Col Festus Aboagye (retired), a former security analyst, asserts that Ghana‘s democratic integrity was compromised on January 7, 2021, when a Member of Parliament, Carlos Ahenkorah, chewed ballot papers in Parliament.
Ahenkorah, the MP for Tema West, became infamous for his actions during the parliamentary election of a new Speaker, where he forcibly took and destroyed some of the ballots.
Despite the intervention of other MPs and marshals to prevent him from further disrupting the process, the incident was met with a lack of substantial consequences for Ahenkorah.
In a recent discussion on the ‘Yen Man Ghana’ political show on Angel TV, Aboagye criticized the absence of punishment for Ahenkorah, suggesting it signaled a deeper problem within Ghana’s democratic system.
He argued that allowing such behavior without repercussions undermines democratic practices and reflects poorly on the nation’s governance.
Aboagye emphasized that true democratic principles would have demanded the immediate removal of Ahenkorah from Parliament following his actions.
He believes that the failure to address the situation adequately highlights broader issues within Ghana’s democratic framework, beyond just the periodic elections.
“Look, someone who called himself a honourable Member of Parliament bolted away and chewed ballot papers in parliament in an attempt to spoil a voting process; as that a democratic practice or undemocratic practice?
“If it was indeed a democracy, that MP shouldn’t have continued staying at the Parliament,” he said on the August 16, 2024 edition of the‘Yen Man Ghana’ political show on Angel TV.
He added: “So if you take a critical look at all these happenings literally beyond going to the polls every four years, then you will understand that our democracy is faulty,” the former military officer stated.