Thursday,
August 23, 2012
The NPP’s Akufo-Addo made an
emphatic statement during his encounter at the IEA’s Presidential Debate that
he is not corrupt, has never been corrupt, and will never bow to corruption. Let’s
hear him:
“I
am determined to fight corruption aggressively, and I can do so, because I am
not corrupt, have never been corrupt, and will demand the same of my team.
Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of good governance. Ghana
needs this, Ghana deserves this and I, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, pledge to
deliver this to the good people of Ghana.”
Some NPP-oriented
political zealots fawning over this pronouncement have been quick to regard it
as “The 60 Words
that Forever Altered our Political Landscape” (Reference: Stephen Kwaku Asare,
Ghanaweb article, 8/23/12).
I cringe!! And for good reasons.
Open declarations of this sort by politicians put me on the quivive; they don’t
evoke relief. I don’t appreciate them because they mean nothing concrete to me.
They are clear instances of the hot-headed rhetoric that has continued to
mislead the citizens into dining with the devil at the helm of affairs.
Anytime a politician indulges in
self-glorification of this sort, I become very much wary. Corruption is endemic
in Ghana and cannot be eradicated on the account of one person’s so-called
claim of incorruptibility. Unfortunately for us in Ghana, several factors—the most
disturbing of which is the failure of those in authority to tackle corruption
head-on—nurture corruption.
It is no exaggeration to say that
post-independence Ghana is rife with corruption, not necessarily because we’ve
had corrupt leaders but because of the weaknesses of the system that people
exploit with impunity. It takes more than mere public posturing to solve the problem.
That is why I am not impressed by Akufo-Addo’s stance on corruption. He must
come again!
From Nkrumah to Mills, tackling corruption
has been more of such voter-baiting rhetoric than the practical action to stem
the tide. No amount of draconian measures of the sort implemented by Rawlings
could solve the problem.
Neither did Kufuor’s “Zero
Tolerance for Corruption,” which ended in smoke because Kufuor himself was part
of the problem of corruption that he sought to solve. To him, corruption has
been with humanity since the days of Adam. And Akufo-Addo was part of that
government.
Although he might claim not to
have grabbed property as his colleagues were doing, he did nothing to help
solve the problem. Turning a blind eye to the spate of corruption is itself an
act of corruption.
I don’t know the kind of
definition that informs Akufo-Addo’s public posturing of incorruptibility. If
he perceives corruption only in terms of the acquisition of material wealth in
dubious circumstances, he is dead wrong.
Corruption takes several forms—and
Akufo-Addo’s role in the Kufuor government alone persuades me that he is not
incorruptible as he self-glorifies. Many instances abound to prove to him that
he is part of the problem and can’t whitewash himself easily.
Why did he cause the three
Dzorwulu NPP female activists arrested at the Kotoka International Airport for
attempting to export cocaine to be released (freeing them from prosecution)? Is
there anything clean about Raymond Amankwah and all those dubious characters
supporting his campaign that makes him flock with them (being birds of a
feather in this sense)? How about the “uncustomed” vehicle he was using that
had to be forcibly retrieved from him for tax evasion, etc.? How about the “backside”
of the late Amerley Tagoe?
Of all forms of corruption, the
moral one is subtle but harmful, which is in the equation for Akufo-Addo. How
does he come across as such? The negative impressions that some segments of the
society have about him stem from such an angle, if he cares to know. And there
are many of those issues to dog him at Election 2012.
His claim that he would be “determined to fight corruption aggressively” is as
hollow as Kufuor’s declaration of “Zero Tolerance for Corruption” on Day One in
office; and also like the vain attempt by the late President Mills to solve
corruption on the basis of his own uprightness, rejection of per diem
allowances, and modest life style.
The
Ghanaian psyche turns out to be a different thing. Who cares whether the leader
is a paragon of morality or self-denial? The scramble for ill-gotten wealth
will go on for as long as the avenues engendering corruption exist. Eliminating
these avenues and punishing deviants are the main challenges, which successive
governments haven’t been able to handle to our satisfaction!
Unfortunately, the spate of
corruption is catalyzed by the goings-on in the corridors of power. That is why
everybody looking for opportunities “to make it” seeks to establish political
connections. None of our politicians can claim to be a saint. Akufo-Addo isn’t
one and shouldn’t attempt bloating his nauseating arrogance any further with
this holier-than-thou public posturing.
It is one thing making such a
glib pronouncement to catch the headlines and another doing practical deeds to
tackle corruption. Akufo-Addo didn’t touch on what he would do to transform the
institutions of state into corruption-fighting instruments. Corruption in Ghana
cannot be rooted out without institutional reforms. Does Akufo-Addo think that
his being incorruptible is the potent tool with which to fight corruption?
And he was the very person
boasting the other day that under a government to be led by him, there would be
no “Woyome deal” of the sort that has necessitated the judgement debt syndrome.
Without doubt, Akufo-Addo’s stance
on fighting corruption is not only bogus but it is also disappointing. It won’t
help us solve the problem, which worsens his credibility problem. How does he
think he can make any difference?
The institutional weaknesses are
responsible for our inability to solve the problem; and one would expect him to
tell us how he would make the difference, not drawing attention to his
incorruptibility. After all, he must count himself lucky to have inherited
assets amassed by his parents to cushion him in life. But he has already begun
selling off those assets, making room for new ones to be acquired by him. My
disdain is deepened on that score.
Akufo-Addo doesn’t know how to
deal with the problem. He may be quick to find fault with those now in power,
but he hasn’t persuaded me that he will do better if given the mantle. His
theories may be high-sounding but his solutions lack substance.
We are particularly concerned
about this problem of corruption because it is the canker destroying our
system. Corruption in the public sector is the Ghanaian jinx, which cannot be
eradicated with mere references to the self. What will Akufo-Addo put in place
to fight it?
Ours is a systemic problem. How
will Akufo-Addo fight corruption? Is it that he expects those in his government
to emulate him as such—and that the problem will be solved thereby? Surely, a
hard road to travel.
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