EDITORIAL: Well Done, Mr. President But...

For the first time, the President has reacted to the perceived corruption going on in his government. Government is committed to promoting a new culture of openness and transparency, a culture that frowns on graft and incompetence, a culture of rule of law and a truly democratic society where good governance remains the cornerstone, the Press Secretary to the President, Andrew Awuni, quoted him as saying.

The Press Secretary further cited the President as saying that revelations at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sittings in Accra should not be seen as a failure of government but, on the contrary, the triumph of a new regime and new culture that must be upheld and rewarded. The President also mentioned the repeal of the criminal libel law, the introduction of the procurement law, the Whistle Blowers Act and the strengthening of institutions like the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Auditor-Generals Department as some of the measures he has instituted to deal with corruption.

This alone shows that the President listens to the concerns or comments of the people who voted for him to lead the country. We have taken on the government on one or two occasions for perceived corruption. The latest being the ongoing revelations at the sittings of PAC of Parliament. The Chronicle took that stand because of its conviction that the zero tolerance for corruption policy that the President declared when he assumed office in 2001 had slackened. One would recall the speed and alacrity with which Malam Yusif Issa was tried over the $46,000 that went missing. We can also recall how the late Selormey and others were also tried for causing financial loss to the State.
Unfortunately, after these high profile trials, almost everything went dead even though there was perceived corruption in the government and the country as a whole. While criticizing the President and his government, we are also mindful of the fact that his administration has put in a number of policy interventions which he himself has enumerated through his spokesman.
We admit that the President, with the end of his term just around the corner, seems to be tackling the canker with boldness and we commend him for that. The PAC sittings alone, at least, show that he is committed to the fight against corruption.
We therefore urge him to pursue the agenda vigorously so that he would leave a legacy that will always be remembered. The repeal of the criminal libel law alone is a credit to him and his government.
The Chronicle as an independent newspaper would always provide constructive criticism for the benefit of the entire country. We are hopeful that the institutions mentioned above would be given the needed push by his office so that they can also deal with corruption cases without fear or favour.
We also wish to draw the President's attention once again to the ongoing debate for the separation of the Attorney Generals Department from that of the Ministry of Justice. If he is able to separate the two with the former being manned by an independent prosecutor, then it would be a leading legacy he would leave for this country in addition to the criminal libel law that his government repealed.