President cautions Ministers on use of state funds

President John Agyekum Kufuor said Ministers of State have a sacred duty to ensure that public funds are treated with the utmost diligence and care and the decisions they take ought to be able to stand the scrutiny of future generations.

"The sight of former high office holders appearing before the law courts should serve as a constant reminder that in all we do, there will be a day of accounting. I urge you to be particularly careful when it comes to making decisions that have implications on the public purse."

President Kufuor was opening a three-day workshop for Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State at GIMPA in Accra.

The two-day capacity- building workshop is the second in a series for the minister. Two more would be held before the end of the year, according to Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Presidential Affairs.

President Kufuor said: "We came to power on the crest of the people's revulsion toward the arrogance of power and misuse of public funds. We have put ourselves on a glass pedestal and the people of Ghana are watching our every move. In all we do, we should remind ourselves daily that we shall be judged by the standards we demand of others."

President Kufuor said the biggest problem facing the nation was poverty with many of the people living in unacceptable conditions and the policies embarked upon by the government since assumption of power has been aimed at stabilizing the economy and in pursuit of this, government had to take some very hard and difficult decisions.

He said some of the policies being pursued were done with long-term objectives in mind and government has resisted the temptation of opting for short-term measures that might bring temporary political advantage and expressed the hope that in the long run these policies would bear fruit.

"The currency is showing signs of stability and inflation is coming down, we have, therefore, set the foundation for a sensible management of the economy and as we move into the second phase of delivery when we can start spending money on implementing our programmes, there will be many temptations and challenges," he said.

President Kufuor reiterated that never would the possession of a party card be the sole criterion for decisions on contracts and other economic activity. "Let us give every qualified Ghanaian a fair chance and an equal opportunity. In this phase, zero tolerance of corruption applies with added vigour."

He urged the Ministers and Deputy Ministers to monitor and evaluate their performance periodically as the government implements its programmes, saying he would monitor and evaluate the activities of each of them.

"I insist on team spirit and would not tolerate cliques and cabals in the government. They will debilitate and weaken our performance and there would be no room for those who would not be team players.'

"We must at all times remember that we are servants of the people and we must serve them with humility. Your lifestyles are bound to change but keep a sense of proportion because the public would notice and would wonder how all these magnificence is being financed. And we must always remember that when we have finished serving our term, we shall be back among the people again without the trappings." he added.