“While many Ghanaian farmers struggle to fight poverty, the staple rice is American, water is sold through Dutch companies, telecommunications are run through the UK, and Ghanaian tomatoes fail to compete with heavily subsidied European counterparts. A vote in a national election alone is not enough to give Ghanaians a say in the processes that decide this.”
This is the motivation between the interesting initiative Give Your Vote offering UK citizens to give their vote to a citizen of Bangladesh, Afghanistan or – yes, thats right, to a citizen of Ghana!
How to vote in the UK elections?
First read up on the BBC election site, then learn more about the Give Your Vote /Use a Vote for Ghana initiative and finally, vote by text message! Text your name, location, and party of choice (LABOUR, CONSERVATIVE or LIBERAL DEMOCRAT) to +233241561918 or visit a UK election centre in Accraon 30th April.
I think the concept is an interesting one, but in my opinion suffers from two misconceptions.
1. That the ‘oppressed’ will vote in what we perceive to be their interests. They may instead vote for policies that destroy the environment for quick, short-term gains.
2. The belief that it is local governments that now control these issues!
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There is also the inherently skewed tendencies that for the UK the poeple who will engage in this initiative and give their vote are already politically involved people, not some ununsed “rest votes” – similarly paradoxial is that likely the people in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ghana with access to social medias/the website describing the initiative will be highly affluent and possibly very far removed from the “rice farmers” intended to get a vote in the UK elections… Lets see what happens!
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i dont know who thought of this, this is very deceiving..i shook when i first saw it early this week. Tokenism at its best….once a while you re made to feel part of the system which will not work your interests. ah! well. its up to them.
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Hi Nii,
I agree there are a number of problems with the aoproach, but it is still highly interesting. And, as you point out, voluntary to participate.
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There’s a wall like that in La, looking at my neighbourhood…who is it for? really?
I think it causes misconceptions and myths more than anything.
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Good question, who is it for? Thanks for reading my blog!
6 Comments
I think the concept is an interesting one, but in my opinion suffers from two misconceptions.
1. That the ‘oppressed’ will vote in what we perceive to be their interests. They may instead vote for policies that destroy the environment for quick, short-term gains.
2. The belief that it is local governments that now control these issues!
There is also the inherently skewed tendencies that for the UK the poeple who will engage in this initiative and give their vote are already politically involved people, not some ununsed “rest votes” – similarly paradoxial is that likely the people in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ghana with access to social medias/the website describing the initiative will be highly affluent and possibly very far removed from the “rice farmers” intended to get a vote in the UK elections… Lets see what happens!
i dont know who thought of this, this is very deceiving..i shook when i first saw it early this week. Tokenism at its best….once a while you re made to feel part of the system which will not work your interests. ah! well. its up to them.
Hi Nii,
I agree there are a number of problems with the aoproach, but it is still highly interesting. And, as you point out, voluntary to participate.
There’s a wall like that in La, looking at my neighbourhood…who is it for? really?
I think it causes misconceptions and myths more than anything.
Good question, who is it for? Thanks for reading my blog!