NPP Gov?t Is Corrupt And Tribalistic - survey

Accra, Oct. 20, Chronicle -- A Confidential report of a nationwide scientific survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) this year, which is in its final stages of printing, has indicated that many Ghanaians perceive the current government as too tribalistic and corrupt.

According to the report, the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ?is perceived as a tribal government with too many of the President?s tribesmen in government,? adding that most of the chiefs who were among the respondents interviewed were dissatisfied with the over projection of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as if he were the king of the whole country On the thorny subject of corruption, the report said the respondents, who included Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Managers, representatives of multilateral companies and individuals in the society were of the opinion that there was widespread corruption in the government, coupled with unnecessary bureaucratic encumbrances, which retard the growth of businesses in the country.

Chronicle intelligence gathered that this survey was a follow-up to the one conducted in 2003, released in May this year.

On the economy, the report said people were not satisfied with the way the government was managing the economy, which had resulted in high cost of living and made the average Ghanaian poorer.

Notwithstanding all these damaging issues against the government, the report indicated that majority of the respondents still believed that, compared to the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, the NPP government still maintained a high standing in the eyes of the respondents on issues such as corruption, managing the economy and good governance.

The report predicted therefore that if elections were held within the time frame of the survey, the NPP would win.

It said support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had continued to increase in the 10 regions since the 1992 elections whilst support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had steadily decreased in all the 10 regions since the inception of the democratic dispensation in 1992.

Meanwhile, an independent anti-corruption expert has said that heads of anti-corruption institutions such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), the Auditor General?s Department and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police service, as institutions of government, were reluctant to open investigations into the numerous corruption cases that had emerged within the NPP government since they took office.

?As a result, it is not surprising that people perceive the NPP government as corrupt,? he stressed.

?That is a shame on the part of the current government, having accused the previous government profoundly of mass corruption when it was in opposition, only to turn around and perpetrate the same illegal acts, upon being given the mandate to rule the country,? he added.

The source noted that the NPP government had found itself in a peculiar situation where it had to satisfy everybody who had contributed their resources towards their victory in the 2000 elections. These included individuals in Ghana and abroad, who had contributed huge sums of money to the sustenance of the NPP while it was in opposition and finally brought it to power. ?As a result, the government finds it very difficult, if not impossible to punish them if they are found to have perpetrated any act of corruption,? the source added.

The consultant cited another form of corruption- ?kickbacks from contractors to members of government and maintenance of party? which had existed in the NDC government, and still existed in the ruling NPP government, except that the mode of payment had changed.

According to him, with the NDC, such monies were paid into recognized accounts, a clear example being the NDC?s over payment of thousands of euros to Construction Pioneers (CP).

He alleged that the NPP had evolved a wise way of receiving such kickbacks in the form of physical cash being given whoever was responsible so that no records were created regarding such transactions.