GRA Boss will boost corruption fight — Socialist Movement
The President of the New Ghana Social Justice Forum, a youth-oriented socialist movement, Yahaya Alhassan, has said the appointment of Anthony Kofi Sarpong, former Senior Partner at KPMG, as the Commissioner-General for Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), was an unprecedented development for the fight against corruption, transparency and devoid of political cronies for the new Mahama administration.
He has, therefore, commended President John Dramani Mahama, for taking such a bold decision.
At a press conference in Accra, Mr Alhassan said the appointment of such a man, with impeccable financial efficiency in Auditing, financial statements, accounting advisory, corporate recovery insolvency and revenue mobilisation, was a step in the right direction for openness in Ghana's revenue collection, as he has proved that during his term at KPMG.
"Ghanaians cried for an end to corruption. Ghanaians cried for openness and transparency. So, appointing Mr Sarpong as the Commissioner-General of GRA is a step in line with what Ghana voted for," he added.
Mr Alhassan noted that the GRA, as a key public institution, required a consummate professional in the finance industry in the shape of Mr Sarpong, who could be counted on to use his expertise to effectively manage the affairs of the revenue collection for efficiency and sustainability.
Enemies of state
"Party faithful should accept the fact that political change and economic transformation cannot be wrought by one political party. Rather, civil societies, experts, neutrals and the entire populace need to be involved. Therefore, appointments should be extended to all highly qualified people who can be trusted.
One such person is Mr Sarpong, an astute professional who has wholeheartedly contributed his quota to national development,” Mr Alhassan added.
He called on Ghanaians to accept the fact that what was required to push the country into prosperity was diligence, and trustworthiness, all of which qualities Mr Sarpong had amply displayed at KPMG.
“We reiterate that his appointment as the Commissioner-General for GRA is a major step towards efficiency, transparency and transformation in Ghana's revenue mobilisation drive.
Therefore, whoever chastised the appointment of Mr Sarpong, perhaps does not really know the stuff he is made of. Those who did so despite knowing his qualities are enemies of the state, who must change their mentality,” he admonished.
The Leader of the group, therefore, urged President Mahama to leave a mark of statesmanship in the affairs of governance, adding that "Africa is blessed with natural resources. That is why the advanced countries are competing for our resources. But what we lack is selfless leadership”.
Mr Alhassan believed that the second coming of President Mahama was an opportunity to leave an indelible mark in leadership and in the history of Ghanaian politics for others to follow.