Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South Constituency, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan
Ghana needs a strong leadership front that can take punitive actions to curb corruption in the country and foster national development.
Mr. Dr. Adam Bonaa, a Security Analyst, and Mr Vitus Azeem, an Anti-corruption campaigner, said that the country’s inability to curb corruption was largely due to the failure of leaders to implement laws and take disciplinary actions against those who committed the act.
Their views were shared by Mr. Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South Constituency, and Mr. Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, MP, Asante-Akim North.
They said this during a discussion on the back of the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS), which found that Ghana lost approximately GHS5 billion in cash through the payment of bribes to public officials last year.
Mr. Azeem, who is a former Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), noted that if leaders of the country sent a strong warning by jailing corrupt officials, many would be deterred from engaging in corrupt acts.
He said: “Who wants to be jailed for corruption? Nobody! So, if we are bold enough to jail people, nobody will do that.”
The Anti-corruption campaigner, therefore, called for critical investigations into allegations of corruption, and offenders were jailed when found culpable with their properties confiscated.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi said, “we are so happy to talk about corruption, but we are not happy with the process. It is only corruption that frustrates our development. We need institutional cleansing. We need to make sure people suffer for their wrongdoings.
Mr. Kweku Ricketts-Hagan said people should be deterred not to be corrupt and that example must be seen from the top.
“If we don't show the way or lead by example then corruption will persist. Corruption is endemic in our society and there is no leadership to put a stop to it.”