State must not sponsor political parties — Political Scientist

A political scientist, Ransford Brobbey, has kicked against suggestions for the state to sponsor political parties.

He explained that as a developing country, “we need contested ideas on achieving the directive principles of state policies.

“This is where it becomes very necessary that political parties, as guaranteed in the 1992 Constitution, demonstrate their creativity,” he stated in an interview with the Daily Graphic.

Context

There has been an ongoing debate in the country’s democratic space as to whether the state should sponsor political parties or allow the parties to demonstrate their creativity in mobilising their members and raising funds.

The Constitution Review Committee, in its recommendations, proposed the setting up of a Democracy Fund to support political parties’ research, development of policies and capacity building.

But there is the view that such a move could create an environment for people to seek employment in political parties, which could lead to the misuse of state funds.

No funding

Mr Brobbey, who is a Research Associate at the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, said there was no need for the state to fund “these creative activities such as studying the socioeconomic situation and proferring feasible and quantifiable solutions towards economic and human development, and mobilising the electorate for legitimacy.”

He, however, said it would be in the right direction for civil society and advocacy groups to provide critical research and capacity-building training to support political parties, especially when parties’ positions on policy issues align with their principles.

“It must be acknowledged that these are non-state actors, just as the political parties,” he pointed out.

Mobilisation

Mr Brobbey stated that political parties must, therefore, be seen as a force of mobilising citizens to contribute to supporting their activities.

He said the state’s primary responsibility in the debate was to provide and enforce legal frameworks that disincentivise political capture and enhance transparency and healthy rivalry and contestations among existing political parties.

“The challenge over the decades, however, has been distinguishing the ruling party from the core government institutions,” he stated.