Use Christmas to tackle corruption — Catholic Bishops confab
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged Ghanaians to use the Christmas celebrations to tackle the pervasive corruption in the country.
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It noted that national peace could not be attained with the level of corruption that had engulfed the country.
In a Christmas and New Year message signed by its president, the Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, the conference said money had taken the centre stage of all aspects of national life and that was having a telling effect on the society.
The statement also said corruption, no matter where it occurred, was evil and its practice would not bring peace to Ghanaians.
“We should therefore endeavour to put an end to it. If there is corruption, it is largely because people are not acting with integrity wherever they are. Let us all try to put an end to corruption so that we can enjoy the peace that Christ has given to us,” it said.
Religious corruption
The statement said the practice of religion had sometimes been tainted with corruption. That, it said, happened when some of its practitioners saw it as a means of getting rich, no matter what.
“Some religious leaders seem to be in the ministry primarily for money. For this reason, they use all sorts of means to extort money from the congregation. Sometimes they take advantage of their gullibility and extort monies from them. Some churches do not feel obliged to render accounts to their members. This is fertile ground for corruption,” it noted
On corruption in the media, the statement said some media practitioners collected money from some people or political parties to disseminate news that was untrue and which even had the potential to heighten tensions among Ghanaians.
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“Media practitioners, both state and private, should aim at being fair, honest, objective and circumspect in their coverage and reportage,” it said.
Political corruption
The Catholic Bishops said political corruption occurred when, in the attempt to pay back monies received from the sponsors of their electoral campaigns, politicians circumvent laid-down procedures for awarding contracts or breach the tender protocols in government procurement.
It said corruption also took place in the electoral process when illegal means were used to secure votes.
Educational sector
The conference also condemned corruption in the educational sector, which it said was evident in the payment of bribes before students were admitted to second-cycle institutions.
It also noted that in the senior high schools, universities and other tertiary institutions, some male lecturers offered better grades to female students in exchange for sex.