or that it is okay for SALL to have no representative in parliament for four years under a democracy because someone whimsically decided hours to the elections that they could not vote for a parliamentary candidate.

And please don’t tell us that the Bank of Ghana, rather than defending itself from accusations of breach of procedure, can choose to label those who raised the matter publicly as hooligans who should have followed procedure.

“And at the time of accounting to the people, let no one pretend that they have more human rights than those they have consciously disenfranchised and those to whom justice has been shamefully denied.

“When those otherwise loud voices we assumed spoke for the voiceless have gone into self-imposed silence, and deafness and blindness, should we honestly be surprised at the high levels of cynicism if not downright mistrust of leaders?