Ghana's laws must bite to defeat corruption - Otabil

Corruption is simply a failure of the application of the law, according to the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensa Otabil.

Speaking at a public forum on confronting corruption, organised by policy think tank - IMANI and pressure group Occupy Ghana, Dr. Otabil said until the law bites, corruption would never be eradicated from our society.

“Americans are not more moral than Ghanaians, British are not more moral than Ghanaians, the only difference between us and them is that the laws work there and the laws don’t work here. Corruption is simply a failure of the application of the law,” the motivational speaker said.

“If you go to other countries people religiously file their taxes at certain points of the year, it is not because they are more patriotic but it is because they are afraid of the law, until the law bites corruption will never be eradicated, it is a failure of law.

“Until we make the law work this discussion has no future, the question is who makes the law work?”

Dr. Otabil added that even though the President, John Mahama, has enormous responsibility he must ensure that the laws are properly implemented to rid the nation of corruption.

“Leadership is very difficult...I can almost imagine the magnitude of the responsibility of a President...he has a huge responsibility, it is a very tough responsibility, it is a responsibility that means that he has to juggle a lot of interests, in trying to please one, he offends the other, it is very difficult to be the President of a country and it is very easy for people to refer every responsibility to you because you are the President.

“So I can imagine the sense of frustration if you are President of a country and the sense of loneliness that you feel, that people don’t understand you, that people don’t really see it the way you see it and it may all be true but that is why leadership is not by force,” Otabil pointed out.