Why are politicians shooting themselves in the foot? — Staalduinen
The Executive Director of the European Business Organisation-Ghana, Mr Nico van Staalduinen, has wondered why Ghanaian politicians keep shooting themselves in the foot by using foul language on air and creating panic among investors.
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“Language which sometimes does not fit in a street fight is used by politicians on air, creating months of fear during elections, and when they win power, the Ghana Investment Promotions Centre (GIPC) has to spend time to work to gain the confidence of investors.
“Why are they shooting themselves in the foot by that?” Mr Stalduinen wondered at a Business Integrity Forum (BIF) in Accra on the theme, “Elections 2016: Impact on Businesses, Role of Private Sector.”
Concerns
“Investors in the European Union, Canada and the United States (US) find it strange when they hear politicians expressing themselves in that manner. Where they come from, the business environment is safe and they have their businesses insured,” Mr Stalduinen told the forum.
He explained that when politicians took a swipe at one another and made damning claims against their opponents, it raised serious concerns among investors, particularly, those coming from predictable business environments.
That made them uncomfortable investing in the country, with most holding onto their funds and adopting a “wait and see,” approach in election years, he added
He said there had to be a point at which politicians stopped, reflected and realised the harm they were causing to the country to end the abuse and attendant panic among investors.
Businesses for peace
Corroborating some submissions of Mr Stalduinen, a Principal Investment Promotion Officer of the GIPC, Mrs Evelyn Nyarko, said during election periods there was an influx of inquiries, with most investors making enquiries about the business environment rather than registering, although some registered.
Mr Stalduinen emphasised the fact that although some investors might register, they delayed investments until they were sure of the safety of the business environment.
In her presentation, Mrs Nyarko highlighted corporate initiatives in Kenya and South Africa for peace in their general election.
She said some telecommunication companies donated airtime for the communication of relevant peaceful information.
Zero tolerance
The Head of Legal at Vodafone, Mr Theodore Albight, for his part, said Vodafone, which was registered on prominent stock markets such as the United Kingdom Stock Exchange, had a zero tolerance for funding political activities in any country of operation.
He said the company had neither funded any political party in the country nor given a bribe to any political party to facilitate business.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Mark Badu Aboagye, underscored the need for the private sector to commit to peace at any cost, since where there was no peace, commerce was non-existent.
He said the chamber was engaging with the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) on the responsibility of its members in ensuring a safe political environment for secure businesses.
Push for peace
A member of the Electoral Commission(EC), Mrs Rebecca Kabukie Adjalo, gave the assurance that the EC was striving for an incidence-free election, including focusing on flash points to ensure that there was no eruption of violence.
She urged the media to seek clarification of all information with the commission to forestall violence.
A senior research fellow with the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Mr Kwesi Jonah, said with tension bedevilling each stage of the electoral process, there was a fundamental error with the democratic system which had to be cured.
He challenged citizens to push politicians to ensure peace.
Issues
The Chairman of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Chief Executive of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), Nana Osei Bonsu, in welcoming participants, highlighted the necessity of the forum, while the Chairman for the forum, who is the Senior Partner, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah, Mr Kojo Bentsi, said another forum was needed to discuss issues such as the prohibition of foreign donation in politics, public funding of politics and the funding of political parties generally.
The BIF, organised by the GACC and multi-national and national companies, as well as some state regulatory bodies, provides the community and space for the sharing of good corporate practices in the promotion of transparent and accountable business practices.
