Thursday,
March 27, 2014
Folks, a country cannot make the
desired progress if its system of governance is crippled by bribery and
corruption. It is as clear as daylight!
Bribery and corruption have only
one effect: to undermine morality and impede good governance. In a democracy,
the more prevalent the canker is, the better chances are that governance will
be adversely affected. Ghana is a victim of bribery and corruption. Its
democracy cannot mature on that score.
Although human beings are by
nature fallible, their desire for progress in this mundane world cannot be
achieved if they don’t put their house in order as far as moral decadence and
irresponsible behaviour (translated into unbridled self-acquisition through
fair and foul means, mostly through the latter) are not held in check. We have
too much of the unbridled craving for ill-gotten wealth in Ghana, which is why
our democracy isn’t growing to serve the needs of the wider majority of the
citizenry.
It is not so in other democracies
where efforts are targeted at cleaning the system. Even though it has its
weaknesses and inadequacies, the US’ democracy is hailed as exemplary in our
time.
In truth, this kind of democracy
is admirable because it serves the needs, purposes, and interests of the
tax-payer—as is evident in the high quality of living standards (at least, for
the majority of citizens who benefit from the system in many ways to live in
dignity as human beings). No need to draw parallels between this system and
others; but the truth is that payment for work done is better than anywhere
else in the world. Otherwise, why are people all over the world gravitating to
the US?
The US’ democracy is built on the
rule of law. And the law is really evident in every aspect of human endeavour.
The law in the US is no respecter of persons, which is why whether high or low,
anybody who fouls the law is punished according to what the law prescribes. I
respect the US for that.
More than anything else is the
persistent effort by everybody to whip up the spirit of patriotism, which is
why an American will scrupulously raise the country’s flag wherever he/she is.
Take the US athletes, for instance. Wherever they find themselves in the world,
they always hoist their country’s flag as a confirmation of their stiff-necked
pride in that country’s status. And the US has a huge status!!
One may be astounded by the
respect that US citizens have for their country, even though those in charge of
implementing the country’s foreign policy often end up provoking bitter
feelings against the country in respect of its global presence and all that it
entails. No need to expatiate on this issue because of the implications of the
US’ involvement in crises in many parts of the world or its instigation of crises
whenever possible to boost the survival of its military-industrial complex.
But one undeniable fact is that
the US fights corruption with all the resources at its disposal, even to the
extent of using established institutions and personnel to trap prospective
corrupt public officials. No talk of ethics here. All that is expedient in
exposing corrupt officials is done and the culprits duly taken through the due
process of law to be punished.
It is not as if going that way
has completely rooted out corruption from the United States; but it is
significant for all that it entails. Those who think that they can do things
with impunity in the hope of profiting do so at their own risk.
Several instances exist to
confirm how the US uses its own mechanisms to fight corruption, which can be
emulated by other countries, especially those in Africa that are sinking fast
because of being weighed down by bribery and corruption.
Here is the latest example:
“The mayor of the
largest city in the US state of North Carolina has resigned, hours after he was
arrested by the FBI on corruption charges.
Newly elected Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon,
47, is accused of accepting more than $48,000 (£28,953) in bribes and gifts
from undercover FBI agents. He promised access to city officials in return,
investigators said.
Mr. Cannon faces up to 20 years in prison and
$1 million in fines if convicted on theft and bribery charges.
"I regret that I have to take this
action, but I believe that it is in the best interest of the City for me to do
so," he wrote in his resignation letter.
According to a complaint filed in federal court, between 17 January 2013 and 21 February 2014, Mr. Cannon
accepted payments from undercover FBI agents on five separate occasions.
In return, he offered to connect the agents to
city officials responsible for planning, zoning and permitting.
Mr. Cannon, a long-time Democratic city
counsellor elected mayor in November, accepted cash, airline tickets, a Las
Vegas hotel room and the use of a luxury apartment from the FBI agents, who
reportedly posed as real estate developers, according to the complaint.
Before his election as mayor, Mr. Cannon
founded a car park company and was the long-time presenter of a radio chat
show.
The corruption investigation reportedly began
in August 2010 following a tip from an undercover local police officer.”
MY COMMENTS
Many examples abound to confirm how the US
uses available means to track down corrupt public officials for exposure and
punishment. It is an unceasing attempt to make bribery and corruption
unattractive. Those who indulge in it do so at their own risk. They won’t be
spared if caught. Good lesson.
Is this approach adopted by the US in using
undercover operatives of the security system to track down corrupt officials
for punishment not enticing enough for us in Ghana to use?
Caution: The US uses its security personnel for
this purpose because it trusts them to do the right thing. Resources are
allocated to such sting operations and accounted for. And the results are
laudable.
Can we in Ghana claim to have strong
institutions to rely on, let alone a reliable corps of security personnel to
entrust with such responsibilities without either taking undue advantage of the
situation or betraying the trust reposed in them?
Will those charged with exposing corruption themselves end up being corrupted by those targeted to botch the efforts? In our case, anything goes, and one has to be wary of many things.
Will those charged with exposing corruption themselves end up being corrupted by those targeted to botch the efforts? In our case, anything goes, and one has to be wary of many things.
Of course, going that way means having strong
institutions of state and conscionable people to bear the burden to be imposed
on them. Do we think that the weak institutions of state that we have (the
judiciary, particularly) can help us go this way? If they cannot, what should
we do to use them in the fight against bribery and corruption?
I hope that the authorities are monitoring
what is happening and gearing up to act decisively instead of paying lip
service to the fight against corruption.
It will take more than that lip-service to
solve the problem of bribery and corruption in public service. And we know the
harm that bribery and corruption can do—and does in Ghana!!
I shall return…
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E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
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