Re: Corruption Is Everywhere

By Otchere Darko

Reference: “Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Agwunbutoge Awuni, the Director of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), has said the police was not the only corrupt institution in the country and that corruption was pervasive across the country.” (By Courtesy of Ghanaweb General News of Friday, 16 August 2013; Source: GNA)

It is only in Ghana, in particular, and Africa, in general, that a senior police officer can make such an indictable statement, while at the same time drumming his widely stretched chest, like a baboon; and while, also, believing that his office and position will not be adversely affected, by making such a statement on a public platform.

“Almost everybody and [every] institution in the country is corrupt”.

*Of course, the Assistant Commissioner of Police is absolutely right here. What the Commissioner failed to admit, though, and by that failed to do full justice to the issue at stake, is the fact that the responsibility for prevention and eradication of corruption in Ghana has squarely been placed on the shoulders of Ghana Police by law. Thus, if the Assistant Commissioner is saying that “the level of corruption in Ghana is very high”, then he is unambiguously placing the blame heavily, if not solely on the police; his office being part of the main body in Ghana that has been vested with the primary role of dealing with corruption.

Mr Agwunbutoge Awuni must, therefore, at least, run to one of the beaches of Accra and bury his shamed head in the fouled sands of our beaches, for making the above statement which is a perfect example of a typical official utterance that constitutes ‘self-indictment’. Mr Awuni can EASILY go to the beaches and bury his head in the sands, if he finds it harder to write and tender his resignation letter to the President, for fear that he could starve members of his family, should he do the latter.

*After all, he (Mr Agwunbutoge Awuni) knows well that it is not in the nature of the presidents of Ghana to force failed public officers to resign the public positions they occupy. This condoning attitude of our presidents, therefore, gives him (Mr Awuni) the advantage of opting to follow the lesser of two self-inflicting courses of penal actions that should be available to any public officer found to be wanting in any civilised community.