Gariba Speaks: The Increasing Monetization Of SRC Elections Is Worrying.

It is worrying and disheartening to observe that sometimes we subconsciously become our own agents of underdevelopment and backwardness by virtue of our actions and inactions as a people.

Democracy is not all about money but once we make democracy, monecracy, a lot of complications results. In fact, it culminates into the making of democracy, undemocratic.

The moment a student declares an intention to run for any SRC portfolio, it is immediately presumed that the person has some of pool of reserve cash to be doled out to the university public. But most often than not student politician do not come from well to do families hence have no cash to spread, like it is assumed.

Institutions like the SRC Electoral Commission that should know better, is hell bent on sapping out the energy of candidates campaign by raising the prices of the nomination forms to rooftops. They do so without any shred of consideration of the pain and discomfort they might be causing aspirants. No empathy, no sympathy; it’s simply a dog-eat-dog affair.  The commission, it is alleged stands to take a whopping 40% of the revenue made from the sale of nomination forms. Whereas, as individuals we may benefit from the loot in the short run, we must not be oblivious of the fact that when we do things like this, it is the Students Representative Council (SRC) and student population who become the end losers in the long run.

Some blame could be put at the footsteps of aspirants. We have become so timid and desperate for the position we seek to occupy to the extent that we are afraid to speak out. We think voicing out will lead to victimization. What we don’t know is that our prolonged silence is what has led to the perpetuation of this quagmire. If we fear intimidation and victimization at this stage, what is the guarantee that we can withstand the one that will come from the almighty hand? The ability to withstand victimization in the pursuance of student interest is what makes a good student leader.

Joining the looting Bandwagon, are some hostel representatives who are very unbending in their demand for monies and bottles of drinks; something that, ninety nine times out of hundred ends up comforting only a few in the hostels.  Count the number of hostels around? If a candidate is to get around hostels spreading money like this, do you know the cost involved? Believe me, it’s almost unbearable.

A candidate who is caught up in such a ratchet now has no option than to start borrowing from different quarters just to make up for the high demand of the electioneering procedure. In case the candidate loses, we have successfully put the life of a fellow student in perpetual debt. This obviously is not a cause for celebration; we should bow our heads in shame.

And should the candidate win also, we have done a yeoman’s job in turning, probably a good soul into a monster. He will have to steal from the coffers of the council to make up for mountainous debt.

In the event that cases of corruption involving SRC executive erupt, some of us have no moral wherewithal to talk about it, because we have already sold our souls to the devil.

Sometimes thinking about this menace makes me wonder how and where we learned this attitude as students. But it’s obvious we are taking from the old and rotten traditions of our politically decadent Ghanaian society lead by the NPP and NDC. But as university students, what we should remember always, is that we are the conscience of the nation. If everything else in the country is going wayward, the onus lies on us (university students) to bring it back to its right track. But if we as students cannot dissociate ourselves and rectify the bad political morals of society and continue to monetize students elections, then I am afraid to say, Ghana has no future because even though we think we are educated, we are not fit for the responsibility that comes with developing a nation.  Every nation’s future depends on its young people; therefore, it’s fair to say that if the young people have so much been corrupted by their love for money, then the future of the country has already been corrupted.