GHANA: OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR - PART OF THE CURRENT DRAMA OF POLITICISINGTHE ISSUE OF CORRUPTION

While we [Ghanaians] support all governments and state institutions to be serious about the fight against corruption, it must be done within the ambits of the law and must not be used as witch- hunt ostensibly to discredit the last administration or to undermine the opposition NDC. Perhaps we need to draw President Akufo-Addo's attention to the fact that while he is busy  planning how he is going to witch- hunt his political opponents, his Vice, appointees and persons claiming closeness to him have in the last 11 months been pilling up sleazes that also need his attention. The President's own body language whenever he touches on his anti-graft initiative and the office of the special prosecutor and postings and statements coming from persons who work at the presidency and his party officials and supporters give clear indication that the office of the special prosecutor is going to used to intimidate the opposition and all who courageously condemn ongoing corruption in his administration. The President's statement that "2018, we shall see the corrupt ones" was unfortunate and unnecessary. It was a threat to cow the opposition and his critics into abdicating their responsibility of speaking out as citizens of the land.

Those who think the Special prosecutor is going to genuinely help curb corruption are living in the world of illusion. While he was throwing his political opponents into jail, President Kufour told Ghanaians he was not ready to prosecute his corrupt appointees to bring down his government. This is the true mindset of the politician. Where was the current President when his boss made that scary statement. It is unfortunate that the President and his party folks have soon forgotten the impunity and the waste experienced under the Kufour/Npp administration.

Corruption damages the social and institutional fabric of our country and the best approach if we truly want to curb its escalation is to turn to reform options open to government rather than the partisan approach adopted by the President and his team. The piecemeal approach isn't the right panacea. We must take a second look at the constitution, effect the necessary amendments to make weapons we introduce to fight the canker more binding and effective.

Our civil servants must be compensated appropriately, create transparency and openness in government spending, tax exemptions, public procurement , extra budgetary funds under the control of our politicians. The freedom of information bill must be passed immediately to enable citizens scrutinise government activities and debate the merits of various policies. In this respect, the press must enjoy total freedom. We must cut red tape. Reports on the economy and operations in our state institutions suggest the desirability of eliminating as many needless regulations while safeguarding the essential regulatory functions of the state. Subsidies are another example of how government policy can distort incentives and create opportunities for corruption.

The Mahama administration as part of its anti- graft agenda, deployed smart technology to curb opportunities for corruption. The President's position was that reducing frequent direct contact between government officials and citizens will curb illicit transactions.

But can we effectively fight corruption in Ghana if our civil society organisations, some pastors and opinion leaders apply different techniques and modalities in their advocacy work depending on the party in power? These are the critical issues we must dispassionately fix our lenses on.

Already, the President and his party's apparatchiks including some persons working at the Presidency have exposed the intentions behind the creation of the special prosecutor's office.

Instead of addressing issues raided about the new office, the Presidency and apparatchiks of the administration descend to insults, abuses and innuendos, a stance which not only bears out the case made by the opposition and many discerning minds in the country but also raises questions about the capacity of this administration fight the massive corruption in the current administration.

So the President signs the special prosecutor law whilst the freedom of information bill still craves for his attention? And people think his loud noise about corruption fight is genuine? Corruption in Ghana is one critical issue we must tackle devoid of political jokes and nauseating propaganda. We need robust implementation of anti corruption laws and governments will need to be more proactive in cracking down criminals in their administrations.

Just take a look at this government. Nepotism is the worst form of corruption one reliable conduits political leaders in Africa use to steal state funds. The President should look around his immediate environment. His cousin is the finance minister, his daughter appointed into his government, his cousins have been appointed heads of all the sensitive ministries, wives of his cousins have been appointed heads of some top state agencies including the SIC, his friends and business associates of his cousin the finance minister have taken over the finance ministry, in laws of his Vice have also been put in charge of state institutions etc etc. This is unprecedented in the nation's history and I don't think Mobutu, Idi Amin, Bokassa etc with all their records did this to their people.