Make corruption unattractive to reduce canker
The Executive Secretary of the Department of Human Development at the National Catholic Secretariat, Mr Samuel Zan Akologo, has suggested making corruption an abhorrent act with stiff penalty to deter people.
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He said a negative tag on corruption to make it unattractive, the same way acts such as stealing, prostitution and other vices were dealt with, would prevent people from engaging in it.
Perception
He said these in a presentation on 'Manifestations of Corruption in Everyday Life: How Do We Confront Them?' at the 21st Denmark Seminar on Corruption held recently. The event was on the theme 'Corruption: Perception or Reality.'
Mr Akologo stressed the need for public consensus on fighting corruption in the wake of many counter arguments by a section of Ghanaians anytime a high profile corruption case came up. Besides, he called for urgent prayers to free Ghana from the grip of corruption, which he said was associated with works of darkness, evil and sin.
He observed that the deception and secrecy that surrounded corrupt acts made it difficult for one to appreciate the act properly, adding that “what we see is just the tip of a huge iceberg in the sea.”
Personal interest
According to Mr Akologo, corruption began to manifest its ugly face the moment an individual who was entrusted with power misused it for personal interest or gain.
He cited political actors getting rich overnight; services being paid for not delivered or poorly delivered; gaining position not by merit but through some nebulous criteria as some of the examples of how corruption manifested itself.
He said other manifestations included hoarding public records and information; selling public properties such as public lands, traditional lands and artefacts, equipment, vehicles and keeping the proceeds to oneself.
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Manifestations
“We may not be able to prove or verify the details but we can see and experience the manifestations. That should be a wake-up call to action!”
He noted that “denial by people who should take action was a way to develop corruption-canker!”
To confront corruption as a country, Mr Akologo called for clear rules of procedures and processes in order to reduce the discretion of power vested in some public officials in respect of their work.
“Greater openness and transparency in public affairs are the only light that can dispel darkness.”
Additionally, Mr Akologo called on Parliament to facilitate the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill.
While emphasising rewarding honesty and encouraging high morals and integrity, he also called for improved remuneration and end-of-service benefits for public servants a way of reducing the tendency for corrupt practices.