Ghana's democracy threatened by corruption - Julius Malema

Ghana’s democracy is seriously threatened by corruption, the President and Commander-In-Chief of South Africa's political group, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has said.

Describing Ghana's democracy as the most celebrated in Africa which set the pace for other nations on the continent, the threat, he explained included the country almost losing its ability of self determination as a result of crippling international debt.

A situation, Mr Malema said, had made the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to dictate to the country because the current leadership had failed to honour their obligations. 

“Corruption is a threat to a wonderful democracy anywhere because it’s eating on the moral fibre of a democratic dispensation. 
We must never celebrate anyone who is corrupt or seek to defend the corrupt individuals irrespective of our political affiliation,” he stressed.

The South African far-left politician made the comments on Tuesday [January 23, 2024) speaking at a public dialogue organised in Accra by Ghanaian socialist pressure group known as AriseGhana. 

Mr Malema, further stated that, those who were stealing from the public purse now, were stealing from the future which was immensely contributing to the threat to the nation’s democracy. 

As a result, he lamented that neither the current generation nor the future generation would be up to the task of paying the nation’s huge debts.

“It is you the youth of Africa that are going to inherit the debt and you’ll not be able to develop your own country,” the Founder and Leader of the EFF said. 

Mr Malema, therefore, urged the African youth not to be influenced by money given to them by older generations in politics but rather stand strong against corruption. 

“If you value yourself, if you value the future of this continent, you must stand tall and unashamedly fight corruption everywhere it rises its ugly head. Don’t care who says what. You must always speak truth to power. It doesn’t matter who gets offended,” he said. 

 “The truth remains the truth whether you’re standing, sitting or sleeping. The truth will never change,” he added. 

Julius Malema further urged them not to be discouraged if their criticisms and actions against the corrupt fell on deaf ears because “when they are sleeping alone, their conscience speak to them and they must answer the question, is he or she telling the truth and if the answer is yes, you have achieved your mission.”

Mr Malema said corrupt people will never know they are corrupt until someone told them to their faces so the African youth should continue to tell them that they (the corrupt) are for themselves, their family, their friends, their political connects and not for the continent.